Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-12-29
Travel and Signs Teach Usually

Chicago, Dee. 27-yravel is tanta-
mount to getting moving picture at
first hand through the car windows,
and electrically lighted signboards
represent everyday illustrations OF
visual education in the business
world. :.
So declares Dudley Grant Hays, oil
rector Of visual instruction IN chicago
schools, who maintains that visual
education in the class room, far from
being a new discovery or lad OF
the hour, is natural method OF teach
ing which was an accepted thing
when pictures were first inserted IN
textbooks and live polliwogs first
brought into school rooms. Eduea-
tional films simply carry the idea
step farther along the path.
There is no question as to how the
general public feels about visual edu-
cation" said Mr.. Hays, to repre-
sentative of the Society for Visual
Education. Riding to your work IN
the morning and home again at night,
great billboards, rods and rods OF
them, drive home their messages
through your visual sense, seeking
to create the desire to buy.
Americans are great trave'crs.
Travel appeals to us because 1t IS edu,
cative, because is enriches our tleid
of experience. By means of travel
ing about the country we produce Tor
ourselves Vivid motion pictures OF
other people, how they live, what
thew do. But suppose the things we
see when we travel-the mountains,
rivers, oceans, plains and valleys,
the people, customs and industries
are put upon the school room screen,
where every child may share IN the
knowledge without the necessity OF
paying carfare or being away from
home. That is extending a great edu,
cational service to our boys ana
girls
Mr.. Hayes belives that for the
overburdened and overworked grade
teacher, the use of visual helps OF
fers relief from the strain OF the
crowded curriculum. Lacking time
or facilities, or both, for bringing to
her pupils the first-hand informa-
tional material needed to furnlsn
their minds with clear cut coneep-
tions, she can solve many a problem
by pressing the protector into serv-
ice. To the city teacher, especially,
nature-study slides and school films
such as those produced for the natural
history series of the Society OF
Visual Education, provide Invaluable
material for the adequate prescnta-
tior of nature lessons.
Having taught nature study, hav.
ing behind me the experience OF
country teacher, city teacher and
principal, | know the problems that
exist. My idea has ever been to bring
the pupil, whenever possible, into d.
rect contact with the real bird, insect,
animal, tree or flower in it's natural
environment" said Mr.. Hays. "That
is the ideal visual education, because
it appeals to more than one Of the
child's senses, and the more senses
you can bring to bear, the more COM
piete will be his mental picture Of the
object.
"The city teacher however, works
under a peculiar handicap. Her day
is so crowded with duties, her faclll-
ties are so meager for securing ac-
tual specimens, that it is small Won
der she sometimes grows discouraged
Field excurions are rarely practicable
eXcept as semi-occasional affairs out
side of school hours. 1t would be un-
reasonable to expect all these things
Of the teacher. Our aim therefore,
is to provide her, through slides,
films and similar devices. with par
tial substitutes for direct contacts
But it still remains true that the
quality of results rests with the
teacher herself. The usefulness of
any visual teaching aid depends en-
tircly upon the way in which it is
presented and correlated"
In discussing the question of added
efficiency gained through modern cX-
tensions of the visual method, Mr..
Hays declared that while it is lcglt
innate to quote results Of isolated
experiments as applying to that par
ticular case, there still remains to be
developed a body Of scientific data
from which to draw broad general
conclusions.
"Our work along that line ought
to be coordination and a co-opera
llpll DcL" cell Tue llcGuS VI Tic pSS
chology and the visual departments,
in shaping definite program that
will give us a yardsticll by which to
measure these things in some tangi-
bic way.
Owe know this, however-that the
enthusiasm of teachers and pupils u.s.
ing the facilities of the Chicago Wis
ual instruction department is very
marked. In some Of the schools a
beginning was made. about two years
ago, in teaching pupils to make their
own slides Literature nature study,
history. geography. domestic science
and other studies lend themselvs adj
mirably to this worksIt is surprising
to note What crcdtable results have
already been achieved. One of the
most encouraging features of the plan
is its remarkable success with pupils
who have been in the class of hard to
handle students. Confirmed truants
and habitually unruly boys, discov-
ering an unexpected talent for arts
tic slide making. have been led