Wheeling out the TV and showing a movie has long been the teacher’s secret weapon to calm a distracted class at the end of term. But now many teachers in the UK are using film more creatively in their lessons.
Former teacher Adwoa Oforiwa uses the storytelling element of films, such as Oliver Twist, to improve her students’ narrative writing. In a blog for the Guardian, Oforiwa writes: “In the classroom, film is more than just the carrot after the stick of ploughing through a book with young people.
“It is a vehicle through which students can see literature in a new light, access new worlds and fantastic experiences, and which can encourage them to seek out and read the original stories for themselves.”
Media Education Wales’ Ffilmschool 2 transition project confirmed Oforiwa’s experiences, showing that teaching with film can make the majority of students more interested in writing. The project made students’ writing more descriptive and enhanced their range of expressions. In another project funded by the BFI, the percentage of children writing at their expected class level rose from 29% to 75%.
But using film doesn’t have to be restricted to English literature. Spanish teacher Gil Poças found using foreign films in the classroom is the perfect way to get students hooked on languages. And with the rise of video sharing social media platforms such as YouTube and advances in technology, film is now more accessible to teachers across the curriculum than ever before.
Join us on 15 October from 5:30pm to 7:30pm to discuss, share tips and glean advice about how film can be used creatively in lessons, and what the best examples are. We will cover the following topics:
• Innovative ways to use film to teach pupils about a range of subjects
• Tips on using new technology and social media
• Best practice ideas
• The challenges and how to overcome any obstacles to using film in lessons
The discussion will take place in the comment thread below, which is already open, so feel free to post your questions and ideas early or catch up with what happened at a later date. You can also follow all the action from @GuardianTeach using #filminschools.
Our panel
Jane Fletcher is director of education at Into Film, having previously been the schools director at FILMCLUB. Her past roles include being in the Extended Schools Service in London and leading Toynbee Hall’s education programme. Jane also has 10 years’ experience as a director and producer for CBBC and BBC Education.
Russel Tarr is the head of history at the International School of Toulouse, France. He has also worked at Wolverhampton Grammar school and is a fully-qualified teacher with a PGCE from the School of Education at Birmingham University.
Dr Carmen Herrero is a principal lecturer in Hispanic studies and subject leader for the Spanish section at the Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research interests are language education and film, Hispanic cinemas and new technologies and education. She is the co-founder and co-director of Film in Language Teaching Association and the co-director of the research group FLAME (Film, Languages And Media in Education). You can follow her on Twitter @CarmenHerrero14.
Steven Keevil has taught in further education for seven years and has been a film club leader for 5. Steven has taught media production and theory and now screens films to level 1 and 2 students. He believes film is a great communication tool for introducing equality and diversity, history, politics and enjoyment. He is currently a course tutor at MidKent College and his favourite film is The Princess Bride.
Matt Beere works for Chapter, a multi-platform venue that presents, produces and promotes international art, live performance and film alongside a dynamic social space. He is now cinema coordinator, film education officer, and cinema and live arts engagement officer. He was recently given the title of learning and participation officer.
Alom Shaha is a science teacher, film maker and writer. He currently splits his time between teaching physics at a secondary school and making films for The Royal Institution. He has written and produced a number of TV programmes about science but now focuses on making online videos with for educational purposes.
Nicole Ponsford is author of TechnoTeaching, and she has just passed the Harvard Leaders of Learning course.
Mark Martin, aka @urban_teacher, is more than an ICT teacher. He’s a true technology evangelist working in the education system and is passionate about getting the most innovative technologies into the hands of learners. Mark is very passionate about reducing the distance between schools and the wider world of technology.
Nicole Ponsford became the creative director and co-founder (with Dr Julie Wood) of TechnoTeachers, a global edtech consultancy, after more than a decade of working in schools as an award-winning advanced-skills teacher and school leader. Despite living on different side of the pond, their recent book TechnoTeaching: Taking Practice to the Next Level in a Digital World was published by Harvard Educational Press this summer.
