The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-11-09
Schools Use
NisualHelps

ton throughout the country for the
way In which they are using mo
ton pictures In the class rooms.
They have been written up in both
state and national professional ma
gaines. and members of the teach
ing stan have described the work at
teachers meetings in this state and
other states. Teachers from Ypsi-
lanti have acted as consultants in
setting up visual education pro-
grams in other cities, which have
patterned their programs after the
ipsilanti system.
This is not because Ypsilanti
/ schools are doing anything sensa-
| tional in the use of films and other
| visual aids. It's because the
teachers use visal aids so effective.
| ly to teach the things they would
/ teach, anyway.
In the old days II children were
| studying the farm, they would read
I syerything available on the farm,
hen the teacher would question
hem to be sure they understood
what they had read. The class
would go over their information
many times TO be sure they remem.
Jered what they had learned.
Ypsilanti schools teach the same
things about the farm that chill
Iren have always learned. But
hey don't teach IT that way. They
visit the farm; they get all the pic
lures they can; they, too, get all
the books that tell about farms.
Then they get the film The Farm
err. This reviews all they have
learned from the visit, the pic.
lures, the books. 1t summarizes
their information, and shows 1t in
all its relations. A film in the Up
SLANT schools is not Just another
picture. 1t is a carefully selected
efsrence material, designed for a
-efnite purpose in the class room
t the time II is shown.
All educational films used in Up
-nti are gearei to the cours,
i study, selected by the teachers
ar in advance, and timed TO nj
he particular need of the children
the, time OF showing.
Teachers today in Ypsilant.
mt nag the children about safely
ibits. They develop the idea OF
safety as part OF good citizen
ship, then show some OF the best
safety films. available. They aren't
content in Ypsianti Schools only
to hear lessons from the book on
geography. Teachers do that, then
show the children films on Alaska,
West Indies, Mexico. Yosemite, In
dia, Guatemala, oil wells, coal
mines. lake steamers, road building
1 all the interesting films avail
/ able to illustrate the teaching or
/ the books. Ypsilanti schools teach
/ The fundamental facts of history,
1 hen they illustrate them with such
/ ms as Pioneers of the Planes,
Union Pacific. ABE Lincoln in
inois", CLARA Barton, THE Flag
yeaks", life in Old Louisiana"
I'd such films. History lives for
.ese children. Music appreciation
asses in Ypsilanti learn the fam
les OF the symphony orchestra,
ley listen to the music OF great
auds, they read the books. Then
hey see such films as The Great
5ictor Herbert, THE Percussion
Group, The String Choir, The
Life OF Stephen c. Foster, and
music and its Interpretation comes
to be a part Of their life.
The old proverb says: "One pic
ture Is worth ten thousand words
/ And research shows that children
learn 40 per cent more with pic
lures, and remember it 40 per cent
longer. Anyway Ypsilanti children
are studying every week from the
silver screen. And new fields OF
interest open up to them with each
new title. Home Life of Bobolink
and Blue Pay, Builders of the
Broad Highway, Building Bomb
err. THE Battle of Midway. "Gul-
liver's Travels. Life itself. And
it's all a part of their daily school
studies.
Children in other cities may 90
bad because OF the influence OF the
movies, but it can't happen here.
Ply the use Of carefully selected fea.
ture programs right in the schools,
children are being taught to evalu-
ate pictures shown at the CONNER
cial theaters. and TO select the pic
lures they see on the basis of this
evaluation.
Films like Freddie Bartholomew
in Swiss Family Robson, and
Katherine Hepburn in Little
Women" are booked for the schools.
Teachers and a small group OF chill
dren preview the film early in
the week after school They make
up study sheets that will lead pu-
pill thinking In setting up critical
values. These study sheets are
p ssed out to all children, and af-
| ter preparation in the room, they
go to the auditorium and see the
lin They stop here and there to
discuss the meaning Of different
parts. Then back to their icons
N discuss II at length. Nothing is
missed: photography. acting. plot Of
the story, music, historical mean
ing, comedy parts. Everying that
yoes with becoming critical OF Whist
= seen on the silver screen. That's
the way we learned 10 walk: by
walking. That's the way we learn
ID to read; by reading. And that's
the way the children are Learning 20
ovaluate films shown in the thea
ters; by really evaluating them.
And they do learn Surveys show
that 80 per cent OF the elementary
school attendance at the theaters
selects approved films TO see. The
heaters say the children are grow
ing more discriminating, all the
inc. Many parents are cooperat-
1g with the schools in helping
heir children to do more than just
go to the show" Homes, too,
IRE using the slogan that the Ypsi.