I remember when I got the opportunity to watch films in class. We only watched films when there was a substitute teacher, or if we were in health class learning about the miracle of birth or dangers of abusive relationships. On occasion, literature teachers would show clips of movies that were adapted from books. Nancy Barile found a way to incorporate film into her class that made learning a lot more fun. She was able to stay within the Common Core Standards for teaching and still make learning fun with movies.
She first had her students read the required texts for school. Instead of showing them the movie adaptation, she showed films that she knew her students would enjoy watching. When they enjoyed the movie, her students often had a lot more to say about the films and made connections to the required readings more easily. Barile showed films such as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and The Shawshank Redemption. After showing the movies she would ask thought provoking questions, some relating to the students' in ways such as the portrayal of teenagers compared to how teenagers act in their school. Barile also presented them with critics' reviews and asked her students to compare their reviews with the critics'. In showing these movies, critical thinking and analysis increased tremendously.
I would encourage teachers to follow in her footsteps and stop showing mediocre movies for the sake of filling up a time slot. If you need to call in a substitute, have a movie on hand with a question sheet that promotes critical thinking. Even if you cannot teach the lesson you wanted to teach that day, at least students are still engaged in a learning exercise.
website used: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom_solutions/2011/05/film-as-a-springboard-to-writing-in-the-ela-classroom
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