EDUCATIONAL SOUND F K M S Doubtless no one will deny the truth of the old Chinese proverb, "One picture is worth ten thousand words." But today, with the advent of the sound film, an entirely new significance attaches to this truism. In this issue of the JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION^ may be found recorded, supplemented by pertinent illustrations from the film, the epochal talking-movie experimental lecture presented by Dr. Irving Langmuir before the Division of Chemical Education at the A. C. S. meeting, Columbus, Ohio, May, 1929. For an evaluation of this film we quote the editor of THISJOURNAL:= The picture was notable not only hecausc it was a n exceptionally fine example of the educational film, nor because of the interest of the subject matter, but because it gave fresh impetus to the already growing recognition of the educational potentialities of the moving picture.
And to this let us add Dr. Richmond's3 statement of his reaction to it: When I was asked t o see this picture.. . . . .I was doubtful lest the mechanism would be so obtrusive t h a t the personality would be lost, yet in this I was agreeably disappointed. It was obvious t o me at once that we have here an instrument ofamazing possibilities, especially in the teaching of science.
The motion picture has already achieved definitely measurable results in instruction. According to Dr. Richmond3 it is . . . . . .an instrument which not only can impart and disseminate useful knowlrdgc, hut which can, and often does, stimulate a deeper desire for knowledge.
We would refer the reader to the editorial quoted previously2 and to a later one4 for a summary of the advantages exclusive to the motion picture and for suggestions regarding its possibilities in the chemistry classroom. For all of his enthusiasm for the moving picture the editor is astute enough to emphasize the fact that Here.. . . ..is onc new tool to add to our kit-hut not a new kit o i tools to rrplacr thc old.
And further: I t is a mistake t o think that the moving picture, either silent or speaking, is in any sense a substitute for the teacher.
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L A N G ~ I "Oil R , Films on Water," J. CHEM. EDUC..8,850-66 (Ma". 1931). EDIT., "Educational Movies," Qid., 6, 1017-8 (June, 1929). a RICHMOND, "The Educational Value of Talking Motion Pictures," ibid., 8, 84850 (May, 1931). EDIT., "A New Tool in Iwtruction," ibid., 7,2764-5 (Dec., 1930). 1
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Place of Sound Pictures in the Educational System With the addition of sound, a feature which permits a presentation of learning situations far more realistic than the silent film, the teaching effectivenessof the instrument should increase tremendously. In view of this we might well ask, "What place should the sound picture occupy in the educational scheme?" According to Mr. V. C. Arn~piger,~ director of research, Department of Educational Talking Pictures, Electrical Research Products, Inc.: First, in no sense is it intended to replace the instructor. It would be idle to s u p pore, for example, t h a t any series of pictures, no matter how complete, could function as an instructor in making necessary adjustments to individual student needs. The contribution of the sound picture, therefore, must not be in supplanting but in supplementing the work of the instructor. The chief function of the talking picture is to enrich the curriculum. The walls of the classroom and the covers of the textbook only too frequently prove the limiting houndaries of the student's educational experience. The talking picture can bring to the classroom actual scenes with their natural sound effects from the outside world, carefully arranged to achieve certain desired objectives. I t will go far in removing the objection that the schoolroom presents an artificial situation. No matter how ingeniously the instructor may contrive to bring in pictorial material, his illustrations cannot begin to equal the effectiveness of the talking picture. The results achieved by this medium will possess still another value. I n addition to its enrichment qualities, i t should serve to stimulate progress in education. A talking picture prepared t o satisfy the criteria of best current practice and important trends has great potentialities for rapidly spreading progressive ideas.
The unlimited possibilities of the talking motion picture can probably best be indicated by quoting comments of several writers on various aspects of the subject. Mr. L. B. TysonBwrites: The writer's many interesting contacts with students, educators, and industrial lraders have established one fact very definitely: t h a t the possibilities of talking pictures as a medium of education, advertising, personnel training, and exploitation are without limit. Perhaps you are turning over in your mind why more progress wasn't made with the silent pictures. The answer is this: silent pictures, while valuable, parallel too closely the illustrated printed word. There was not enough contrast. The addition of sound opened a new avenue to the senses-one can now not only see but can hear, which makes a doubly indelible impression and which greatly increases our ability to assimilate factual knowledge.
Speaking about the effectiveness with which personalities can be portrayed upon the talking screen, Dr. Richmond3 says: The beautiful thing about i t is that i t introduces the element of personality. . . . . . We are able t o bring an unlimited number of students into contact with.. . . . .great
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ARNsPIoEn, "A Program of Educational Talking Pictures," McCraw-Ed1 Book Notes, Winter, 1931, pp. 3 4 ,14. This quotation is taken from p. 3. 6 TYSON, "Some Observations on the Practical Value of Talking Pictures in Visual Education." Educ. Screen, 10, 6-7 (Jan., 1931). This quotation is taken from p. 7.
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teachers. They cannot only hear them and see them but actually. to a degree, can come under the influence of their personality.. . . . . They.. . .see their faces, watch their changing expressions, hear their voices, sce their intimate gestures, and all the personal characteristics which go to make up that subtle thing which we call personality.
Dr. John G. Glover' of New York University endorses the adoption of sound films in the field of education because
. . . . . t h e student will have the opportunity of seeing things in actuality instead of trying to visualize pictures from the words of his professor or his textbook. He will also have the privilege of see in^ and hearing the most prominent and distinauished men in his particular field of study. Not only will he be privileged to see and hear the leading educators of this counky, but he will also scc and listen to those prominent educators from abroad. Leaders in and authorities on each subject will be the professon of the future. Even the small and remote colleges throughout the length and breadth of the country will be able to offer courses of study givcn by the best authorities from all quarters of thc globe. . . . . . From the standpoint of the student, there seems to bc a decided advantage derived from the use of sound pictures in education. Instead of listening to the same instructor all year on one subject and getting one point of view from him, the student will see and hear fifty or sixty outstanding educators talk on that particular subject. This will naturally give him a much broader education on the subject in question. At this idea a great number of our educators will frown and say that the personal contact between the student and his professor is lost by the use of talking pictures, but when one considers our present system of mass education, where one or two hundred students arc assembled in the lecture halls, one can realize that the factor of personal contact is already lost. In answer to those who object to visual education because of the darkness of the lecture rooms, Mr. Tyson's8 observation may be of interest. I n the many showings of educational pictures I have witnessed, this one fact has stood out: that as soon as the lights are off, the attention of the audience is focused immediately on the screen and is held there until the picture is completed. This is not true with silent pictures. A recent demonstration proved it. A mast interesting silent picture was shown on the same program with talking pictures. During the showing, the audience was laughing and commenting on the scenes. But as soon as the sound pictures were shown complete silence and attention were maintained. This is a n important factor in considering the value of sound pictures for educational purposes. As half of the value of the picture lies in the explanation accompanying them, silence is of course necessary that all may hear and thus concentrate on what is being done and Faid.
A suggestion made by Dr. GloverYs worthy of our attention for the idea may modify the nature of our present quiz sections. I n using sound pictures to supplement our present methods of teaching, the instructor can help the student a great deal by preparing a list of questions on the particular 7 GLOVER, "Talking Motion Pictures as an Aid in College Education," Edrc. . ' b e a t , 9,201-2, 211 (Sept., 1930). This quotation is taken from p. 202. 8 See page li of reference cited in footnote 6. 9 See page 211 of reference cited in footnote 7.
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subject beforehand and requiring the student to answer thcm after the projection has taken place.
And, finally, according to the editorlo of the EDUCATION:
JOURNAL OF
CHEMICAL
The contemporary value (of such films) is not to be compared with their future historical value. What would we not give to have in our film libraries of today sound pictures in which Faraday, Davy, Pasteur, and other immortals described their chief contributions t o science! If we seize the opportunity now opening to us, future generations of scientists will arise t o call us blessed.
Principles Used for Selection and Production of Sound Pictures
It is quite evident, therefore, that with the advent of the talking motion picture we are on the threshold of a new era in educational procedure. The failure of the silent film to reach its rightful place was due, according to Mr. Tyson," to . . . . . .the lack of proper direction and supervision. By this I mean t h a t there was no unified control of the type of pictures to be made, nor the type of material to be incorporated into them. Whether or not they were the kind of pictures t h a t would fit into the curricula of the various schools throughout the country apparently never entered any one's head. Consequently, we had a crazy-quilt of educational silent films. some g o o d s o m e bad-hut none of them fitting into any coerdinated plan for instruction.
But, he adds: Fortunately those entrusted with the responsibility of the talking-picture educational programs are cognizant of these shortcomings in the silent pictures and are wisely side-stepping them. ~
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And just what are the guiding principles today being applied to the selection and production of good sound pictures for the classroom? Mr. Arnspigerlz tells us: First, the fields or topics selected must be important. Also the material presented by the talking- -picture should he af the type which cannot be presented so well by the use of any other medium. The contribution to the educational program of the talking picture must be unique. Another principle requires the material to be properly integrated in order t o facilitate learning-integrated with the student's previous experience and with other units included in the particular series of pictures. The method of presentation must be such as t o provide a stimulus for greater retention of the facts. Again, the picture must be so organized and presented that the student is encouraged effectively t o participate in further useful educational activity following the showing of the picture. See page 2765 of reference cited in footnote 4. page 7 of reference cited in footnote 6. See page 3 of reference cited in footnote 5.
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And Mr. William LevinL3pleads: Let (the) principle of securing a happy balance between the verbal and the concrete, between the contemplative and the active phases of life, become one of our axioms in the development of text-films. The corollaries and the mare intricate psychological implications of the development of classroom talkies we shall learn when we s e e a n d hear-the results of the researches t o be conducted in connection with the ever-changing wbject-matter of our enriched curricula.
Procedure Involved in Making Educational Sound Pictures The vast amount of research necessary for the production of educational sound pictures may be most easily comprehended by reading the following brief description of the procedure followed by the Educational Research P ~ O ~ U IC ~ Sc, . ~ ~ First came the selection of the particular fields of education. This was accomp!ished a t the outset by the conference and questionnaire methods. Interviews with prominent workers in education established important trends. Five thousand questionnaire returned by teachers, supervisors, and administrators from all parts of the country revealed those subjects in the curriculum which school workers felt needed enrichment through this medium. The results indicated that the most desirable contributions might be made by educational sound pictures in the social studies, vocational guidance, science, s s~ecializedschool music. and teacher traininn. . There was also a demand for ~ i c t u r e in athletics. With the fields selected, there followed a preliminary survey to determine which topics lend themselves most readily t o sound-picture presentation. Research workers analyzed subject matter and objectives from leading courses of study, selected those which appear to be recognized as essential, and studied them for pictorial possibilities. The resulting conclusions were substantiated or modified by interviews with leaders in each particular field. The next step involved the preparation of units of instruction to serve as guides to the selection of the subject matter to he presented by the film. This handbook includes objectives, a detailed background of facts and suggested teaching devices. It is intended also to assist any instructor in making the showing of the picture a rich educational experience for the students. Besides the unit of instruction for the instructor, in some cases supplementary material in handbook form is prepared for the student. The unit of instruction is sent to hundreds of instructors and supervisors throughout the nation with the request that they offcr constructive criticism and suggestions. Replies received are utilized in putting the unit in final form. With the unit of instruction completed, a working outline is prepared for the scenario writer's use. This outline lists, under each objective of the unit, those scenes and important facts which will most effectively achieve the desired results. From this research stage the picture passes into production. The scenario writer prepares the scenario and continuity, which is then approved by the research department. After the picture has been filmed and edited, i t is again criticized for instructional values. Before the film is distributed, its effectiveness is tested in actual classroom situations. The effort here is t o develop measuring instruments which will produce results which are as nearly objective as possible. ~
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L s v m , "First Experiments with Talkies in American Schools," Edxc. Screen,
9,41-3 (Feb., 1930). This quotation is taken from page 43 See pages 3 4 of reference cited in footnote 5.
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By a consideration of this procedure, we can easily realize the solid foundation upon which the production of educational sound pictures rests. While up to the present few such pictures have been made for use in the chemistry classroom, it will be only a question of time before this situation is remedied. M. W. G. Ergot, Important Drug, Raised Artificially. Ergot, one of the most important drugs used by physicians, may in the future be raised artificially in the laboratories of pharmaceutical factories. instead of being harvested in the natural state as a t present. Preliminary experiments pointing t o this possibility have been carried out by Miss Adelia McCrea in the botanical laboratories of the University of Michigan. The qualitv of ergot was the subject of a Senate committee hearing last June, as a result of charges that the federal food and drugs administration was allowing importation of impure and adulterated ergot. Miss McCrea's research raises the question of whether the growth of laboratory-raised ergot may not be so controlled as to insure a supply of the drug havingahighdegree of potency. I t is too early, however, to consider practical applications of Miss McCrea's work, which is still in the realm of pure science. Miss McCrea grew cultures of the fungus from which the drug is derived on a variety of media, including mashes and jellies made from various kinds of grain, and simpler jellies containing different sugars. She found malt sugar t o be the best food for the fungus. To get ergot to grow in a flask or test tuhe a t all is regarded as a considerable triumph, because under natural conditions i t is a parasite. preying only on living plants. She found it t o be fairly modest in its food requirements, doing quite as well an a two or three per cent concentration of malt sugar as it did on six ar eight per cent, and failing t o thrive a t all a t higher concentrations. It was greedy for oxygen, however, growing much faster when a stream of pure oxygenwss passed through its tuhe than when it was given only air. But on a mixture of half oxygen and half carbon dioxide its growth was considerably retarded. It grew best a t temperatures between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Light had a powerful effect on it. Without the shorter-wave visible rays-the blue end of the spectnun-it did not develop the purple color that is its most marked characteristic. Ultra-violet light, however, had no stimulating effect, and in repeated doses even retarded development. Miss McCrea made physiological tests of the ergot growths she raised, and found that they produce most of the effects characteristic of natural ergot, though somewhat less powerfully. The reactions averaged from 40 to 75 per cent of those obtained with the same concentrations of natural ergot. I n making these tests, however, she had to use the whole vegetative growth of her cultures, for they did not produce the full-grown fruiting bodies which are the only source of commercial ergot a t present. Miss McCrea also made two attempts to infect growing grain with ergot, with the idea that its field cultivation might be undertaken. At present, commercial ergot is obtained solely by hand-gathering of wild growths on grain, especially rye, and wild grasses. Because of the great amount of hand work involved, and the high cost of labor in this country, American production of ergot is unprofitable. However, the field experiments did not yield particularly encouraging results, and Miss McCrea concludes that if i t ever becomes desirable or necessary to raise ergot in this country, the lahoratory method is the more promising. A full technical account of Miss McCrea's work is contained in a recent issue of the Ammican Journal ql Bo1any.-Science
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