I am a huge proponent of using film in the classroom to help enhance a lesson, especially in an ELA classroom. I think students can relate to movies because they probably have grown up watching them. As future teachers, it is important for us to provide relevant clips from films and to show the students how to actively engage while watching a movie. In order to do this, I am going to provide a few tips that I think are necessary for teachers to use:
1. Show Short Clips
As Rachel said in class, generally showing an entire movie is not the most active activity for students to do. Teachers should show shorter clips or show two different film adaptations of the same scene. The students can compare and contrast the two clips. If teachers do show the entire movie, they should pause the movie and ask the students questions and have them reflect on what they just watched.
2. Have an Assessment
Students should have a worksheet while they are watching the movie, or they should have to write a paper on the film (whether that is comparing the movie to the book, comparing the two clips from different film adaptations, etc.) Students need to know that they will be assessed somehow on the information in the film. Also, let the students know that watching a movie does not mean that it is nap time. Make sure the students are paying attention to the movie.
3. Teach How to Critically Watch and Write about a Film
Teachers should teach the elements of film, such as the sound, lighting, camera angles, character's movement and expression, etc., along with the proper terminology. Teachers also need to teach students how to write about films. Here is a website that provides some examples, along with some sample papers on movies that the students had to watch: http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/literary.htm.
4. Ask Questions
While watching a film, students should be asking themselves questions. Whose voice is missing in the film? Which age demographic, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc., is left out of the movie. Students need to critically think while watching a movie or clip during class and I believe asking questions is a good way for students to do this.
Using film in the classroom provides many benefits for students. Students enjoy watching films in class. They are able to compare and contrast the book to the movie. The students can see different elements that perhaps they could not visualize in the book. Teachers need to be sure that the students are actively engaged and not just passively watching the film, like they would when they sit in front of the television at home. As long as films are used in the classroom effectively and appropriately, I think they are a great tool that teachers should take advantage of.
Karla,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that film has it's place in the classroom. It can be very effective and I have seen film used in an educational way. I would advise you to watch how you implement its usage. Although assessment should be given in order to make the movie educational, I'm not sure that a worksheet is the best means of assessment. With the worksheet, students will not be paying attention to the movie, but listening and looking for the answers, which is counter-intuitive. I would also suggest that while the movie is on, stopping it and talking to the class about your talking points instead of doing a worksheet. This is a more active approach to assessing, and is more fun in my opinion.
Great post, Karla. I appreciate the very concise helpful tips.
ReplyDeleteTo follow-up on Elizabeth's comment, I agree that a "worksheet" could be counter-productive, depending on how it is designed. However, I think that having students take viewing notes or use a viewing guide can be very beneficial. Just as we ask students to have an active task during reading, they should have a purpose during viewing. It is all about what you are asking them to watch and listen for. Keep it open ended, and leaning toward higher order thinking, and this can be a helpful augmentation of viewing. Then think of assessments as coming after viewing through extended response, discussion, and media creation.
(BTW, semantic teaching tip for everyone: I never use the word "worksheet" if I can help it. It can have bad connotations of deadly dull, irrelevant, busy work. Try handout, or activity, or reading guide).