EDUCATION
Europe Faces Problems with Educational TV Use of medium to teach science in West European schools hampered by lack of facilities, too little cooperation As western Europe introduces educational TV to its school systems, it is meeting problems similar to those experienced by U.S. school systems in using the medium (C&EN, Feb. 15, page 6 2 ) : lack of understanding of TV's potential; lack of facilities and equipment; lack of TV technicians and
SIXTH FORM SCIENCE. Geneticist Kenneth Mather of Birmingham University lectures on the cell and new individuals in a BBC school TV science program. Here, he shows the position of groups of atoms in large scale model of a deoxyribonucleic acid molecule 38
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teachers; lack of cooperation between TV producers and educators. Educational TV is making its appearance at a critical time in the history of teaching in Europe, says Henri Dieuzeide, head of the French School TV Service. Population growth, bigger classes, students' leaving school at a higher age, and a serious teacher shortage are holding back the necessary modernization of teaching practices and equipment. This is particularly true in the sciences, Mr. Dieuzeide says in a report published by the Office for Scientific and Technical Personnel of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation. One feature of TV in western Europe has been its inconsistent development. There are different controlling bodies: in Britain a public corporation, in West Germany a federal system, in Italy an independent but state-controlled body, and in France a government department. Also, four different transmitting techniques are used, according to Mr. Dieuzeide. Only three nations have so far developed a regular school TV service operating on a national basis. The reasons for this, Mr. Dieuzeide adds, are not so much financial as human. All TV organizations suffer from a shortage of technicians and even performers. Britain transmits programs at the high school level. France offers a range of programs intended in turn for primary, high school, and technical school levels. And Italian broadcasts include complete general teaching from primary to technical school levels. Teacher Response. A big problem in TV broadcasting to schools in Europe, Mr. Dieuzeide says, is that many teachers see TV only as a convenient way to distribute films, not as a new and revolutionary teaching method. Without trespassing on the traditional independence of the teaching world, he believes, some means
ought to be found to extend the enlivening influence of TV to the somewhat unresponsive mass of conventional teachers. Another difficulty, according to Mr. Dieuzeide: A certain amount of tension always exists between the education authorities and the TV organizations. The difficulty of defining the respective rights and responsibilities of teachers and technicians has very often paralyzed the development of school TV in a number of European countries. TV Science. Mr. Dieuzeide believes TV can help improve science instruction in European schools in these ways: • By showing the practical development of scientific ideas in labs and industry. • By offering programs that show the relationship of the sciences, such as chemistry and biology. • By bringing the personal experiences of research workers and scientists into the classroom. • By using the power of the drama and the theater in science teaching to encourage a taste for the sciences among students. • By providing teachers with suitable material and an approach to science for various age groups. Two procedures are now being followed in TV science in Europe. Telescuola (the Italian school TV system) gives a series of science lessons, a series of math lessons, and a series of nature observation lessons. These are direct courses presented by a teacher and illustrated with demonstrations and diagrams prepared by him. The British and French broadcasts take the form of complex programs which associate demonstrations, manipulations, equipment, models, diagrams, and graphs (often animated), extracts from existing scientific films or from shots especially taken for the purpose, interviews and statements by scientists, and sometimes even drama-
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NSF Fellowships for 1961-62
SPOTLIGHT SERIES. Pupils of Holloway School, North London, watch a BBC school TV program that describes the British Fire Service
National Science Foundation is starting in on its fall program of aid to students and educational institutions by accepting applications for fellowships. Two of the graduate-level fellowship programs (one for the academic year 1961-62 and the other for the summer of 1961) are operated cooperatively by NSF and other colleges and universities in the U.S. Applications for this program must be received by one of the 162 participating institutions by Nov. 4, 1960, for the cooperative graduate fellowships, and by Dec. 9, 1960 for the summer fellowships. The Senior Postdoctoral and Science Faculty Fellowship programs are also accepting applications at this time. These two programs will award fellowships in both the social and physical sciences. Applications will be accepted through Oct. 10, 1960.
BRIEFS tized scenes (sketches recreating historical events). No attempt has been made to provide direct teaching methods translated into TV terms, Mr. Dieuzeide says. And there has been no attempt at complete outside reporting, such as showing a factory in all its aspects. In France and Britain, school TV subjects are mostly chosen on the grounds of their suitability for TV treatment and thus "frequently for aesthetic rather than educational reasons." Most of the science programs present "too much scientific matter," to the prejudice of understanding by the children and subsequent exploitation by teachers. A rather surprising disclosure made by Mr. Dieuzeide concerns the extreme reserve accorded TV in West Germany (except for the city of Hamburg) . This may arise from a "theoretical distrust" of TV, derived partly from the traditional idealism of German science teaching. It may also be due in part to stiffening resistance by German teachers to the "wave of materialism" that has accompanied the German economic "miracle." Another argument, Mr. Dieuzeide believes, is that school radio is so nearly perfect that it should be sufficient to modernize teaching and make it topical. And finally, German local authorities must deal with religious communities responsible for educa40
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tional activities. These groups hesitate to surrender part of their influence to cooperate in joint productions such as are required by TV. These difficulties exist to some extent also in Holland, Belgium, and Switzerland. TV teaching experiments conducted in those countries have not produced conclusive results. Mr. Dieuzeide believes this was partly because TV organizations and educators were not able to divide responsibilities properly for the productions. Mr. Dieuzeide would like to have a mission come to the U.S. to study American solutions to the problems of teaching science by TV. He makes these suggestions for developing the medium to teach science on an international basis: • Develop low-cost telecasting techniques based on results obtained in the U.S. • Design standard, reliable equipment to be sold in quantity exclusively for school use. • Orient teachers in the techniques and possibilities of TV. • Improve communications between educators and science program producers. • Establish regular publications in the field of school TV and provide opportunities for personal exchange of information.
The Rice Institute of Houston, Tex., has a new name—The William Marsh Rice University. Its board of governors made the change to reflect the true university status of the school. In announcing the new name, the board said the school is no longer a specialpurpose institution; it has adopted the college plan and has strong undergraduate, graduate, and research programs. Collier's Encyclopedia, 640 Fifth Ave., New York 19, N,Y., has just published a new guide, "You . . . and Your Career." More than 100 careers are analyzed in the booklet whioh sells for 50 cents a copy. The Chemical Bond Approach Project has received an additional grant of $215,000 from the National Science Foundation to evaluate the progress of this new high school chemistry course during the coming year. Four summer institutes presented the CBA course to 130 high school and college teachers this summer.
Western Reserve University has started to build a new $6 million science center which will house labs, library, auditorium, and teaching and research facilities for the science and math departments. First part of the building —quarters for the chemistry department—will be completed by fall 1961.
