As I have previously written on this blog, my interest in
learning is concerned with how cinema can be used as a means of education. I do
not limit this to a conventional understanding of what “educational films” are
but rather believe that most all movies and TV can be educational in some way
or another. I believe that Zull’s ch. 7 further proves this point. Take the
example from the beginning of the chapter in which one of his students makes a
connection between what she is studying and a childhood experience. I believe
that these experiences are not limited to a student’s own memories of his/her
actions but can extend to memories of images and content they have seen both on
television and at the theater.
Zull’s
explanation of the problem as teachers beginning from their own knowledge
rather than the student’s learning is apt. I think it is incredibly invaluable
to realize that different students have different looking neuronal networks and
therefore make use of existing connections rather than trying to create
entirely new ones. Some of these connections are created and extended through
the constant inundation of movies and TV that students absorb on a daily basis.
I have seen this in my own classroom. My students are far more excited to
discuss the latest episode of The Walking
Dead or The Avengers than any conventional
lesson plan I may have worked out. The idea is to make a connection between
what you are trying to teach them or what they are trying to learn with what
they are already learning at home and at the theater. These are 21st
century connections. Whereas students may still have real world experiences on
which to draw, their experience with programming on TV or their computers is
far more prevalent.
I totally agree that kids are more excited to discuss their favorite shows and relate things to what movie they just saw. Do you plan to incorporate cinema by showing a movie of a book your students are reading in class? Or are there other ways you would like to incorporate cinema?
ReplyDeleteI love that you consider their interests. I think that students often see school as so separate from their lives. Having a teacher that is "in-the-know" creates an important connection between students and their teachers
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, guys. Meredith, I definitely am interested in incorporating cinema into my teaching every chance I get. I think films are a very important medium and have a lot to offer in the way of education. My original research had to do with teaching an anchor text using a film adaptation. I am still interested in pursuing this research. But I believe there are indeed other ways to incorporate cinema than simply using a film to further illustrate a novel's content. Films as a medium move differently and according to different rules than their paper and ink counterparts. I think it would be helpful for ELA students--especially those in this day and age--to learn more about the language of cinema, how issues of tone, theme, and emotion are conveyed in contrast to how they are presented in a text.
ReplyDeleteKaty, I couldn't agree more. One of my pet peeves is hearing kids say how much they hate school or don't want to be there. I think that kind of attitude has a lot to do with how we run our classrooms. If we present ourselves as out-of-touch disciplinarians, it causes our students to associate school and particularly our class with negative connotations. True excitement about learning may be a longshot but I think we can easily make the kids comfortable, content and engaged at the very least.