According to the lead-in, the year is 1963 for this film.

On the one hand, this is an odd artifact of the Cold War, but on the other, it is an idea that is far ahead of its time. Cofunded by the Daughters of the Revolutionary War, this educator instruction film advocates the use of democratic prinicples within the classroom. Even today, so many classrooms based around teacher centered, autocratic methodologies, this is a timely message. This film displays many practices that are at the heart of progressive educational thought: student centered learning, authentic tasks, collaborative work, authentic assessment. This is all couched in the framework of bolstering democracy, which ironically it does, by promoting an independantly thinking citizen that tries to gather facts and reason, rather than relying on talking head demagogues.

There are some rather odd touches, like the skeptic Harold, who sounds like a canidate for the Michigan Militia, or the student that brings in the vent figure. Also, the way that class is conducted is a bit over the top; it is not necessary to vote for officials to have a democratic classroom. However, making the classroom a community where mutual respect is fostered is. And just as the film states, this is a system that can work at any level and any subject. What better to base how you run a classroom than using the ideas of the Constitution?

This ultra-bizarre (and I don't use that word often!) about teaching using democratic ways doesn't mention Communism at all, but one can sense it, when it dismisses other methods such as Authotarian. Anyways, a US History teacher hoodwinks a class into a debate about American Democracy which takes THE WHOLE TERM. When one of the parents (who must've been concerned about this sort of things then) complains, the teacher dismisses him by telling that this way of teaching will teach the kids all they need to know (becoming GOOD american citizens!) Soon, the kids are ALL democratic I guess, and the teacher winds up this little oddball discussion by stating that ANY class can be taught this way in any grade! Which sends the mind reeling at the thought of a grade 1 spelling lesson: Can you spell D-I-R-T-Y C-O-M-M-I-E? Propoganda of the highest order. Highly reccomended!

A high school American History teacher shows us a democratic method of running a classroom. It involves the students voting on goals and subjects to study, then doing projects in small groups. It actually seems to work quite well. Maybe some real schools ought to try it sometime. Of course, this film was made in 1953, so the technique might be too innovative. The opening scene of the class' orientation, where students bring in examples of their hobbies, just begs to be mstedÂÂone kid shows his knife collection, another shows a reel-to-reel tape recorder and looks for all the world like bugging is his hobby, and a third kid demonstrates ventriloquism with a suitably creepy dummy. This kid, Something Weird tells us, grew up to be Dr. Evil of spook show fame, which only confirms my suspicions about ventriloquism.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****. Also available on Teenage Turmoil, Vol. 6.