New Tools for Learning (1951)

[Music] e [Music] [Applause] how do you measure the achievement of a Nation if you want to know how we're really doing where do you look maybe that's a question with more than just one answer maybe you have to take one thing at a time and ask how we're handling that problem take food for example that's an important problem how are we doing there take a look at our Farms the quantity and quality of our output surpass anything ever seen before and how about industrial production that's probably where we do the most remarkable job of all this is the kind of thing we have a special neck for we have a right to be proud of our performance as Builders and makers of goods how about Transportation the same story really more than 200,000 M of railroads 300 mph planes by the thousands 40 million cars and trucks or look what we've done with health physical well-being tremendously improved life expectancy at the highest level in history by far and how have we managed to do all this we provided tools for the job farm tools to multiply our output per acre giant machines to multiply our output per man when it comes to moving people and goods we have the tools to do it on a grand scale we have every right to be proud of our performance in these areas of our national life but what about the education of our children let's look at that problem have we the same right to be proud of what we are doing for them every school day of the year never before in our history has the school population been so big never before have we had greater face a complex rapidly changing World think of it a moment it is a world that has seen the coming of the atomic bomb and all the problems that go with it it is a world in which supersonic speeds are commonplace it is a world that in a span of little more than 20 years saw [Music] this and then this it has seen the first attempt in history at World organization and the fate of a second attempt still hangs in the balance it has seen extreme economic depression and high economic prosperity it has seen the rise of the total State the dictator and the mass man it is a world that has revealed whole new areas of knowledge it is a world of New Sensations new excitements new distractions the Thrills of Motion Pictures the tense drama of radio the Vivid presentations of Television so much to be learned by so many in so little time that is the problem and what this is a question we must address to every school buildings equipment teachers loads teacher salaries the training of teachers and the tools for learning the supremely important job of teaching deserves the best we can provide more books and better ones more audiovisual materials and better ones more teaching materials of all kinds each student to a special task of communication for education is communication it is the communication's problem we consider here we want to explore the tools of audiovisual education and especially the educational motion picture why try to explain the workings of a gasoline engine with words and gestures alone when films can do it this way the four Cycles are intake compression explosion exhaustion why depend entirely upon verbal explanations and static drawings to portray life in foreign lands when Motion Pictures can do this work very hard everyone must help with the work if the camp is to be ready by Nightfall we must have books to teach the great events of history but why use books alone when films can help so much to make these events come alive so many needing to learn so much in so little time how do these new audiovisual tools measure up to this job well let's see here is the classroom of Miss mild Mahoney of the University of Chicago laboratory school to most of these primary grade children Farm Life had been vague and remote then one day they saw a film about a fair places in the line at last the choice is made the judge's work is done he has picked the winners well the Champion's Blue Ribbon goes to a girl Johnny gets a ribbon too his C is a winner here are some of the activities that grew out of the common experience of the class making a model is only one activity growing out of the film showing books especially designed to go with a film help the pupils to read about the experience with ease and with understanding Johnny Goes to the barn he shines the horns of his C besides using the film readers the pupils took a great deal of interest in other books dealing with the animals the farm and other things related to what they saw in the film some wanted to put the story into their own words some Drew pictures just as these City youngsters went to a fair by means of films they can use films to gain Rich experience and a wide variety of other subject areas the world of physical things how do gears work the world of science and technology how is nylon made the world of living things young animals the rich past of colonial times the world of the Arts how do you draw a good picture the world of handicrafts how does a loom work and the world of people young people like themselves in Norway in England and young people in Italy these children are learning to understand the world they live in through films the general science class of Mr PL wh ier University School Bloomington [Music] Indiana now we have a pretty good list of questions do you think of any other points that we ought to see in this film on television panel what makes the electrons or whatever they're called come together and form the shape for the picture that's what I don't understand good let's add that what makes the shape or pattern of the picture is there anything else oh then let's see the film Don will you close the shades at the base of the tube is a filament fitting over the filament is the cathode a cylinder coated with Earth oxides around the cathode is a shield called the controlled grid next motion pictures on chemistry films on biology teachers like Mr Whitaker have found that their investment in the use of films has yielded Rich returns in promoting interest clarifying difficult Concepts and increasing the effectiveness of [Music] teaching the history class of Mr John Hamburg Edon Wisconsin Public Schools it is therefore that the older I grow the more after I am to doubt my own judgment and to pay attention to the Judgment of others sir I cannot help expressing a wish that every member of the convention who may still have objections to it would with me doubt a little of his infallibility and to make manifest our unanimity put his name to this [Applause] instrument any comments yes Bob I guess I was surprised to see Franklin so willing to admit that he might be wrong sometimes anyone want to comment on that well I think the film makes clear from the beginning that Franklin was a scientist as well as a Statesman you know that's a very impressive thing about the founders of our government they were men of really broad interests to Mr hamburg's class men like Franklin Jefferson and many many others are not just vague historical figures but Vivid personalities they have met in a very meaningful sense through films and so too with their entire study of American History films give it a new dimension films textbooks and other materials reinforcing each other when the period of the movement Westward was being studied this film was used in a century and a half a frontier people had remade a continent virtually all productive land another point in the course there was a film dealing with the second world [Music] war after that a film on the United Nations the independent member states of the United Nations see by means of these five great bodies to maintain the peace discussions like this are typical of the interests that films help create I don't see how you can talk about degrees of democracy and despotism like the film said either you have a democracy or you haven't that's what I think too if it's just a matter of degree then all systems are the same that's not what the film said the point was that you can't just go around using words like democracy and despotism without knowing what they mean that's right one of the first things any dictator tries to do is fool the people with words they don't understand and get all excited about some people can't even ex if I may get in a word here there are two distinctly different types of questions involved one is a question of fact what did the film actually say the other is a question of opinion should we believe what the film said we ought to be able to settle the first question rather easily can we see the film again shall we see it again Charlie are you all set the sixth grade class of Mrs Bessie southcom of the Cincinnati Ohio public schools a c on another occasion the film selected had to do with personal hygiene she washes her face at least every morning and evening she rubs ly all over her face and then there was the film on the teeth the rotary Strokes massage the gums and stimulate blood circulation there was the film on caring for the hair 100 Strokes or more that sounds like a lot doesn't it but it's worth taking the time for with materials like these to work with Mrs southcom class was able to save costly hours of classroom time in their study of health problems these are not isolated examples similar cases of effective film use can be cited in all areas of the school program and at all age levels for instance to the art class of Mr Haren e Hofer of the Evon Illinois schools comes the skilled artist the students have the experience of seeing a great artist at work the engineering class of Professor Richard H Cole of Northwestern University El lucid and straightforward demonstration of the meaning of vectors the teacher training group of Mr re P of the University of Chicago gets a new insight into Child Development the importance of the child's questions and how they are answered and for adult groups like this the films provide a common experience for a group discussion films are only part of a broad mood in the audiovisual field film strips records magnetic recordings models charts radio and television are also new tools for enlightenment to promote a wider and more effective use of these tools States counties and cities have appointed professional audiovisual directors to provide leadership in the field universities have established centers for teacher training and research in audiovisual education the US Office of Education and other civilian government agencies have training film programs industry and the Armed Forces continue to use the audiovisual tools that have been so effective in the Speedy training of large numbers of men and women Mr Clarence Randall president of a large Steel Corporation said I hold the Deep conviction that training films are an important Aid to the development of education in Industry they are direct they are inexpensive and they teach people not only the how but the why of doing things the safe way and the Smart Way Admiral Hy of the Armed Forces said when time was precious the Navy turned to the medium of the motion pictures for technically accurate and educationally sound and struction research centers such as this one at Pennsylvania State College are constantly adding to our knowledge of films and their effective use a growing number of City school systems have Central points for the distribution of films and more than ever before individual schools are fighting to get the facilities they need to make the use of films and other audio visual materials a regular part of classroom instruction yet even even with all this most students in American classrooms we must not assume that the New Media of communication will answer all our problems or that they will make the teacher less important on the contrary well-trained teachers will be needed more than ever before but the teachers's effectiveness will increase with a proper use of films just as the latest advances in medical equipment increase the effectiveness of the doctor just as the farmers Effectiveness is increased through the power tools of modern agriculture just as our giant productive system is made more effective through the use of a modernized transportation system just as our industrial workers have been provided the tools an age of economic well-being requires the problem ears as profitable and productive as possible are we solving this vital problem with the best facility how do you measure the the achievement of a Nation if you want to know how we're really doing take a look at our schools or on what we're doing here and in schools throughout the world rests not only our future fate but perhaps the very fate of civilization [Music] [Applause] itself [Applause] la