Pueblo chieftain., 1921-09-26

public, but is in great demand by the
International Health Board for use in
all tho southern states.
"A motion picture has been made OF
every major operation. We have films
showing microscopic organisms and
demonstrating physiological processes,
as, for example, tho circulation of
blood. Then, of course, they have 1t
all over textbooks in teaching chem
stry, biology, and other scientific sub
jects in the schools"
The producer handed us his author
ity for this last statement an article
by Mr.. H c. Wells, in which he saws;
Il ask for half a dozen projectors or
so in every school and for we'll
stocked storchouse of films. The poss-
hilities of certain branches of teaching
have been altogether revolutionized by
the cinematograph. In nearly every
school nowadays you will find a lot of
moro or less worn and damaged scicn-
tine apparatus which is supposed to be
used for demonstrating the elementary
facts of chemistry. physics and the
like.
Now that is the sort of thing which
still goes on. But it ought to he en-
tirely out of date. All that scientific
bric-a-b brac in tho cupboard had far
better be thrown away. All the demon
stration experiments that science
teachers Will require in the future can
be performed once for all-bcforc a
cinematogroph They can be done
finally; they need never be done again.
You can get tho best and mcst dexter
GUS teacher in the world lc can do
what has been done with the best ap-
paratus in the best light: anything
that is every minute or subtle YOU can
magnify or repeat from another point
OF view; anything that is Intricate you
can record with extreme slowncss; YOU
can show tho facts a milo off or six
inches off-and all that your actual
class teacher need do now is to spend
hvc minutes in getting out the Aim he
wants, 10 minutes in reading over the
corresponding lecture notes, and then
he can run tho film, give the lesson.
question his class upon IT, note what
they miss and how they take It, run
inc MIN again for a second scrutiny.
and get out for tho subsequent study
OF the class the ample supply OF dia
grams aud pictures needed TO fx tho
lesson. Con there be any comparison
between the educational efficiency Of
the two mcthods?'
Mr.. Wells seems to doubt H. Never
thclcss. such a comna rison was recent
ly made in a Detroit school under Tho
direction Of Mr.. i. II. Wilson. Super
visor of Visual Education. with graft
wing results. Tho subject chosen for
tnc experiment was an educational
film explaining How wo Hear" Tho
children were separated into two
groups, ono Of which was 10 sec tho
film, and tho other OF which was 10
receive an oral lesson in the same
facts.
Tho fllm was shown twice to Tho
visual class In tho astonlshinEly short
space of IL minutes Tho oral lesson
required - minutes. tho teacher taking
great pains IN Impress upon hor pupils
tho same Information contained in the
MIN, At the close Of tho lc-eor tho
two separate classes were given y
Nritton examination on tho subject
lh"n tn" papers were collected aud
marked without respect to thr typo ~
lesson by tho same teacher Tho aver
age grade attained hy tho visual r-oup
In tho FIRST test was s,7s por cont NJ
compared with SIS per cent made
tho oral rroup-that IL TO ray, the
visual gain was 7..s per cent.
month later. a second or m-mor,s
test was given on the same subject,
and this timo tn. visual group aver
aged $50 per c~nt-s gain Of ~ r~-
cent over the ta5 per cent average
made by the oral pupils.
While tho rcrcontsE. Of gain in this
experiment might have been ev-n
greater II tho subject chosen had br~r,
How We Sr"" instead Of How W
Hear It is large enough To he ycii
worth while, especially when the aay-
Ing OF time IS considered