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BlogWalker's Twin
Exploring Teaching and Learning in a Digital Age

Why Filmmaking Belongs in the Classroom
Friday, August 22nd, 2008
Categories filmmaking
Tags filmmaking secc

Cross posted from Blogwalker

"I think the big mistake in schools is trying to teach children anything, and by using fear as the basic motivation. Fear of getting failing grades, fear of not staying with your class, etc. Interest can produce learning on a scale compared to fear as a nuclear explosion to a firecracker." Stanley Kubric

For the past couple of years, Nikos Theodosakis' The Director in the Classroom has been my top recommendation to teachers wanting to venture into filmmaking as part of their curriculum. In addition to tips and wonderful graphic organizers, Nikos also lays out a compelling argument (on behalf on his own children - and all children) for why filmmaking belongs in the classroom, starting with Part 1:
  • Learning in a world of change
  • Living and learning in a visual world
  • How filmmaking develops higher order thinking skills
  • How filmmaking develops personal and social skills
  • How filmmaking raises awareness
I have a new favorite: Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom, by John Golden. I found this gem while attending the July National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Institute for 21st Century Learning. What a great resource for secondary teachers - and probably upper elementary too. "Even though this book deals with cinematic technique and film study, it is ultimately a book about using film to help students improve their reading and analytical skills." Golden includes over 30 films, ranging from E.T. The Extraterrestrial to Life Is Beautiful , and provides strategies for viewing each, including reading strategies (e.g., predicting, responding, questioning, and storyboarding), textual analysis (e.g., characterization, point of view, iron, and connections/comparisons between authors' and directors' choices) and classroom tested suggestions for developing units. Tons of powerful images pulled from films, along with thought-provoking "Questions to Consider."

I'm working on a presentation right now for our Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium's upcoming Video in the Classroom event. I'll be sharing both books during my session - and am seeking a third to add to the list.

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Comments
Alix Peshette said:
Sunday, September 7th, 2008 @ 9:04 PM
Gail,
I agree with you completely that filmmaking has a vital place in the curriculum. It is just another part of the digital storytelling continuum. I think some people are intimidated by the idea of film, thinking that they or their students need to create sizable projects. The one-minute or less video can be very powerful and quite do-able in a classroom. I'm a believer that teachers and students can create video without using a video camcorder! There are lots of public domain video clips that can be combined and edited to tell compelling stories. Inexpensive hand-held microphones can record student narration. In my experience, students writing their own narration have strong motivation to write and speak well - especially after they hear their first narration - LOL! Student self-critique their work and then rewrite and re-record. The intrinsic motivation is there!

-Alix Peshette
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