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fectively, we are, even after several weeks of hearings, and intensive hearings, in which we have had many fine people like yourself participate, I am still wondering how we are going to stimulate the American public who, after all, are responsible for their schools, to the realization that this tightening up process, I call it, which has to begin in our grade schools, shall start taking effect immediately, that the people will start reviewing and reevaluating their own school systems so that the children who are in the first grade now who enter high school in 8 years will really have something under their mental belts to cope with high school.

This is part of your problem. Just as you encounter resistance with this audiovisual field and these new types of things, so I think we are going to encounter this same resistance primarily through inertia, getting the American public to realize this because, no matter how we talk here, no matter what legislation we enact here, the real action for the improvement of the schools has to come at the local level.

If you now, or at any time, have some thoughts on this, we would be very happy to have them.

DIFFICULT PUBLIC RELATIONS PROBLEM

Mr. CARPENTER. It is a very, very diffuse problem. I think the key to it is good teachers, but we have to have those available. Lacking adequate numbers, how do you expand the effectiveness of the best ones we have? How do you present to the public dramatically the possibilities which do exist? It is a very difficult public relations job.

For example, one thing that we are doing on the college level, and this is essentially my area, is to broadcast a course, an authentic course, just as it is being presented in the university, simultaneously with closed circuit to students, so that at least several hundred thousand people have the possibility of seeing and hearing what is going on in the university classroom, and therefore they may become informed of the quality work that is being done.

I think the same thing is true in some of the broadcasts for elementary schools. For example, Dade County, Fla., schools are broadcasting teaching to schools and the public can observe. This is a magnificent public relations procedure. If it is good, then the people can give approval and support. If it is poor, perhaps they will take corrective action.

Senator ALLOTT. Thank you.

The CHAIRMAN. Doctor, you have certainly made an excellent statement here this morning. We want you to know we appreciate your being here to make this fine presentation. You have been so helpful to the committee. Thank you, sir.

Now, Mr. T. Wilson Cahall. You are the coordinator of the television project, Washington County school system, Hagerstown, Md. Is that correct, sir?

Mr. CAHALL. That is correct.

The CHAIRMAN. We are delighted to have you here, sir. We appreciate your being here, and ask you now to proceed in your own way. Mr. CAHALL. Thank you very much.

STATEMENT OF T. WILSON CAHALL, COORDINATOR OF THE TELEVISION PROJECT, WASHINGTON COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM, HAGERSTOWN, MD.

Mr. CAHALL. I am delighted to be here, and I am going to confine my remarks entirely to our experience with the closed-circuit television system as it has operated in our county, and I would like to stay pretty close to the notes that I have.

The wise and accurate application of the powerful electronic medium, television, in the various grades and departments of schools could well provide the means for solving some of the most pressing problems in education.

For many years other professions have made profitable use of scientific and technical discoveries to improve their procedures and thereby upgrade the service which they render to society. Why should not this be equally true of education?

On the basis of 15 months' experience with using closed-circuit television as a means of communication in the school system of Washington County, Md., a number of advantages are evident.

TWO TEACHERS WITH ONE GROUP OF CHILDREN

1. It has been demonstrated that two teachers can work effectively in a given subject area with one group of children. One teacher operating from a television studio can do a superior job of exploring, preparing, organizing, and communicating subject matter content for boys and girls.

At the same time the other teacher, in a classroom can advantageously work with pupils to help them adopt, adapt, integrate, apply and use subject matter in such a way that their educational experience will enable them to more nearly approach their maximum potential development personally and for society in general.

The sharing of responsibility is essential since there are many phases or angles of activity in cooperative teaching and learning. This arrangement can be effectively and economically accomplished by the use of television in the teaching process.

MORE ATTENTION TO LESSON PLANNING

2. In situations where televised instruction is used it is possible for teachers to give more attention to the very important matter of lesson planning and presentation. In the typical elementary or secondaryschool situation where a teacher is expected to work directly with boys and girls for approximately 7 hours daily, little time is left for class preparation.

By the division of labor indicated in No. 1, the teacher who does the direct instruction by television can have ample time to prepare presentations that are stimulating and challenging.

These presentations can be used by hundreds and even thousands of classroom teachers and pupils at the same time. This opportunity to redeploy the efforts of teachers gives each teacher a chance to develop kills peculiar to his phase of the job.

REDUCING INSTRUCTIONAL COSTS

3. It is possible, by using television, to provide a redeployment of teachers' time and efforts in the ways indicated above without increasing instructional costs. In fact, such costs can be reduced. In the city's junior high schools, during the school year 1957-58, 7.24 fewer teachers are being used than would ordinarily be the case with the 1,581 boys and girls enrolled.

In terms of the average teacher's salary, there is a resulting saving of $37,648. Our observation indicates that a program operated in this way is more effective with boys and girls. The research program will evaluate the effectiveness of this adjusted class schedule.

BROADENED AND ENRICHED PROGRAM

4. It is possible, by means of television, to broaden and enrich the program of education without unduly increasing the expenditure for instruction.

Evidence of this fact is found in our system where music and art are being satisfactorily taught in the elementary grades.

In September of 1958, when our closed-circuit will include all elementary pupils in the public schools of the county, 3.4 teachers will present lessons from television studios that would otherwise require 33 teachers. This represents instructional benefits in the amount of $171,600 for an expenditure of $17,680.

In our situation this is not an actual financial saving but it does represent an enrichment of the program for all boys and girls with`a comparatively minimum expenditure. The per pupil cost of instruction by television will be $1.71 as compared with $16.78, the cost of face to face, traditional classroom instruction.

The program of elementary education can be decidedly broadened by teaching conversational French, Spanish, or for that matter any foreign language, to young children. One television studio teacher is now doing this successfully for hundreds of children in several places in the United States.

This is evidently a very sound educational procedure as evidenced by the fact that we learn our native language in a conversational way years before we begin to learn its formal technical aspects. With this early advantage many Americans will doubtless become fluent speakers of foreign languages.

For the most able 15 or 20 percent of senior high school students advanced courses in many fields could be offered by television. A large number of such students could be reached even in small rural high schools scattered over a wide area.

Academically able pupils could well earn advanced standing in college through the provisions of such additional educational opportuni

ties.

NO THREAT TO FUTURE CERTIFIED TEACHERS

5. The fact that the application of television to the educational program will enable a school system to use fewer teachers cannot possibly hold a threat for any properly certified teachers in the foreseeable future. A conservative estimate places the present teacher shortage at 135,000. Approximately 200,000 new teachers are needed each year.

Of the 97,586 members of all the college graduating classes in 1956 who were qualified to teach, only 70.7 percent actually taught.

Any reduction in staff in the Washington County school system has been taken care of by the normal channels of retirement, voluntary resignation, or reassignment in accordance with the teacher's request. This procedure would continue to operate because at the present time between 75 and 100 new teachers are employed each year.

PHENOMENAL GROWTH IN ACCORDANCE WITH LEARNING POTENTIAL

6. The results of research efforts in our project are, as yet, incomplete because of the limited time with which we have worked in the medium of television.

However, during the school year 1956-57, the records of standardized tests administered to the fifth grade at the beginning and the end of the year indicated that phenomenal growth had been made. This growth was not all made by the average, above or below average pupils, but rather it was achieved by boys and girls in accordance with their learning potential. A large part of this growth may be attributed to the fact that the period of instruction by television was always well planned.

CONCENTRATION OF STUDENT'S ATTENTION

7. The use of television provides a situation which compels a student to concentrate his attention on a selected area at close range. The fact that he automatically concentrates his attention may be due to several conditions which are peculiar to television. This medium provides a framed reference for viewing for individual pupils as well as an eye-to-eye contact with the teacher.

Television magnifies objects in a clear and telling way. In addition the television teachers have time to prepare a lesson that is clear, interesting, and stimulating.

EMPLOYMENT OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES

8. The use of television enables resourceful people in the community to be brought to all children in the system.

For example, in a recent guidance telecast a highly skilled engineer in the field of metallurgy was placed in contact with all interested high school students. On another occasion a florist, who is actually an artist in flower arrangement, was brought to 1,200 boys and girls at one time. This use of community resources which would be impossible under the usual instructional organization, goes on continuously in this system.

ENJOYMENT BY STUDENTS

9. Survey results indicate that pupils enjoy receiving part of their teaching by television. One student quite frankly stated that his instruction in geometry was the best planned teaching he had ever had in his life.

Students have said that they learn the importance of concentration since the instruction is given but once. Still another student expressed an appreciation for the fact that there was no chance during the tele

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cast to interrupt the teacher, and for that reason no foolish questions could be asked.

WIDER AND BETTER USE OF SCIENCE TEACHING EQUIPMENT

10. The use of television offers an opportunity to make wider and better use of teaching equipment for the benefit of students. It is financially impossible in our system to furnish all classrooms with the science equipment that it would be ideal for them to have. Most of the models and apparatus that are used can be shown effectively by

television.

Obviously this provides all children the opportunity to benefit from these teaching aids whereas many of them would otherwise be denied this advantage.

IMPROVEMENTS IN CLASSROOM TEACHING

11. The supervisors and principals of the schools have repeatedly stated that appreciable improvements are apparent in the planning and techniques of classroom teaching resulting from the demonstrations which teachers see on television.

The CHAIRMAN. I take it, sir, from that last statement that your teachers in Washington County appreciate the television.

Mr. CAHALL. They do.

The CHAIRMAN. In other words, you get the best possible cooperation from them in your work; is that right?

Mr. CAHALL. Yes, we do.

The CHAIRMAN. How many channels do you have, sir?

Mr. CAHALL. We have six channels.

The CHAIRMAN. Can you operate on all six at one and the same time?

Mr. CAHALL. We can. It is closed-circuit, you see.

The CHAIRMAN. With six channels?

Mr. CAHALL. That is right.

The CHAIRMAN. How long have you had these channels?

Mr. CAHALL. We have had the six this school year. We used three last year.

NUMBER OF CHILDREN REACHED

The CHAIRMAN. How many children would you say you reach? Mr. CAHALL. About 12,000 during this school year. Our circuit next year will include the entire county, which will be about 18,000 children, grade 1 through 12.

The CHAIRMAN. What is necessary to be done to extend your coverage from twelve to eighteen thousand?

Mr. CAHALL. To build about 100 miles of cable.

The CHAIRMAN. And you are now in the process of doing that, are

you?

Mr. CAHALL. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. You have the funds to do it with?

Mr. CAHALL. No, I cannot say that we do.

The CHAIRMAN. Did I understand that you are going ahead?

Mr. CAHALL. We are expecting to go ahead. Maybe I had better say it that way.

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