SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— L, M. 517 



established. Neither the film nor the radio talk is a complete educational 

 unit ; it has to be supplemented by other teaching devices. 



Dr. S. J. F. Philpott. 



Film teaching is sometimes said to reduce gap between dull and bright 

 children, the gain to the dull being seen in increased vividness or liveliness 

 in descriptions (verbal or written). The argument is probably fallacious on 

 the statistical side, being due to reasoning from a regression instead of from 

 corresponding correlation. There are also difficulties on the qualitative side. 

 Vividness can be measured in terms of the percentage of particular (as 

 distinct from general) statements in the essay or verbal description. It can 

 be shown experimentally that (a) the more ' particular ' the child, the more 

 he tends to put in descriptions of films relative to what he does in more 

 ordinary circumstances, and that (b) the bright child is naturally less ' par- 

 ticular ' than the dull. There is consequent danger of confusion in the 

 results, and figures quoted show that no decision can yet be made on the 

 data. 



Miss L. M. Holt. 



An account is given of the comparison of a series of lessons in which 

 the wireless was used with another series in which it was not, for the purpose 

 of obtaining some indication as to the specific contributions and functions 

 of this new teaching aid as distinct from others available. 



The top class of an elementary school was divided into two approximately 

 equal groups by means of the Simplex Group Test. Each group had both 

 normal and wireless lessons in cyclic order over a period of eight weeks. 

 The same main facts on Empire Geography were taught in each corre- 

 sponding pair of lessons. After each lesson the children both wrote free 

 essays and answered a Questionnaire. The results of these were evaluated, 

 but it was necessary to use a method of evaluation that was in no way 

 dependent upon individual judgment. The essays were marked for facts 

 which were classified under various categories. This is discussed, together 

 with the distinctive differences apparent when material is presented visually 

 (as in the cinema), orally (as on the wireless) and when it is presented by the 

 teacher without either of these two aids. 



At the end of the series it was felt desirable to obtain some indication as 

 to the children's attitude towards these periods. A scaled series of state- 

 ments was presented to them and they indicated their acceptance or rejection 

 of each of the items and their position has been assessed. 



SECTION M.— AGRICULTURE. 



Thursday, August 18. 



Discussion on Agriculture in relation to national employment (lo.o). 



Mr. C. S. Orwin. — The demands for labour in agriculture. 



This paper treats the subject historically, covering approximately the last 

 hundred years. It shows how the demand for labour for the land, as 

 reflected in wages, has always been exceeded by the supply, right up to the 

 present day. There have been times when temporarily there was a shortage 



