Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-31

North American Newspaper Alliance
NEW YORK. May SO.--Edu.
cational television can help re.
duce school costs and help licl
THE teacher shortage.
This is the considered opin.
ion Of the man who has done
more to introduce television Il
the Nations classrooms thar
anyone In the United States
In an exclusive interview. Or
Alvin c. Zurich, director of the
Ford Foundations Fund fol
the Advancement Of Education
said $50 school districts are
making regular use Of televisec
instruction. In addition. III
colleges and universities Offer
credit courses through televis-
ion.
DR.. Zurich has been the Ma
tons foremost exponent In the
use Of this new mass media foI
schools and colleges. His fund
has allocated $40 million dur
ing the past several years to
educational institutions, to ex-
pertinent with television.
100000 in Tv Glasses
'It is no longer a question
as to whether television can
succeed in the classroom" he
asserted. THAT has been
proved. We must now deter.
mine how best to utilize this
newest means Of instruction.
Classroom television has mad
gigantic strides during the las
half dozen years. More thar
100000 youngsters, from frs
grade through college, now re.
ceive all or part of their in.
struction by TV.
An outstanding example o.
the use Of television on the col.
lege level is the Continental
Classroom, carried over the Ma.
tional Broadcasting Co. net
work. Jointly sponsored by tn,
American Association Of Col.
leges for Teacher Education ant
the Ford Foundation. the "class
room" was launched last fal
to upgrade high school teach
ers Of physics.
ESQ Schools In Program
At present. $50 colleges anC
universities offer credit fol
this course. DR.. Zurich re.
ported that 100000 teachers
and other interested person.
get UP at $50 each morning tt
listen to this college physics
course. The principal teacher
of the course, DR.. Harvey f
White of the University Of
California. is an outstanding
authority in his field. 81,
Nobel Prize winners appeared
as guest lecturers. Each de.
scribed the particular expert.
kments which led to the Nobe
Prize.
No college or university coulc
bring together such talent" DR.
Zurich stressed. This course
is a major breakthrough in the
use Of new tools which really
enhance the learning situation
It provides a much higher
quality Of instruction than We
we can provide in our regular
How good is educational tele.
vision? Critics have warned
that the mechanical gadget
cannot replace the warm
human teacher without loss tc
the pupil. They have charged
that children would get little
more than a diluted second
rate education if television en-
tered the classroom.
The facts do not bear Out
these criticisms.
Comparisons Cited
According to DR.. Zurich, com.
parsons at all levels, from
elementary grades through col.
lege, indicate that students who
take a course by television dc
as well if not better than Their
classmates who receive regular
instruction.
The role that educational
television is playing in today:
schools was brought into focus
last week by the Ford Founda.
ton and the Fund for the Ad-
vancement of Education. In 9
thorough, 87-page report called
teaching by television," the
Ford officials suggested that ir
the future more and more USE
will be made of the air waves
Reading, writing and arithme.
tic, as well as difficult subjects
such as trigonometry and or
ganic chemistry, win be taught
via TV. At present, almost
every conceivable subject Il
found in the television curricu.
lum.
Conclusions Outlined
Among the conclusions
reached by the Fund, DR.. Zurich
noted, are these:
/. Superior teaching oyel
television stimulates much bet
ter learning on the part Of the