The Videotape As a Teaching Aid in State and Local Government

In order to educate students in state and local government and to create a better appreciation of the political process, the author contends that the traditional approach to teaching in Texas must be supplemented with innovative techniques. One successful technique is the use of the videotape as a teaching aid. Extension of the vote to the eighteen year old, failure of large numbers of students to exercise the franchise, emphasis on the recruitment of racial minorities, and a significant increase in the number of older students who are returning to the classroom are developments which require new methods to reach the "new public." The videotape can be a useful aid in the teaching process, offering students increased access to political personalities, enabling students to learn more about the specifics of their own immediate environment, enabling students to stay abreast of developing problems and solutions in state and local government, permitting additional material which is normally not covered in traditional textbooks to be brought to the attention of students, and adding a sense of realism to government policies. Two major problems with using the video tape as a supplemental teaching aid are inertia on the part of the faculty and obtaining institutional financial support. (Author/JR)