Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-04-01
SCHOOL NEWS
,HE MOVING PICTURES IN EDUCATION

THE MOVING PICTURES IN EDUCATION.
That there are large number of
teachers IN the public schools to-
day whose only method is to hear
pupils recite memol lied words,
sounds of foolIshness Indicating
nothing, is very true; but that this
is the accepted and approved way
of teaching children, is far farm the
truth. If there is anything that
sensible teaching demands, it is that
the pupil feel and asslmilate the
ideas under discussion, that all in
struction be vital and realistic; moth
ing is more unreservedly condemned
than that jargon of words which
the lecturer of last Friday evening
so strongly ridiculed.
To a. sign few paragraphs in a
text, to be satisfied with the ''let
ter" perfect recitation of that text,
to require a thorough mystery of
it's words, without probing into the
child's mind to see if he has gone
behind the words for the ideas they
express, is a deadening method of
teaching, killing all hope of enjoy
ment or interest. A shamefully
poor teacher it was who taught
the suction pump to high school
senior physics class, so ''bookishly"
that boy before him did not know
that the pump in his own kitchen
at home, the pump he had taken
apart many times to repair, was the
very pump under discussion. The
progressive teacher uses the text
book, to be sure, but only as one
means Of many to gain the idea;
words are very unsatisfactory
means of gaining accurate concep-
tons. Good teaching demands the
use of every possible scheme for
making sure the pupil gets the
idea and gets it right. Pictures of
all sorts, models, maps, photographs
and lantern slides are always in
demand; better still, whenever
possible, the teachers can
bring the insect or the flower into
the room, visit museums make ex-
cursions to see actual valleys, and
learn the thing at first hand, from
life.
The greatest help for this kind of
teaching is sure to be the moving
pictures. At present the movies"
are largely used for amusement
though many reels are shown of an
educational nature. The day is COM
ing fast when the moving picture
apparatus with large supply of
school films will be installed in
every school. when a school without
kaleidoscope will be as insufficient
ly equipped as is the school to-day
without a globe. For the moving
picture is second in value to seeing
the real thing. It's possibilities for
education are already recognized
in many of the larger cities where
they have been installed. The first
demonstration of it's value in Oak
Park, according to the Chicago pa
pers, was given before 100 pupils
last Monday. The lesson gwen was
on wire making. John W. Meaker
Jr., manager of the woven wire
fence department. of the American
Steel and Wire company, gave a
talk accompanying five reel pro-
duction of From Furnace to the
Farm" Every step in the manu-
facture of wire fence was shown
from the ore mines to the finished
product. The Oak Park school
board recently secured a
motion picture machine on trial.
1t is the intention if the plan proves
satisfactory to put it to daily use
among the different schools
A report from the Bureau of
Visual Instruction of the State I'm
iversity says; 1.-The Extension Divi
sion recunizes that the motion
pictures which have thus far been a
means primarily of entertainment
and amusement have vast education
al possibilities and should be
brought into regular use in all de.
partments OF school wrok from the
grades to the high school. To that
end immediate steps are being taken
to provide library of educational
films, to lend to schools and social
centers throughout the state wher-
ever provision in the way of
machines is made This depart
ment has now on hand about sixty
films that can be loaned to schools.