THE USE OF CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION IN TECHNICAL EDUCATION, REPORT OF THE EUROPEAN SEMINAR (SERAING, BELGIUM, APRIL 1965).

AT A EUROPEAN SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS FROM BELGIUM, THE UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE, SWEDEN, AUSTRIA, GERMANY, IRELAND, NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, SPAIN, AND THE HOLY SEE DISCUSSED CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION AS A TEACHING AID IN TECHNICAL EDUCATION. IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE THE RETHINKING OF TEACHING METHODS IN THE LIGHT OF THE POSSIBILITIES AFFORDED BY TELEVISION, BOTH EXPERTS AND INEXPERIENCED PERSONS WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER TO EXCHANGE IDEAS AND FINDINGS. EXPERIMENTERS POINTED OUT THE DISADVANTAGES OF A PASSIVE LEARNING SITUATION FOR THE STUDENTS AND A NATURAL RESISTANCE ON THE PART OF TEACHERS TO THE INTRODUCTION OF TELEVISED INSTRUCTION. ADVANTAGES CITED, HOWEVER, ARE NUMEROUS--ALL THE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO SEE THE MONITORS WHICH IN TURN ENABLE THE DETAILS OF DEMONSTRATIONS AND GRAPHICS TO BE SEEN EASILY, OVERFLOW CLASSES CAN BE ACCOMMODATED BY ADDITIONAL MONITORS IN SEPARATE ROOMS, AND LESSONS, WHEN CAREFULLY PREPARED WITH AN EMPHASIS ON VISUAL MATERIAL, ARE AT LEAST AS EFFECTIVE IN THEIR TEACHING AS ORDINARY CLASSROOM PROCEDURES. TELEVISED INSTRUCTION CAN NEVER COMPLETELY SUBSTITUTE FOR THE PHYSICAL PRESENCE OF A TEACHER, BUT EVEN A VERY SIMPLE TELEVISION SYSTEM CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE STEP IN A LARGER LEARNING SCHEME WHERE PROVISION FOR STUDENT-TEACHER CONTACT IS ALSO MADE. (RS)