Section VI
ILLUSTRATIVE MATERIAL
When you understand all about the sun and all about the atmosphere and all about the rotation of the earth, you may still miss the radiance of the sunset.—Whitehead.
PURPOSE
In home economics teaching there is an increasing recognition of the importance of illustrative material as a teaching device. There is no greater opportunity for effective use of it than in the teaching of art related to the home. Since one of the major objectives of such a course is to develop an ability to select the most suitable materials and articles, and since there is such a variety from which to choose, it is essential that materials which will give the pupils contact with good things and adequate experience in selection be provided. Another important objective is to develop ability to make successful combinations and arrangements. Since it is not yet possible to use real homes as classrooms, it is advantageous to bring some of the home into the schoolroom.
Some outstanding advantages of the use of illustrative material are:
1. It focuses attention upon a single example and affords opportunity for common interpretation and discussion.
2. It furnishes visual as well as audible instruction.
3. It provides contact with actual materials not in an imaginary form, but as found in real life. (The use of doll-size houses with furnishings is questionable for their construction is too time-consuming and they are too much in miniature to furnish standards or to interest girls in real problems.)
SELECTION AND SOURCE
What are the factors governing the choice of illustrative material? The following ones have been adapted from a study by a graduate student at the University of Nebraska. The material should—
- 1. Make a psychological appeal by—
- a. Coming within the experience of the pupils.
- b. Being suited to their age and previous training.
- c. Possessing pertinent and attractive qualities.
- 2. Afford wide opportunity for independent choice.
- 3. Be simple and adapted to the standards of the community.
- 4. Be reasonable in cost.
Teachers of art have a double problem in the selection of illustrative material in that they must not only choose those things which meet the above standards, but they must eliminate those in which there are unrelated factors which cause a lack of clarity. Quality rather than quantity should be the guide in making selections, for a small amount of well selected and arranged illustrative material is usually more effectively used than a large unorganized collection. Having determined upon the pieces of material that are desirable, the next problem is where to obtain them. Every teacher of art should build up her own personal collection of materials to supplement what can be procured from other sources, for one teaches best from her own material. At the same time, the teacher has a responsibility in guiding the selection of some pieces which should be provided by the school as permanent illustrative material. Still other pieces which it is inadvisable for either teacher or school to buy may be borrowed for special purposes. Chart 3 lists the general types of illustrative material and indicates possible sources of this material.
Chart 3.—Types and sources of illustrative materials
| General types of illustrative materials | Sources of these materials |
|---|---|
| I. Articles and materials in everyday use: | |
1. School-owned materials—
| 1. This collection will be accumulated as funds are available and as desirable articles are located. Certain things as bits of yarns and scraps of materials may be contributed by members of classes. |
2. Borrowed materials—
| 2. Borrowed from teachers, homes, and stores in the community. |
| II. Collected and constructed materials: | |
1. Collected—
| 1. Collected by the teacher from commercial firms and magazines. Much of this material comes to the teacher by virtue of her position and should therefore be considered school property. |
2. Constructed—
| 2. Made by the teacher. |
- Book ends.
- Candlesticks and candles.
- China.
- Colored papers.
- Curtains.
- Flower vases and bowls.
- Necklines cut from neutral fabrics.
- Pictures.
- Screen.
- Swatches of fabrics—
- For color.
- For design.
- For texture.
- Wall hangings.
- Yarns of many colors.
- Brass or pewter articles.
- Wardrobe accessories.
- Dresses.
- Dressing table articles.
- Household linens.
- Picture molding samples.
- Scarfs.
- Small tables.
- Table runners.
- Trays.
- Magazine covers.
- Magazine advertisements.
- Magazine articles and illustrations.
- Commercial advertising—
- Booklets.
- Boxes of miscellaneous size and shape.
- Catalogues—
- Wallpaper.
- Furniture.
- China.
- Silver.
- Pictures.
- Floor coverings.
- Charts—
- Paints and enamels.
- Fabrics.
- Dyes.
- Colored paper samples.
- Fabric samples.
- Paper models representing—
- Margins.
- Space divisions.
- General proportions.
- Repetition of units.
- Harmony of shapes.
- Colour wheel.
USE
The above list of illustrative material should in no way be considered as representing all that should be provided for the teaching of art nor as meeting minimum requirements. It is, however, indicative of some of the materials that are desirable and most usable as well as available at a small expenditure of money.
The finest collection of illustrative material is futile if it is not used in such a way that the pupils see the significance of it and develop discriminating powers through the use of it. Charts and other materials lose their value if hung around the room or left in the same arrangements from September to June. Little notice is taken of them for they seem to become a permanent part of the background. Most charts are not decorative and their use should be confined to that part of the work to which they definitely contribute.
There are three important objectives to be kept in mind in the use of illustrative materials. They are—
1. To arouse interest. For this purpose pertinent materials should be arranged attractively on the bulletin board or screen or placed in some conspicuous part of the classroom. These particular pieces should be changed very frequently. See Figure 2, [page 8].
2. To assist in solving problems in the development of the principle. The teacher will need to use clear and concise illustrative materials for this purpose. Since these pieces of illustrative material are usually held up before the class, it is necessary that they be of such size that all of the pupils can see them clearly. In addition, the class should be so arranged that all members have equal opportunity for observing them and handling them.
3. To assist in developing judgment ability. Materials for this purpose will be used in two ways: (1) As an aid in solving judgment problems given to the class. In this case some pieces will be used by the group as a whole and others will be passed out to individual pupils. (2) As a means of further developing powers of discrimination and judgment. For this pupils are asked to make selections and arrangements from a large number of articles and materials.
In using illustrative material it is often advisable to have examples of both the good and the poor. When this is true, one must remember to finish with the good. In other words, start with the poor and contrast with the good; or start with the good, contrast with the poor, and then go back to the good.
Illustrative materials can not serve such purposes successfully unless they are so arranged as to be easily accessible for class use. For example, the small fabric sample mounted fast to a sheet of paper can not be examined adequately for texture study. It would be far better to have larger samples which are unmounted, thus making possible not only design, color, and texture study of them, but also many variations in combinations.
The bulletin board and screen, well placed, offer good possibilities for accessibility of certain illustrative material which does not need to be handled. The screen is preferable because it can be moved around and placed to the best advantage for vision and light.
To the extent that pupils have contact and experience with real articles and materials, there will be a better carry over and thus a greater ability to solve everyday art problems successfully.
CARE AND STORAGE
In addition to collecting and using illustrative materials, the teacher has the further problem of caring for and storing them. Soiled, creased, or worn materials are not only lacking in inspiration but set up poor standards.
Illustrative materials may be most efficiently cared for by—
1. Mounting that from which margins will not detract, that in which only one side needs to be used, and that of which texture study is not important.
2. Avoiding too long or unnecessary exposure.
3. Careful handling.
4. Cleaning if possible.
5. Pressing.
6. Labeling and classifying.
7. Careful storing.
Good storage for illustrative materials offers many problems, but is that sufficient excuse for a teacher to leave materials on the wall the year around or piled carelessly on open shelves in the classroom? The provision for adequate storage does not necessarily require elaborate equipment nor a large expenditure of money. Cabinets and steel filing cases are highly desirable but are not absolutely essential for good storage.
Much of the illustrative material for teaching related art lends itself to storage in manila folders and large envelopes, but some could better be stored in boxes, and still others, such as posters, swatches of fabrics held together by large clips, or pictures, may be best hung up.
The use of folders or envelopes necessitates a place to keep them. In the absence of a filing case, one teacher improvised space by utilizing a large, deep drawer. A partition through the center made it possible to arrange two rows of folders. The same plan might be utilized in narrower drawers, providing for one row of folders and space at the side for storage of boxes. If regular manila folders are not large enough to protect the materials, larger ones may be procured at small expense by making them of heavy paper, which is obtainable at any printers. A strip of bookbinding tape may be used to reinforce the bottom.
Cupboard shelves are more often provided in school laboratories than drawers. In such cases large envelopes, which are easily labeled and handled, will hold the materials more successfully. Boxes are very usable also, and may be stacked on shelves for easy accessibility. Those which are uniform in size and color are especially nice for storing many materials such as textiles, yarns, and other bulky pieces, and when used on open shelves a good standard of appearance in the laboratory is maintained.
Any available space for hanging materials can also be used effectively. Textile swatches, charts, and posters, as well as garments, may be kept in better condition by hanging in closets or cases than by packing.
When the teacher of art has the privilege of advising on the original building plans that include an art laboratory, she would do well to plan for various types of storage space. Perhaps the first essential is plenty of drawer space of varying sizes. Shallow drawers of 4 to 6 inches are recommended by many art teachers. These may vary in width and length, but some should be sufficiently large for posters and the larger pictures. Some deeper drawers are desirable for the odd, bulky pieces of material. Cupboards with solid panel doors should also be provided, for boxes, vases, candlesticks, and similar articles which can be most easily stored on shelves. If a storage closet or case is to be provided, a small rod and many hooks should be included. Then, of course, a special series of deep drawers or a filing case for the material that can be placed in folders should be a part of any newly planned laboratory.
The most important factor is accessibility, and therefore the containers for all materials must be plainly labeled and conveniently arranged. Since illustrative material is such a valuable teaching device in art related to the home, good storage space and easy accessibility are of fundamental importance in its successful use.