I would like to incorporate film to assist me in teaching my literary elements. Students come to my eighth grade language arts class "aware" of the elements, but my goal is to get them to know the elements in a deeper sense. I think that film could assist me in accomplishing this goal. I love the visualization aspect of film, because I am a visual learner, like a lot of my students. Additionally, I feel that film has such an appeal to students. If I can utilize film to keep them motivated in my lessons on literary elements (rather than having them experience boredom since they're aware of the elements already), then I will do everything in my power to incorporate film into my curriculum!
As an ESL teacher, film is especially relevant to me because when students see images,they can better figure out things that are going on. In contrast, interpreting texts which lack images is a great deal more difficult.
I think that film provides a wealth of opportunities in the secondary classroom. As we have continually touched upon in class, engaging students in various ways is key... and film and TV clips are lasting visuals that complement text and illustrate points. On Tuesday someone brought up the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire of 1911 and discussed a compelling docucmentary about the incident. I immediately thought back to my ninth grade high school Social Studies class. While I don't remember all the details of the fire, I DO remember watching a video that was really touching. It's visuals like these -ones that tie in so well with lessons and put a face to a name- that I think students remember long after the bell rings or the school year comes to an end.
I also keep thinking back to the first day of class when Danielle made the comment about students unplugging, or "powering down," as they entered school each day. But if technology has become the new norm, and one that puts students at ease, our job would be to incorporate it in a productive way that's relevant to curriculum. I think that technology's inclusion in the classroom will be both a challenge for and asset to teachers in upcoming years. I look forward to experimenting with media with my (future) classes ...perhaps around 2030. Julie Gargotta
To be honest (and I promise I’m not trying to suck up here) this class has really opened my eyes to a new way of looking at teaching with film and media. When I walked into this class, I expected that it would be a class to teach us how to teach a film class. Now that I’ve sat though a few classes, I’m starting to learn that film and media have a definite place in any curriculum.
I thought that I was ahead of the curve in incorporating media and technology into my classroom. I use GoogleDocs, I have a website, and I have a Smart Board sitting (albeit unused) attached in the back corner of my room. Hey, I even have my kids do webquests every once in a while. I guess that while I may be considered “technologically savvy” in my department, I’m apparently way behind the curve.
I think that one thing I’m going to incorporate into my new 12th grade curriculum is a review of literary terms by looking at different film clips. After going through different terms, I’ll have students bring in a film clip that perfectly represents a term that I assign to them. Then, we’ll connect it to a text that is rich with literary terms. I feel that in order to get students to talk intelligently about texts, we first need to get them to completely understand how.
One thing that I feel I’ve always done well is use film to show specific moving scenes in the text that students are reading. I used to HATE when my teachers in high school would pop in a movie after we read a book. However, I tend to use different clips (from different films) to enhance the students’ reading. For example, students LOVE Hamlet, but have trouble understanding his struggle to understand and deal with his emotions in his soliloquies. I usually have them break down the language in each soliloquy and then have them explain his emotion. If they are still having trouble understanding, sometimes I have them watch a clip from the film. Sometimes, I even have them compare his struggle with a character in another film.
Ultimately, my goal for my seniors is to enhance their critical thinking skills. Ideally, I can incorporate film and media into my class in order to enhance these specific skills.
I would love to use film and other forms of media to open a window into new cultures or periods in history. As I'm working on a Jamaican film, show my students the culture and then introduce them to literature from that country.
In the case of "Across the Universe", show the time period using a vehicle that appeals to them, then introduce "The Things They Carried". I don't like the idea of reading a book, then showing the film. But to show an era, or a theme within literature by introducing it visually I think will make a great impact.
Introduce prohibition, with "The Cotton Club" then ask them to write like Langston Hughes.
Another benefit of film in the ESL classroom is that it can be used to acquaint students with the various cultures represented by their peers. I would like to use film to show my English language learners what their classmates' native countries look like and what makes their homelands unique and/or similar. I plan to have my students find online videos or bring in DVDs for a cultural show-and-tell.
Hi Everyone...this is an exciting way to share our thoughts on film! I think everyone has pretty much summed up my reasons for wanting to use film in the classroom, but I will say that my top reasons are: 1. Because I think film should be treated as art and "read" the same way as literature 2. I think film is an excellent way to engage students who don't typically identify themselves as "Englishy." When we use film in our classrooms we are reaching across the barriers that separate us from our students and showing them that their world is also our world (hope that makes sense).
On a side note, I stumbled across an AMAZING film review podcast: Filmspotting. You can also find information about the show on filmspotting.net. The hosts are entertaining and their reviews are really helpful when thinking about how to make connections between pop culture and our classrooms. I listened to the podcast after I saw Super 8, and they actually captured the way I felt about the movie with the phrase: hipster-nostalgic-porn. The movie tried to buy our emotional reactions to the characters by playing on our nostalgia for movies like Goonies and E.T. without actually earning our reactions. I know this is a little off topic, but I wanted to share :)
One thing that I have really taken from this class so far is the documentary aspect. While I have enjoyed a documentary or two, I usually gravitated towards the ones that were controversial (Michael Moore, Supersize Me, etc) or in the public hot spot. I didn't know much about documentaries otherwise. Over this past week, I have really come to enjoy them, though at first I had to force myself to sit down and watch with engagement. I'm going to be honest, in my Film class I have never taught a documentary unit, simply because I was always uncomfortable with them. I was also unsure how to present an interesting and relevant documentary without the impression that the viewpoints in the film were MY viewpoints. Now I see that I can engage my film class in documentary studies without presenting bias. Golden's book has given me so many great ways to incorporate a documentary unit. I'm really excited to start planning that into my curriculum for next year :)
So, I thought we were to post our comments on the wiki discussion boards. I will gladly wear the dunce cap for the rest of the evening. Anyway...
As I have harped on (possibly to nauseating levels) in class, I think that helping students use film to recognize the literary elements that they may be struggling with is an amazing possibility provided by using film in the classroom. Also, and this is something that I have stumbled on as I was looking for journal articles, film can also be used as a means of better explaining literary THEORIES too.
Needless to say I have yet to come across anything negative about using film in a classroom, assuming the teacher that is doing it isn't doing it for a breather from the kids or something like that.
As I think back to my days as a middle/high school student, I think of all the films we would view. Most films were educational based or the adaptation of the novel we just completed. During those viewing sessions 75 percent of us were fighting the urge to keep our heads from finding their way to our desks for an afternoon nap.
It wasn’t until my junior year of high school I, and fellow classmates (I can honestly say ALL of us), were truly engaged by films shown in our English classroom. Mrs. O intrigued us with films such as, “Castaway” and “O.” Scene by scene she would stop our viewing sessions and ask us, “Why did that character wear that color?” “Why did the director chose that angle?” “Have you noticed this?” etc., etc. To this day, if my friends and I are watching a film, we catch ourselves blaming Mrs. O for our inability to watch film like “normal people.”
With that being said, I feel as though if film is used properly, the possibilities are endless. As we read Golden and hold class discussions, I think that that concept is evident. As for my future secondary classroom I can picture myself a lot like Mrs. O. I want to teach creative writing in the future; therefore I can definitely see film being used as a mentor text for writing prompts. Also, I would use it just as Mrs. O did, to analyze it scene by scene and hope my students do the with literature. I want to have my students blame me for their inability to watch film normally. Finally, I want to use film, especially documentaries, to open my students’ eyes to new worlds, cultures and to social issues they could be unaware of.
Can we reply directly to someone's post? I have no clue.
Anyway, I wanted to ask ladybug if she wouldn't mind keeping me clued in to what clips she had in mind as far as teaching literary terms. I love this idea.
Jenna, It's interesting that you say that about documentaries. Honestly, I've never been too interested in documentaries, but I think that controversial ones are very important in education! As I've said in class, I'm trying to re-write my curriculum for my seniors, so a big part of the class will be media bias. (In fact, I want to create my Wiki about this unit.) Documentaries (like the Michael Moore stuff) are extremely important in teaching bias and propaganda.
It took me until last week when I was reading Golden's "Reading in the Dark" that I made a neat connection about my personal education. I have been a reader ever since my parents taught me when I was 2 or 4, I forget. Anyway, I read books above my reading level (I got started on Brian Jacques' Redwall series in 4th grade). When I got into middle and high school, the literary analysis came easier to me. And my love and exposure to film (mostly the Golden Age variety) grew at that time. Film analyses followed in college. All that to say, I didn't realize until now that my transition from print to visual text analysis was fluid and unconscious.
I am convinced that this bridge is essential in the secondary classroom. We can kill two mockingbirds with one stone, if you know what I mean. Not only can we use film to present literary elements, as others have mentioned, but we can also use the same clips to introduce students to the vocabulary of cinematography.
We must train students to be media literate. They should be Media "3C" students: Consumers, Critics, and Creators (Thanks for this, Tim).
As I'm learning that nonfiction is becoming a bigger part of the reading lists in English classrooms (it wasn't when I was in school), I can see how documentary and nonfiction film can act as the bridge again. More so than fiction film, docs will be used for media lit. texts and training.
Finally, film should enhance students' imaginations. If they can "see the book" in their minds, they will have a better shot at understanding the "Englishy" concepts. But also, their writing should never be dull or lifeless. They can paint the pictures for their readers with their fresh, creative, intelligent writing.
I know I only scratched the surface here. My hope is that we can start a movement to incorporate film outside of the English classroom. Yes, I think English is a good starting place for it now, but think of the possibilities in other subjects. How much would seeing WWII footage in a doc help students understand the narrative and horrors of fighting? How much better would students understand the process of mitosis if they could see it in action? I guess, in one sentence, I could say: Don't put film in a box. The potential is far greater than what most teachers imagine. If we can get this ball rolling, no one will ever give us a dirty look for wheeling the projector cart down the hall again.
Using Film to Teach Nonfiction Reading/Writing Skills
I’ve become really excited at the prospect of using film in my classroom. I already know my students would enjoy it, but reading Golden’s book has given me ways to use film in an engaging way that will still teach my students the skills that they need. I have most enjoyed reading his chapters about using film to teach nonfiction reading skills/strategies and nonfiction writing/analysis. It would be much easier for me to integrate film into these lessons that I already teach, rather than insert a whole film unit. (However, his 2-week break down at the end of Chapter 1 is pretty enticing, especially because he says it could also be condensed to fit into 1 week.) My school struggles with test scores, and nonfiction reading/writing is such a big part of the test. I do spend time working on nonfiction reading strategies and writing analysis with my students, but sometimes it is hard to find age-appropriate nonfiction articles that students will actually find interesting. Film clips could help with keeping students’ interest while still building those skills.
I appreciate how Golden fills his book with so many sample films/clips that we could use in our classroom. After working on our own rationales, I have realized how time-consuming it is to come up with perfect material to use in the classroom. Not only does Golden give a lot of film choices, but he also provides ideas on how to integrate film clips into particular lesson topics. I will definitely be keeping this book nearby when I am planning lessons next year.
Because I think students would really like this kind of work (film/media analysis), I was also thinking about ways that I could have students do more of this even if I can’t devote as much time in the classroom as I would like. I was pretty interested in Golden’s discussion of reality TV at the end of Chapter 1 and was thinking about creating an assignment for my students that could be done out of class. I hate to assign homework that isn’t meaningful, yet I know all of my students watch reality tv, though most of them probably never think about the issues Golden raises. I’m sure they would jump at the chance to “watch tv for homework,” even if there was more to it than that. I think using film/media has a lot of potential to enhance my students’ critical thinking skills.
I also can second what Jenna said about incorporating documentaries into curriculum... and being surprised by their appeal. In my scholastic career, I never really was exposed to many documentary films and thus never developed an affinity for them. But this unit really piqued my interest in docs, and I certainly can see myself using them in my own future classroom. I think it's important, however, to stress the POV aspect of documentaries (as we discussed in Tuesday's class): documentaries are biased in nature and show a side of truth/truthiness (as Golden put it). Julie Gargotta
I personally agree with ladybug about the class in general. While I'm not planning to be a teacher per say, I am planning on going to the film/media field whether it is writing movies for Pixar or what have you. Its just always frustrated me how the stuff that I grew up with, films, video games and other forms of media haven't been considered academic simply because its popular or because its never really been part of the standardized curriculum before. I mean understandably, not EVERYTHING can be used in schools but it shouldn't be written off, especially since learning through popular culture actually helped me conquer a learning disability.
As far as films are concerned. With the amount of stuff that is out there both old and new, the possibilities of how it can be used in a high school class room is almost endless. What I keep coming back to whenever I write my film rationales is that it gives extra visual aid to get the point of the lesson across. For a american history class, you could take a film about the Battle of Gettysburg and show the class first hand the key moment that turned the tide of battle. Or like I mentioned in my rationale a film like How to Train your Dragon for a Biology class discussion on the Scientific Method. Even thought I'm not much of a math person, I know a few movies that would actually appeal and assist in a math class. Actually I came across a website that actually lists movies that have scenes that discuss certain math issues, here is the link, take a look through it and see how many you recognize.
http://www.math.harvard.edu/~knill/mathmovies/
I'm not a teacher but if I were, I would want to use film to add a bit of power to the lesson that I was teaching. Its one thing to read something and trying to visualize it but its completely another to actually see it used, even if it is a movie.
(I certainly hope this post stays on this time, for some reason it didn't when I posted on Tuesday.)
I would like to incorporate film to assist me in teaching my literary elements. Students come to my eighth grade language arts class "aware" of the elements, but my goal is to get them to know the elements in a deeper sense. I think that film could assist me in accomplishing this goal. I love the visualization aspect of film, because I am a visual learner, like a lot of my students. Additionally, I feel that film has such an appeal to students. If I can utilize film to keep them motivated in my lessons on literary elements (rather than having them experience boredom since they're aware of the elements already), then I will do everything in my power to incorporate film into my curriculum!
ReplyDeleteAs an ESL teacher, film is especially relevant to me because when students see images,they can better figure out things that are going on. In contrast, interpreting texts which lack images is a great deal more difficult.
ReplyDeleteLasting Visuals and Keeping Students Plugged In
ReplyDeleteI think that film provides a wealth of opportunities in the secondary classroom. As we have continually touched upon in class, engaging students in various ways is key... and film and TV clips are lasting visuals that complement text and illustrate points. On Tuesday someone brought up the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire of 1911 and discussed a compelling docucmentary about the incident. I immediately thought back to my ninth grade high school Social Studies class. While I don't remember all the details of the fire, I DO remember watching a video that was really touching. It's visuals like these -ones that tie in so well with lessons and put a face to a name- that I think students remember long after the bell rings or the school year comes to an end.
I also keep thinking back to the first day of class when Danielle made the comment about students unplugging, or "powering down," as they entered school each day. But if technology has become the new norm, and one that puts students at ease, our job would be to incorporate it in a productive way that's relevant to curriculum. I think that technology's inclusion in the classroom will be both a challenge for and asset to teachers in upcoming years. I look forward to experimenting with media with my (future) classes ...perhaps around 2030.
Julie Gargotta
To be honest (and I promise I’m not trying to suck up here) this class has really opened my eyes to a new way of looking at teaching with film and media. When I walked into this class, I expected that it would be a class to teach us how to teach a film class. Now that I’ve sat though a few classes, I’m starting to learn that film and media have a definite place in any curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI thought that I was ahead of the curve in incorporating media and technology into my classroom. I use GoogleDocs, I have a website, and I have a Smart Board sitting (albeit unused) attached in the back corner of my room. Hey, I even have my kids do webquests every once in a while. I guess that while I may be considered “technologically savvy” in my department, I’m apparently way behind the curve.
I think that one thing I’m going to incorporate into my new 12th grade curriculum is a review of literary terms by looking at different film clips. After going through different terms, I’ll have students bring in a film clip that perfectly represents a term that I assign to them. Then, we’ll connect it to a text that is rich with literary terms. I feel that in order to get students to talk intelligently about texts, we first need to get them to completely understand how.
One thing that I feel I’ve always done well is use film to show specific moving scenes in the text that students are reading. I used to HATE when my teachers in high school would pop in a movie after we read a book. However, I tend to use different clips (from different films) to enhance the students’ reading. For example, students LOVE Hamlet, but have trouble understanding his struggle to understand and deal with his emotions in his soliloquies. I usually have them break down the language in each soliloquy and then have them explain his emotion. If they are still having trouble understanding, sometimes I have them watch a clip from the film. Sometimes, I even have them compare his struggle with a character in another film.
Ultimately, my goal for my seniors is to enhance their critical thinking skills. Ideally, I can incorporate film and media into my class in order to enhance these specific skills.
I would love to use film and other forms of media to open a window into new cultures or periods in history. As I'm working on a Jamaican film, show my students the culture and then introduce them to literature from that country.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of "Across the Universe", show the time period using a vehicle that appeals to them, then introduce "The Things They Carried". I don't like the idea of reading a book, then showing the film. But to show an era, or a theme within literature by introducing it visually I think will make a great impact.
Introduce prohibition, with "The Cotton Club" then ask them to write like Langston Hughes.
Another benefit of film in the ESL classroom is that it can be used to acquaint students with the various cultures represented by their peers. I would like to use film to show my English language learners what their classmates' native countries look like and what makes their homelands unique and/or similar. I plan to have my students find online videos or bring in DVDs for a cultural show-and-tell.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone...this is an exciting way to share our thoughts on film! I think everyone has pretty much summed up my reasons for wanting to use film in the classroom, but I will say that my top reasons are: 1. Because I think film should be treated as art and "read" the same way as literature 2. I think film is an excellent way to engage students who don't typically identify themselves as "Englishy." When we use film in our classrooms we are reaching across the barriers that separate us from our students and showing them that their world is also our world (hope that makes sense).
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I stumbled across an AMAZING film review podcast: Filmspotting. You can also find information about the show on filmspotting.net. The hosts are entertaining and their reviews are really helpful when thinking about how to make connections between pop culture and our classrooms. I listened to the podcast after I saw Super 8, and they actually captured the way I felt about the movie with the phrase: hipster-nostalgic-porn. The movie tried to buy our emotional reactions to the characters by playing on our nostalgia for movies like Goonies and E.T. without actually earning our reactions. I know this is a little off topic, but I wanted to share :)
One thing that I have really taken from this class so far is the documentary aspect. While I have enjoyed a documentary or two, I usually gravitated towards the ones that were controversial (Michael Moore, Supersize Me, etc) or in the public hot spot. I didn't know much about documentaries otherwise. Over this past week, I have really come to enjoy them, though at first I had to force myself to sit down and watch with engagement.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be honest, in my Film class I have never taught a documentary unit, simply because I was always uncomfortable with them. I was also unsure how to present an interesting and relevant documentary without the impression that the viewpoints in the film were MY viewpoints. Now I see that I can engage my film class in documentary studies without presenting bias. Golden's book has given me so many great ways to incorporate a documentary unit. I'm really excited to start planning that into my curriculum for next year :)
So, I thought we were to post our comments on the wiki discussion boards. I will gladly wear the dunce cap for the rest of the evening. Anyway...
ReplyDeleteAs I have harped on (possibly to nauseating levels) in class, I think that helping students use film to recognize the literary elements that they may be struggling with is an amazing possibility provided by using film in the classroom. Also, and this is something that I have stumbled on as I was looking for journal articles, film can also be used as a means of better explaining literary THEORIES too.
Needless to say I have yet to come across anything negative about using film in a classroom, assuming the teacher that is doing it isn't doing it for a breather from the kids or something like that.
As I think back to my days as a middle/high school student, I think of all the films we would view. Most films were educational based or the adaptation of the novel we just completed. During those viewing sessions 75 percent of us were fighting the urge to keep our heads from finding their way to our desks for an afternoon nap.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn’t until my junior year of high school I, and fellow classmates (I can honestly say ALL of us), were truly engaged by films shown in our English classroom. Mrs. O intrigued us with films such as, “Castaway” and “O.” Scene by scene she would stop our viewing sessions and ask us, “Why did that character wear that color?” “Why did the director chose that angle?” “Have you noticed this?” etc., etc. To this day, if my friends and I are watching a film, we catch ourselves blaming Mrs. O for our inability to watch film like “normal people.”
With that being said, I feel as though if film is used properly, the possibilities are endless. As we read Golden and hold class discussions, I think that that concept is evident. As for my future secondary classroom I can picture myself a lot like Mrs. O. I want to teach creative writing in the future; therefore I can definitely see film being used as a mentor text for writing prompts. Also, I would use it just as Mrs. O did, to analyze it scene by scene and hope my students do the with literature. I want to have my students blame me for their inability to watch film normally. Finally, I want to use film, especially documentaries, to open my students’ eyes to new worlds, cultures and to social issues they could be unaware of.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCan we reply directly to someone's post? I have no clue.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wanted to ask ladybug if she wouldn't mind keeping me clued in to what clips she had in mind as far as teaching literary terms. I love this idea.
Thanks!
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you say that about documentaries. Honestly, I've never been too interested in documentaries, but I think that controversial ones are very important in education! As I've said in class, I'm trying to re-write my curriculum for my seniors, so a big part of the class will be media bias. (In fact, I want to create my Wiki about this unit.) Documentaries (like the Michael Moore stuff) are extremely important in teaching bias and propaganda.
It took me until last week when I was reading Golden's "Reading in the Dark" that I made a neat connection about my personal education. I have been a reader ever since my parents taught me when I was 2 or 4, I forget. Anyway, I read books above my reading level (I got started on Brian Jacques' Redwall series in 4th grade). When I got into middle and high school, the literary analysis came easier to me. And my love and exposure to film (mostly the Golden Age variety) grew at that time. Film analyses followed in college. All that to say, I didn't realize until now that my transition from print to visual text analysis was fluid and unconscious.
ReplyDeleteI am convinced that this bridge is essential in the secondary classroom. We can kill two mockingbirds with one stone, if you know what I mean. Not only can we use film to present literary elements, as others have mentioned, but we can also use the same clips to introduce students to the vocabulary of cinematography.
We must train students to be media literate. They should be Media "3C" students: Consumers, Critics, and Creators (Thanks for this, Tim).
As I'm learning that nonfiction is becoming a bigger part of the reading lists in English classrooms (it wasn't when I was in school), I can see how documentary and nonfiction film can act as the bridge again. More so than fiction film, docs will be used for media lit. texts and training.
Finally, film should enhance students' imaginations. If they can "see the book" in their minds, they will have a better shot at understanding the "Englishy" concepts. But also, their writing should never be dull or lifeless. They can paint the pictures for their readers with their fresh, creative, intelligent writing.
I know I only scratched the surface here. My hope is that we can start a movement to incorporate film outside of the English classroom. Yes, I think English is a good starting place for it now, but think of the possibilities in other subjects. How much would seeing WWII footage in a doc help students understand the narrative and horrors of fighting? How much better would students understand the process of mitosis if they could see it in action? I guess, in one sentence, I could say: Don't put film in a box. The potential is far greater than what most teachers imagine. If we can get this ball rolling, no one will ever give us a dirty look for wheeling the projector cart down the hall again.
Using Film to Teach Nonfiction Reading/Writing Skills
ReplyDeleteI’ve become really excited at the prospect of using film in my classroom. I already know my students would enjoy it, but reading Golden’s book has given me ways to use film in an engaging way that will still teach my students the skills that they need. I have most enjoyed reading his chapters about using film to teach nonfiction reading skills/strategies and nonfiction writing/analysis. It would be much easier for me to integrate film into these lessons that I already teach, rather than insert a whole film unit. (However, his 2-week break down at the end of Chapter 1 is pretty enticing, especially because he says it could also be condensed to fit into 1 week.) My school struggles with test scores, and nonfiction reading/writing is such a big part of the test. I do spend time working on nonfiction reading strategies and writing analysis with my students, but sometimes it is hard to find age-appropriate nonfiction articles that students will actually find interesting. Film clips could help with keeping students’ interest while still building those skills.
I appreciate how Golden fills his book with so many sample films/clips that we could use in our classroom. After working on our own rationales, I have realized how time-consuming it is to come up with perfect material to use in the classroom. Not only does Golden give a lot of film choices, but he also provides ideas on how to integrate film clips into particular lesson topics. I will definitely be keeping this book nearby when I am planning lessons next year.
Because I think students would really like this kind of work (film/media analysis), I was also thinking about ways that I could have students do more of this even if I can’t devote as much time in the classroom as I would like. I was pretty interested in Golden’s discussion of reality TV at the end of Chapter 1 and was thinking about creating an assignment for my students that could be done out of class. I hate to assign homework that isn’t meaningful, yet I know all of my students watch reality tv, though most of them probably never think about the issues Golden raises. I’m sure they would jump at the chance to “watch tv for homework,” even if there was more to it than that. I think using film/media has a lot of potential to enhance my students’ critical thinking skills.
(Danielle Hawley)
I also can second what Jenna said about incorporating documentaries into curriculum... and being surprised by their appeal. In my scholastic career, I never really was exposed to many documentary films and thus never developed an affinity for them. But this unit really piqued my interest in docs, and I certainly can see myself using them in my own future classroom. I think it's important, however, to stress the POV aspect of documentaries (as we discussed in Tuesday's class): documentaries are biased in nature and show a side of truth/truthiness (as Golden put it).
ReplyDeleteJulie Gargotta
I personally agree with ladybug about the class in general. While I'm not planning to be a teacher per say, I am planning on going to the film/media field whether it is writing movies for Pixar or what have you. Its just always frustrated me how the stuff that I grew up with, films, video games and other forms of media haven't been considered academic simply because its popular or because its never really been part of the standardized curriculum before. I mean understandably, not EVERYTHING can be used in schools but it shouldn't be written off, especially since learning through popular culture actually helped me conquer a learning disability.
ReplyDeleteAs far as films are concerned. With the amount of stuff that is out there both old and new, the possibilities of how it can be used in a high school class room is almost endless. What I keep coming back to whenever I write my film rationales is that it gives extra visual aid to get the point of the lesson across. For a american history class, you could take a film about the Battle of Gettysburg and show the class first hand the key moment that turned the tide of battle. Or like I mentioned in my rationale a film like How to Train your Dragon for a Biology class discussion on the Scientific Method. Even thought I'm not much of a math person, I know a few movies that would actually appeal and assist in a math class. Actually I came across a website that actually lists movies that have scenes that discuss certain math issues, here is the link, take a look through it and see how many you recognize.
http://www.math.harvard.edu/~knill/mathmovies/
I'm not a teacher but if I were, I would want to use film to add a bit of power to the lesson that I was teaching. Its one thing to read something and trying to visualize it but its completely another to actually see it used, even if it is a movie.
(I certainly hope this post stays on this time, for some reason it didn't when I posted on Tuesday.)