EDUCATIONAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15152, 27 January 1923, Page 11 (Supplement)

EDUCATIONAL NOTES.

INSTRUCTION BY PICTURES.

(By Dominie.)

“To actually see things, see their movement, their appearance, the way they act under certain conditions, and to remember their appearance and their action goes a long way in making permanent the knowledge thus obtained," said Mr. D. D. McDonald, who is at present in Christchurch making preliminary arrangements for educational picture matinees under authority from the Department of Education, in giving a representative of The Sun some interesting facts regarding the system of visual instruction which will he made available for schools and colleges throughout the Dominion during the coming school year.

Permanent Impressions. “To make permanent the knowledge obtained through visual instruction is necessary to the success of the movement. Not only must the right kind of pictures be screened, but it must he assured that the children witnessing the programmes obtain lasting impressions of what they see. Some have greater power of retention than others. They make permanent pictures in their mind , of the subjectmatter of their studies. Others with the faculty of visualisation less developed must be helped further by giving them more than just sensory impressions. They must be provided with a means of making permanent the lessons taught by the Pictures. For this purpose each picture programme shown at the educational matinees will he preceded by printed lessons on the subject-matter covered. Every child will receive, through the medium of the ‘School Journal,’ lessorfs on the pictures a full month prior to their seeing the film screened. In this way teachers will he able to prepare the minds of their pupils, giving them a connecting link between text-book and oral instruction, and Hie visual impressions received at the special matinees For secondary schools special lectures will he printed and distributed in the same \yay —a month before the screening. All lectures will be written by an authority on the subject, and with this in view the services of prominent educationalists have been enlisted.

Systematised Instruction “In the past, occasional pictures of an educative nature have been screened to school children, and some of them have been admirable subjects. ( But, the point to be stressed is, how-’ ever fine a picture may be. unless the subject'shown is taken in by the pupils, its value for educative purposes is greatly discounted. The system lo be adopted lends to overcome this difficulty, and co-operation between educational authorities in each district and those in charge of the programmes will meet the matter squarely. Authorities in charge of schools and colleges value the screening of Ihe right kind of pictures from the educative standpoint, and for some time past have been considering visual instruction on a systematised basis. Tiie system to be adopted during the coming school year has been carefully organised to meet individual requirements of headmasters, and every suggestion' l'or improvement will be welcomed.

“To cater for the requirements of every school in this Dominion is a big undertaking, hut as the system has the wholehearted support of educational authorities, much can he done to make the movement a lasting success. The system is entirely l'or the schools and colleges, and acknowledging that the movement can add appreciably to the value of classroom instruction, every effort will he made to connect these two forms of instruction with a view to obtaining the best results.

A Wide Scope. “The class of pictures screened will come under the following headings:—Geographical, scientific, historical, and literary. Industries of tiie various, countries will be shown. Life and customs ol' foreign countries will be explained. History, past and present, will have its place on the programmes, presenting characters in the world’s drama on the screen before the pupils Plant and animal life from every corner of the globe will he presented in their natural settings. Current events from far and wide will be chronicled and placed before the children in living pictures. Maps and diagrams will be used to show exactly where the subject of the pictures is situated. In every manner possible the pictures will be made as informative as the screen art can make them, and not only will Ihe programmes he considered from the educative standpoint, hut will also hold entertainment value.

“Work in schools to-day is vastly different from that of a decade ago. Methods of teaching have considerably changed. Every effort is being made to make learning as pleasant as possible and yet retain its instructive power. AH seeking progress in education, seeking means lo make it fit Hie requirements of the world to-day, will agree that the power to visualise is one common to all; (hat aided by visual education, Ihe faculties of sight and hearing can be synchronised lo make impressions lasting.”