Film Research and Learning (1956)

this film will present a digest of some basic research which explains how the use of well selected 16 mm Motion Picture teaching films has improved instruction the these research studies explain how film experiences may help students learn increased amounts of new information which is remembered longer and which therefore may be applied efficiently to problemsolving situations as pupils progress from lower to higher grades without doubt some of the most effective teaching goes on in the primary grades as the teacher begins instruction in Reading she knows that experiences and understandings must precede the printed word and its comprehension she recognizes the axim before the word the idea or reading readiness then reading before the word the idea simply means that the child must first gain understandings about real things concrete things later the child can associate appropriate understandings with the words or phrases that stand for them the teacher explains this process as we see we learn we read this group is getting ready to read a simple story and Johnny's teacher is explaining that before they read they will leave the classro to visit some of the places and things they will later read about in books in the beginning it is very easy to provide firstand experiences Reading Readiness experiences the school neighborhood provides useful and interesting opportunities to see to examine and understand understandings they will later meet through words in books understandings are first gained by seeing things at fir hand watching experiencing these understandings will then be matched to Words which stand for them as practice continues in relating ideas to words children soon learn to read which in itself is little more than the process of matching new experience with appropriate words back in the classroom the children make a discovery these up and down lines these circles and curves are really Words Words which stand for the things they saw and now know about the children continue to practice matching understandings with words and as this happens the remarkable process of reading has begun as reading continues new and more difficult words are introduced this creates a need for more and more firsthand experiencing a need which will continue throughout the entire School experiences of these children this becomes more complicated as the things we read about no longer can be witnessed in the schoolyard in nearby parks or out in the neighborhood as second graders prepare to read about things which happen far away or are difficult to see in real life the problem of providing Readiness for such reading increases it is at this point that the usefulness of the six 16 mm sound Motion Picture teaching film dramatically reveals itself the teaching film can be used to supply many desired experiences which should precede reading in the film reading study conducted by the Harriet Gorman committee Dr Paul witty and James Fitzwater it was discovered that the use of the teaching film can help children learn to become better readers this study measured the way in which the use of eight selected sound Motion Picture films influenced their reading the reading of second grade children in this study it was revealed that 95% of the children showed Improvement in reading it continued to demonstrate that 95% of the children showed vocabulary Improvement that 70% were able to express more and better ideas during class discussion and that 99% of the group wanted to continue to learn to read the film experience way when these findings were checked against the Judgment of participating teachers they reported the children learned to read faster class discussion improved independent reading increased and vocabulary the key to success in Reading was increased in the intermediate grades the need for providing real experiences about things studied continues good teaching methods include the use of pictures the chalkboard models and charts usually before the Learners turn to the pages of books for information some of the pupils can recall experiences of their own about pupas larva and insects and they can describe them to their classmates as they refer to charts like these but for all the children in the classroom to really understand how things move and grow and develop from one stage to another something else is needed something which can bring living experiences right into the classroom experiences that are as lifelike as reality itself what would happen if sound Motion Picture films were added as study materials in this classroom a study by vcn spider r rals the answer to this question in an experiment on the use of films during the study of Natural Science iron spider worked with over 2,000 students he found that film using groups were able to achieve gains gains up to 30% above those possible by nonfilm using class groups continuing his study in the area of Music he discovered gains from 18 to 34% for 7th grade film using groups 4 Weeks Later AR spider measured the retention of film learned information science film group superiority ranged up to 18% music film groups retained up to 32% more information the Motion Picture film does improve pupil achievement leis R in inquired in seventh graders science vocabulary his study measured the role of the 16 mm Sound and Motion teaching film in classroom learning situations already judged to be well above average in planning and instructional experience what will happen to science vocabulary growth Romano asked if in classrooms which already use many modern teaching methods the study display the chalkboard models and specimens we add carefully selected teaching films and still pictures what will be the result of using Motion Picture films and pictures to explain how fossils actually became entrapped in these specimens how the great sedimentary layers were really laid down how things really happened as we study science Romano found his answer greater vocabulary gains were earned by film and picture using groups fifth grade up to 300% greater vocabulary sixth grade more than twice the vocabulary learned by control groups 7eventh grade up to 200% greater vocabulary gains than by nonfilm picture groups the efficiency of film materials when used as supplementary experiences in the junior high school science was investigated by Ruan the films included visualizations of the formation of the Earth's surface the effects of erosion plant life simple animals and the life cycle of frogs Ruan realized that even the best models charts specimens sometimes fall short of helping Learners achieve complete understanding the dissection of a frog cannot reveal the gradual development from egg to polywog to adult it cannot explain how a frog lives moves swims gets its food or propagates its young to do these things motion is needed animation and stop Speed photography but what really is the effect of the film use in such situations ran sought the answer among nearly 3,000 film and nonfilm using ninth graders and he discovered that students who worked with films as they studied biology and Physiology units learned increasing amounts of information they learned up to 20% more information and as important he discovered that recall tests reveal that the film using groups retain this information 38% more completely than did non-film using groups similar results were recorded by Meer Henry and others in Nebraska as the effects of film use were measured among high school students in 28 Community High Schools the results indicated Superior gains made by film using groups of students in several subject areas in general science in biology in physics and in World Geography the use of the 16 mm sound and Motion Picture teaching film can result in Greater learning outcomes in the lower grades the film permits children to gain needed firsthand difficult to witness experience Reading Readiness experience which results in understanding understandings which can be associated with words sentences and books to produce reading comprehension reading skill as course of study goals describe the need for understanding people places and cultures that are far away the teaching film reveals more of its many strengths the film can reach out to anywhere in the world to capture real life experiences experiences about foreign people and homes customs and vocations music and art the teaching film can bring any of these experiences right into the classroom at the very time they are needed to provide useful concrete understandings to be used during discussion creative writing and reading research evidence accumulated over a 20-year period shows that the teaching film when carefully selected and wisely used under work study conditions can improve instruction by bringing the best of 20th century communication techniques into any classroom anywhere on through the upper grades and into the high school the teaching film offers see and hear and learning ideas which become effective means of enriching learning and preparing youth to better find their places in the society they will enter