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CHAPTER IMPROVEMENT OF CONTENT OF- EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENTOF ABILITY

Since the invention of the printing machine was put to practical use, school instruction has owed owed to its products, such as textbooks. And nowadays, radio and television are introducing a great improvement in our teaching methods, that is to say the utilization of machines in the classroom. They are drawing public attention as new devices adding a striking effect to school education. The new courses of study of elementary and secondary schools urge that "it should be encouraged that audio-visual teaching materials be put to practical use after sufficient study." In school education in Japan, television has recently come into wide use. In the United States of America and European countries, too, profound studies are being continued and valuable effects are produced from its practical utilization for education.

Educational television programs in Japan are delivered by several networks such as NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai) and NET (Nippon Educational Television), etc. NHK delivers as many as one hundred weekly programs on science, social studies, English, music, technical skills, domestic arts, morals, etc., for viewing in the schools. Furthermore it prepares a number of such educational programs as language lessons, with the help of which pupils learn at their own home. A national survey of broadcasting in Japan reveals that an increasing number of schools are making planned use of television, coordinating their schedules with the respective instructional programs. In remote areas, above all, television sets are much appreciated, being considered as raising the efficiency of school instruction. At the same time, television plays an important role in correspondence education for the working youths in Japan.

In the United States of America, the number of non-commercial television broadcasting stations reported was 82 in 1964. All of those stations are operated by universities, boards of education or local communities. Although most of them are small in scale compared with commercial stations, they devote themselves to the exclusive task of delivering educational programs for kindergartens, elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities. Programs for adult educatnon are also provided. Some of the stations are delivering broadcasts from airplane over a reception area of several states. In other areas, local boards of education have been experimenting for some years with closed circuit television for classroom instruction in many districts, and have expressed satisfaction with the results achieved.

In Europe, an effective utilization of television for education may befound in France. The French Ministry of Education has a direct link with educational radio and television (Radio Television Scholaire) which is broadcast over the national network. The National Institute for Education (Institut Pedagogique National) prepares the program.

The educational television program in France has been developed to meet a serious shortage of qualified teachers and a rapidly growing student population.

As a result of those experimental trials and studies carried on in many countries, it may be said that the utilization of television will have a beneficial effect on school instruction, since the teacher on television can use adequate teaching materials which are not always available in ordinary class-rooms, and the programs may be fully prepared beforehand. It is generally believed that school education will be much improved by the use of television. It helps to provide pupils with extensive knowledge and skills, and teaches them how to approach the study of any subject and how to attack new or difficult problems.