Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / Jan. 6, 1946, edition 1 / Page 11
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THEY LEARN BY SEEING AND DOING | New Hanover county s school system, one of th&gioneers in modern audio-visual education, has proven beyond all question that use of the motion picture and study by the act of ‘‘doing’*, such as making exact models, are tops when it comes ^Obstructing juvenile minds. More than 20 motion projectors are being used almost daily in the county’s schools, most frequently in the classrooms, ac the photo at -eft, taken recently in Lake Forest seBool, shows. At right, a High school class studying Latin supplements its formal studies with models, made by students. One, a minature volcano* actually erupts smoke and flame! j|| Motion Pictures Accelerating Instruction In Public Schools USE POPULAR HERE New Hanover Educational System Pioneered Audio Visual Work In State Xhe following article, pre pared by the Star-News staff; is the fifth of a series offered bv the newspaper discussing some of the lesser-known phases of work being carried on in the New Hanover public schools. Today’s article tells of the work being done in the interesting field of audio-visual education and how intelligent use of motion pictures is en abling teachers to cover a greater field of knowledge more interestingly and more effectively than through the more conventional means.— Editor. When the Army and Navy, con fronted with the monumental task of giving highly technical training to masses of men in preparation for war-time tasks, turned to the field of the motion picture they s.mfSly were adopting on a grand scale a means of teaching that hac already won acceptance from pro fessional educators years anc years ago. It has been estimated that the two military branches, to gether with their many subdivi sions, accomplished via the medi um of motion pictures some phase of training of every soldier and sailor to wear a uniform in World War II. That probably is no exag geration. Now that the war is over and the training reports are being studied in the light of the worth of various types of instruction em ployed to teach the armed forces, the concensus is that the motion picture camera made a tremen dous contribution. Educators are not surprised, and least of all, educators in New Hanover county aren’t a bit surprised. The use of motion pictures as an instrument of class instruction has been an integral part of the coun ty’s school system for at least eight years in the grade schools, and considerably longer than that in New Hanover High school. Fact is, New Hanover county’s school system has -been a leader among the 100 counties- in North Carolina in the pioneering and development of audo-visu&i education, as, pro fessionals know the use of- motion pictures in its relation to educa tional work. . Every generation of school chil dren, as far back as anyone living today can remember, has used “pictures” to augment class work. The old slide projector—still in use, too, by the way—to impress some particular phase of Study upon the juvenile mind is an ex ample. But the use of the motion picture projector with films es pecially prepared for educational work—and carefully coordinated with prescribed study courses—is something comparatively new. ‘‘Movies,” as the youngsters will insist upon calling the use of mo tion pictures in classroom work, are a part of this county’s school teaching from first grade through senior year in High school. The younger the pupil the simpler the text of the film; the older-the pu pil, the more complex the text. Films for schools, like textbooks, are prepared for definite objectives and for age-groups. Nothing Hap-Hazard There is nothing haphazard about the work being carried on here. Nothing, at any rate, is left to chance. Ihe school board, through the superintendent of schools, employs a full-time depart ment head to supervise the work. The High school, functioning some what independently of the county schools department, though in close collaboration, also has an instructor in charge of audio-vis ual work. In New Hanover High school for instance, there is a film being shown every class-hour of each day. four days a week! In the grade schools there isn’t an hour of the school day when one or an other of the classes below the Ninth grade isn’t having an edu cational film shown! Films aren’t the only instruments of audio-visual education, as em ployed in this county, but ttjpy do constitute the greater part of the work being carried on in the field. Modeling, for one thing, is consider ed a part of the program. And so called field-trips to see some par ticular industry or type of occupa tion at first-hand is another means of teaching under the audio-visual program. But for the purposes of this article, and as a matter of record, the use of the motion pic ture projector is the No. 1 method by which the program is carried out here. That the program is closely co ordinated with textbook lecture work goes almost without saying. Take an example from the High school’s system: Each Spring, classroom teachers get together in round-table dis cussion and with Principal T. T. Hamilton, Jr., begin making plans for the next school-year’s work. At hand, with his catalogues of educational films and other pertin ent data, is the school’s director of visual education. As teachers outline the forthcoming year’s study courses, the film catalogue is consulted. "We’ll be studying Peru about Nov. 1,” one teacher says. The film catalogue is consulted, and under Peru is found a list of educational films, including such topics as mining, agriculture, peo ple, customs. Source Of Films Films are checked and cross checked and finally teachers around the table, whose next year classes wil study something about Peru, decide on two or three, or more, films pertinent to the country and the study-courses about it. These films, when the whole list is completed, are "order ed” from the State university film library, on a rental basis. Or perhaps they are drawn from the county’s own school film library located in Isaac Bear school. Dates of showing are included and a minute schedule of distribution to the various classes is pre-arrang ed. The following November, as per schedule, the first of the Peru films arrives tor showing. Making its rounds in the va ious classes, the film is re-packed and sent back to the library. The rental fee is almost insignificant. The same system, generally speaking, applies to the selection under the school superintendent. There are 20 sound film project ors in the county’s grade schools. "There’s nothing left to chance in selecting films to show to the youngsters,” Mrs. Bennett ex plains. “Individual teachers and school principals are constantly making suggestions and recommendations. If, in their opinion, a film isn’t all it’s supposed to be, we don’t use it thereafter. If one film is considered superior, for its pur pose, over another, our department learns of it very quickly and our future actions are governed ac cordingly. The result is that to day we have an excellent, albeit still-too-small, library of films, owned outright by the county,” Mrs. Bennett says. Teachers don’t depend upon audio-visual education, including the sound film, as the exclusive element—or even the principal element, for that matter—in teach ing a course. To quote Mrs. Ben nett: “Audio-visual education has be come an outstanding modern aid to teaching. With this means of learning applied to our "ormai classrooms, learning takes place most effectively, because when we see and when we hear, we know.” Continuing on her favorite sub ject. Mrs. Bennett says: “Because of the widespread mis interpretations of audio-visual in struction, it should be worthwhile to consider the value of such a program in our schools. Audio visual education permeates all in struction. It is a part of a teach ing method designed to aid in the presentation of materials -Knowl edge, concepts and ideas—in litera ture, science, history, geography, health, art, music, shopwork and other fields, so that they are more easily and clearly understood and appreciated.” Use of the films, it has been in disputably demonstrated here, is proof of the adage “Learn by see ing.” Educational Surveys Although no formal surveys have ever been undertaken in New Han over county, tests made- in New York City schools, for instance have established that a 12-year-olc student learns 25 to 50 per cen more rapidly, and nearly 20 pel cent more thoroughly, hi: formal teaching is supplementec by motion pictures. In due lime the Army and Navy will no doub release statistics of their r itioi picture teaching in ser\ 1. -ocls and the results may be more spe ctacular than those learned in Nev York’s public schools. With the retarded ent—th( student who for som unforfunati reason seems unable to keep uj with his class I. Q. level—audio visual education has been a God send', not only for pupil but foi teacher and society as well. Educators here are enthusiasts about the future of audio-visua education, and almost unanimously they agree that the work should b( expanded as quickly as con.'-*ion: and finances will permit. Eorai see the day not far distant whei as much as 50 cent of all class room teaching will be carried ou through the medium of the sounc motion picture. And others, pro jecting their imaginations eac even further, envision a day wher television broadcasts will be i regular part of classroom rk. After all, thsy point out with un deniable logic, the radio has '-orru intd the school as an education aid. Television is simply another fo rm of raido broadcast -visual as well as audible. One relatively new means of au gmenting school foreign language instruction—foreign speech record ings—has not yet made its debul in New Hanover schools. Both the Army and Navy made excellent use of these records dur ing the war. Difficult as Chinese is, for instance, there are on rec ord cases where servicemen mas tered a working knowledge of the language in 12-week courses. Those naturally, were far more con centrated than would be practica in the regular schools, but teach ers here have been definitely im pressed by the record and they want a chance to try the system some day soon. ‘‘I expect the day is not far dis tant when High school language classes will be supplemented with recordings of the language, stoker with the tongue’s true accent anc presented to the student much as the Army taught its soldiers,” one language teacher declared. Meanwhile, audi-visual education is going ahead with impressive steps with the motion picture pro jector and reels of celluloid doing more real teaching, in one sense, than a dozen instructors could ac complish in something little short of a lifetime. La Guardia To Receive $10,474 Annual Pension NEW YORK, Jan. 5— VP) -An annual pension of $10,474 for for mer Mayor F. H. LaGuardia — who will become a radio commen tator at an estimated $100,000 a year — was announced today by his successor, Mayor William O’Dwyer. In the event of La Guardia’s death, his wife would receive a cash payment of $10,000 and $10,* 081 annually during her lifetime. During a long career in public office the former mayor paid about $77 128 into the city pension fund, or ’nearly half the amount he now ,is eligible for 11 / } / SECURITY NATIONAL BANK Greensboro — Burlington — High Point — Raleigh — Tarhoro — Wilmington NORTH CAROLINA j STATEMENT OF CONDITION* DECEMBER 31, 1945 (Compared With Statements At The Close of 1943 and 1944) RESOURCES IDec. 31, 1943 Cash on Hand and Due from Banks. ..$13,712,366.87 United States Bonds and Notes .... 18,050,298.31 State of North Carolina Bonds ...—. 1,094,180.63 County, Municipal and General Market Bonds and Notes 2,584,409.32 Stock in Federal Reserve Bank. ....... i.... .. 45,000.00 Loans and Discounts... 6,408,840.99 Banking Houses and Equipment*Less Depreciation. .... 64,195.21 Other Resources..... 181,597.09 t TOTAL RESOURCES ..-..$42,141,088.42 Dec. 31, 1944 $14,524,237.83 26, *16,099.48 977,211.75 2,561,147.54 48,000.00 8,046,008.14 547,252.77 147,109.33 $53,567,066.84 Dec. 31, 1945 $17,487,592.34 34,828,254.86 1.106.014.51 3.472.915.51 57,000.00 10,437,399.85 521,960.11 191,886.56 $68,103,023.74 !l LIABILITIES $. $40,334,571.72 Capital Stock ...*. *. .'.... 800,000.00 Surplus.....*. 700,000.00 Undivided Profits ... • «*>• •'** • --* • • 84,964.60 Reserves for Taxes, Interest, Etc....•••. 105,763.78 Unearned Interest and Discount. .... 47,990.46 Other Liabilities .......-.... .. 67,797.86 TOTAL LIABILITIES .... $42,141,088.42 . -- 51,655,123.67 800,000.00 800,000.00 135,677.29 133,691.92 42,573.96 $53,567,066.84 $65,724,148.81 1,000,000.00 900,000.00 154,714.89 259,957.81 50,433.23 13,769.00 $68,103,023.74 Member of Federal Reserve System Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation j This Bank has no loots to its Directors, Officers or Employees ■ - v:) '' . ■ , ■ ■ ■ - • - • • . . * . j i ^ ——————ap——————e—■—— ——r i * I—“-1 ' I 1 ' SEARS MIDWINTER BOOK Rushed to us rigltt oft the press ... the largest and most complete Midwinter Book we've ever pro duced ... 298 value-packed pages overflowing with the things you've needed and didn't know where to find ... timely offerings, reductions from our big* catalog, clearance values, many new and scarce items right off the production line... all at Sears famous savingsl Don't miss a page, don't miss an item ... see a preview copy of this excifw ing Midwinter Book in our Catalog Order Depart* ment now ... weeks before it is possible to mall out to our customers. 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Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Jan. 6, 1946, edition 1
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