learn While You listen^!
Through such as Miss Helen John
son, above, broadcasting director of
the American School of the Air, the
one-room country schoolhouse, right,
keeps in touch with the main edu
cational stream via radio.
By Norman Siegel
RE you tempted by the sales talk
of an encyclopedia vendor? Do
your eyes bulge when he sticks
M his head in your door and lures
you with promises of culture? Do you
secretly yearn to discover the habits of
the auk, or what febrile really means?
Then you probably are interested in
what radio has^to offer in the way of
education.
It’s easy to go to school by radio. No
examinations, home work or attendance
requirements. If the lesson becomes
too boring, just swing the dial and
somewhere there’s an orchestra to
change the mood.
Yet radio has a lot to offer you in the
way of knowledge this season. Spurred
on by Parent-Teacher Associations and
women's groups, both NBC and Colum
bia are devoting more time to educa
tional features than ever before. In ad
dition to lectures by leading figures in
various fields of endeavor and interna
tional broadcasts of an educational na
ture, the networks offer specific pro
grams designed to enlighten the listener
on curricular matters.
Under the direction of Helen John
son and Edward Murrow, Columbia
broadcasts a regular course of study
five days a week. The program is
known as the "American School of the
Air.”
It is designed primarily for school
children, as a radio supplement to their
daily class-room work. It is broadcast
every afternoon from Monday through
Friday during the school year, from
2:15 to 2:45 p. m. In many schools it
is relayed over loudspeaker systems in
the classrooms.
nPHE American School ol the Air is
devoting its efforts this season to
history, music, literature, geography,
elementary science, current events and
vocational guidance. This curriculum
was-evolved after seven years of exper
imentation and study. In its first year
on the air the school included civics,
health, nature study and international
good will on its programs. Numerous
conferences with educators and chang
ing trends in pedagogy have caused
these subjects to be merged and in
cluded with the ones now offered.
The history course this season is
mainly American. The teaching of an
cient history has dropped out of the
grammar and high school curricula and
even European history is being rele
gated to the colleges. For that reason,
the “American School” is confining
itself to the history of the United
States.
The history of American cities is be
ing dramatized in the first part of this
course. In the second half of the sea
MtftK
son, the elements of American lite such
as shipping, roads, building, communi
cations, medicine, newspapers and in
dustry will be dramatically traced.
Everything is drmatized on this radio
school. To teach geography, for in
stance, a whole family has been cre
ated. They're known as the “Hamil
tons.” Mr. Hamilton, a traveling busi
ness man. and his two sons, Herbert
and Tommy, travel about the world.
They are occasionally accompanied by
Grandmother Hamilton and a small
cousin, Mary.
This year, Mrs. Hamilton and the two
other juvenile members of the mythical
family, Pauline and Sidney, are staying
at home. The family jaunts carry them
to the most inaccessible places. This
year they started at Gibraltar and will
zig-zag about the globe until they final
ly land at Baffin Island and North
Greenland.
Elementary science likewise has the
severe quality of the text book removed
from it when it goes on the radio.
“Aunt Betty” gathers her three small
nieces and nephews about her in the
radio studio, hands out corks, bottles,
baking soda, or whatever is necessary
to show how gases expand, or what is
oxygen. “Aunt Betty” is a science
teacher as well as being an aunt and
she explains everything very patiently.
IN music and literature, the school ot
the air tries to do something differ
ent from the average musical or dra
matic programs heard constantly over
the airwaves. The programs are planned
strictly with the age of certain groups
in mind. As a matter of fact there are
three music courses—six to nine—nine
to 12—and junior and senior high
school.
Dorothy Gordon, attractive Columbia
songstress, sings children's folk songs
and game songs for the little ones on
Thursday afternoons. A course in folk
music for children over nine years ot
age will feature short wave broadcasts
from foreign countries. These interna
tional music programs will begin Feb
4 with a broadcast from London and
will end April 29 with an Irish program
from Dublin.
In the field of literature, the younger
children will be offered 12 folk stories,
including the story of the origin of fire,
Jason and the Golden Fleece, Beowulf.
The "Hamilton Family,” whose jaunts make radio geography interesting.
In the picture, from left to right, are Gene Leonard, Betty Garde, Walter
Tetley, Albert Aley, Ruth Russell and John Monks.
the Song of Roland and Johnny Apple
seed.
Eight of Shakespeare's plays will be
dramatized and abridged into halfnhour
radio versions for the high school
classes. A course in poetry appreciation
‘conducted by noted guest speakers will
afso be offered the senior high school
group.
The Friday afternoon programs are
devoted to current events and voca
tional guidance under the direction of
Shepard Stone, of the New York
Times. This series is probably the
most complete attempt at education by
radio. However, there are a number of
other worthwhile ventures in education
on radio.
* 'ulumbia is sponsoring a science
^ series on Tuesday 'afternoons at
3:15 and an Academy of Medicine pro
gram on Thursdays at 1:30. Both pro
grams are designed for adult listeners
and are in the form of talks and dis
cussions by noted scientists and physi
cians.
In the field of music, Dr. Walter
Damrosch’s music appreciation series
on NBC has long been outstanding. Co
lumbia is also offering two series of
concerts designed for a juvenile audi
ence. Eugene Goosens is directing his
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in five
such programs and Ernest Schelling
is conducting the Philharmonic Orches
tra of New York in six Saturday morn
ing concerts for youngsters.
During the week, the dialer in search
of something educational can discover
a variety of programs to attract his at
tention. On Monday night, NBC offers
talks by leading government officials,
including members of the president’s
cabinet, on its National Radio Forum
from Washington, D. C.
On Sunday mornings three Univer
sity of Chicago professors discuss va
rious current problems for an NBC
audience from Mitchell Tower on the
Midway Campus. They have no pre
pared script but conduct their program
in a conversational manner.
The National Home and Farm Hour
broadcast during the week by NBC may
be classed as a school for farmers.
Leading farm authorities appear on the
program with crop advice. Over a
period of months the listener receives
a liberal education in farming on this
series, which is presented more in the
form of a variety show than along a
purely educational formula.