Evening star., 1953-03-26
Lessons Via "
Gain Favor Of
School Groups
Expansion Of Plan
Urged by Official;
Some Attacks Noted
By jones G. Deone

16IcVlSeQ lessons are winning
favor with many District public
school teachers and pupils, a
school official reported today.
Weekly telecasts on science,
music, Spanish and French are
proving valuable in many class
rooms, Associate Supt. Carl F.
Hansen said. Despite some crit
1ciSms, most teachers want the
telecastS continued, he added.
DR.. Hansen urged expanding
the program under a full-time
director. He also urged special
teacher training for using TV
and proposed bringing other
public and private schools into
the project.
The school system is seeking
authority to operate an educa-
tional TV station, but DR.. Han
sen made no reference to this.
The schools began televising
experimental lessons three years
ago. with Station WNBW donat-
ing the facilities. Nearly 1000
pupils in SO grade schools saw
the weekly lessons in January,
when DR.. Hansen asked teachers
for their reaction. More schools
are receiving the programs now.
SO Per Cent Seen in Favor.
More than SO per cent of the
answers to the QUESTIONABLE ia
vored continuing the project, DR..
Hansen reported. Only Al classes
and "a teachers voted against it.
But DR.. Hansen stressed that
the existence of some opposition
indicates improvement is need
ed in techniqueS, and that full
success in the use of this me-
dium for educational purposes
will not be come by easily"
A total of 3O3 teachers and a
number Of principals replied to
the TV QUESTIONABLE. All the
teachers had made use of the
telecaStS.
Most teachers reported the
lessons stimulated wide variety
Of pupil activities, not only in
the classroom but outside of
school, DR.. Hansen said.
Stimulates Projects.
Science lessons have inspired
science exhibits. experiments,
discussions, assembly programs
and special reading. One class
visited Rock Greek Park to COL
lect fungi. Another built its own
model TV studio, and later was
invited to appear on a WNBW
program.
Since I have had science tele-
casts, I have learned to like SCI
ence as one of my favorite hob
bies," a sixth-grade girl wrote.
In the music series, a demon
stration of flutes inspired one
class to organize a performing
group, and a program of songs
stimulated another to learn to
sing them. Several classes be-
came interested in attending
children's concerts.
The foreign language programs
have inspired classes to adopt
French or Spanish for classroom
conversation. Teachers have
tied the language instruction
into lessons on geography, music,
history and other subjects.
Sees More Tolerance.
81 have noticed a new toler-
ance on the part of children to-
ward those who speak differ
emily" wrote one teacher as a
result of the French lessons.
Teachers raised two principal
objections to the lessons, DR..
Hansen said. One was that hav-
ing children sit and listen to q
teacher talk at them is an obso-
lete teaching method. The other
was that TV makes no provision
for differences between classes.
DR.. Hansen contneded, how
ever, that children should be
taught to listen. He added that
the TV teacher can supplement
the classroom teacher with
special skills and materials.
On the second objection, he
said classes must be carefully
prepared for the TV lessons and
there must be follow-up activ-
ity.
Many teachers urged that the
program be made livelier, pupils
be given opportunities to partici-
pate while the lessons are in
progress, and attendance be
based on interest.