Douglas Olsen
Movies can be a fun and effective way to engage students and enhance their learning experience. However, teachers may worry about losing instructional time or whether students are actually paying attention during a movie. To address these concerns, educators can employ various strategies to ensure that students remain attentive and actively engaged while watching movies in the classroom. This includes providing context and clear learning objectives, using active viewing techniques, incorporating interactive elements, and following up with discussions or writing assignments. By implementing these strategies, teachers can turn movie-watching into a valuable learning opportunity that complements their lessons and enriches students' understanding of the wider world.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Preview the movie | Teachers should preview the movie to ensure it's appropriate and a good fit for the class. |
| Explain the purpose | Students need to know what they are expected to learn and do with the information. |
| Build-up activity | Provide a pre-viewing activity to give context and generate interest. |
| Active viewing | Encourage students to take notes, ask questions, and pay attention before, during, and after the movie. |
| Discussion | Stop the movie at key points to discuss as a class. |
| Teachable moments | Take advantage of moments in the film that can be turned into educational lessons. |
| Post-viewing activity | Follow up with a writing assignment or discussion to reinforce learning. |
| Lights | Keep the lights on to signal that it's not shut-down time. |
| Group work | Students can work in groups to practice vocational skills such as buying tickets or manning a ticket booth. |
| Novelty | Movies are fun and can be used as a reward for good behavior. |
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What You'll Learn
Preview the movie and explain its purpose to students
Previewing the movie beforehand is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it allows you to determine if the movie is appropriate for your students and whether it aligns with their learning goals. You can also identify key scenes for discussion and any sections that may need editing or omitting.
When explaining the movie's purpose to students, it is essential to provide context and set clear expectations. Start by asking students about their experiences with movie reviews. Discuss the difference between an expert review and a casual viewer's opinion. Emphasize that professional critics provide detailed explanations for their evaluations, which involves "active viewing". This sets the tone for your students to understand that watching a movie in class is more than just entertainment.
Provide a clear purpose for watching the movie. For example, you could say, "As you watch, pay attention to... [the character's motivations] and how they impact the plot." This gives students a specific focus and prevents them from passively watching. You could also preview the "While You Watch" section of a movie review handout to guide them on what to look for.
Additionally, you can enhance their viewing experience by providing complementary information. Offer brief lectures or readings that relate to the movie's themes or subject matter. This way, students can connect the movie to broader concepts and gain a deeper understanding of the topics explored.
Finally, previewing the movie allows you to plan for a more interactive and engaging lesson. Decide on moments where you will pause the movie to address questions, clarify information, or facilitate discussions. This ensures that students remain actively involved throughout the viewing process.
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Provide pre-viewing, during-viewing, and post-viewing activities
Watching movies in class can be a great way to help students practice their media literacy skills and active viewing skills. Active viewing is a skill that doesn't always come naturally, but it can be learned and practiced. Teachers can use pre-viewing, during-viewing, and post-viewing activities to help students develop these skills.
Pre-viewing activities
Before showing a movie in class, it is important to preview it yourself to ensure it is appropriate and a good fit for your students' learning. You can then prepare your students for the movie by giving them some context and explaining that they will be practicing their active viewing skills. You can ask them what they think "active viewing" means and review the elements that define it, such as watching with a purpose, paying attention, taking notes, and asking questions before, during, and after the movie. You can also give students a handout with questions to fill out related to the movie. These questions can be given before or after the movie, but giving them beforehand tells students what to look out for and take notes on during the film.
During-viewing activities
During the movie, students can work on their active viewing skills by watching and checking their predictions, or by responding to true or false statements about the movie. Students can also be encouraged to take notes on key moments in the film that they can refer back to later. It is important to remember that students will be both listening and watching, so any tasks should only require a minimal response, such as ticking a box.
Post-viewing activities
After the movie, students can discuss themes, plot, character motivations, and lessons learned. They can also practice their media literacy skills by analyzing how movies communicate messages and use music, images, and sound to tell stories or persuade. Students can also work on their writing skills by writing a movie review. This can be a fun way to reinforce the idea of active viewing, as students will need to pay attention and take notes during the movie to write a good review afterward.
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Encourage active viewing and note-taking
Active viewing and note-taking are essential to helping students engage with and understand a film. Here are some strategies to encourage active viewing and effective note-taking:
Before the Film
Provide students with guiding questions before the film starts so they know what to focus on. You can also give them a piece of blank paper with three columns labelled "Questions," "Comments," and "Vocabulary," to help them structure their notes. Alternatively, you might want to use a handout with questions to answer during and after the film.
During the Film
Pause the film at various points to allow students to record their answers to the guiding questions. This will help keep them engaged and ensure they are paying attention to the relevant details. You can also pause the film to discuss what is happening, which will help students understand the context and encourage them to participate.
After the Film
Give students time to process what they have seen before diving into discussions or reactions. They should review and edit their notes, consolidating them to include any additional thoughts or observations. Encourage students to reflect on the film's themes and motifs, camera angles, character development, and dialogue. They can then use their notes for deeper discussions or writing assignments.
Note-Taking Strategies
To balance active viewing with note-taking, students can develop a personal shorthand using symbols and abbreviations. This will allow them to take notes quickly and efficiently without writing lengthy sentences. They should also know when to pause and reflect during screenings to absorb the film's emotions, visuals, and overall mood, which will help them analyze the work more effectively.
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Discuss key scenes, historical accuracy, and different interpretations
Watching movies in class can be a great way to help students develop their active viewing skills and media literacy skills. Active viewing means watching with a purpose, paying attention, taking notes, and asking good questions about what is being seen. Teachers can preview the movie beforehand to find key scenes to discuss and distribute handouts to students to help them write a movie review.
When discussing key scenes, historical accuracy, and different interpretations, teachers can employ a variety of film analysis techniques. One approach is to focus on the mise-en-scène, which involves examining everything within the frame of the shot and how it contributes to the overall narrative and themes of the film. For example, the use of colour or symbolism can be analysed, such as the striking colour green in Vertigo, which could be interpreted as significant to the narrative or character development.
Another type of analysis is the formalist approach, which looks at the technical elements of the film, such as cinematography, editing, and sound, and how these create meaning. This can include analysing the plot structure and how it differs from the narrative, such as whether events are presented out of order and the effect this has on the viewer.
The ideological analysis focuses on how a film reflects or challenges social, political, or cultural ideas. For instance, students can discuss whether the film aligns with or challenges societal norms and expectations of the time period in which it was created.
Historical accuracy is an important aspect of film analysis, especially for history enthusiasts and professionals. Some viewers may appreciate imaginative interpretations of historical events, while others may be critical of deviations from factual information. For example, the film Mary Queen of Scots depicts a meeting between Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart, which has no record in history, and historians may dislike this departure from historical facts. On the other hand, some films, like Gladiator, are beloved despite their historical inaccuracies because they provide an immersive experience and an interesting story.
By encouraging students to engage in active viewing and applying different film analysis techniques, teachers can facilitate rich discussions about key scenes, historical accuracy, and different interpretations, fostering a deeper understanding of the movie and enhancing their critical thinking skills.
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Use movies as a reward for good behaviour
Watching movies in class is a highly preferred activity for students, and teachers can use this to their advantage by rewarding good behaviour with movie days. While some may view this as a teacher being lazy or uneducational, there are several important skills that can be taught and practised during a movie day.
Firstly, teachers can preview the movie and create a lesson plan and worksheet to help students practice their active viewing skills. Active viewing is a skill that doesn't always come naturally but can be learned and practised. It involves watching with a purpose, paying attention, taking notes, and asking good questions about what is being seen. Teachers can give students a copy of the “Write a Movie Review!” handout before watching the movie, so they know what to look out for and can take notes during the film. Students can then use their notes to write their own movie reviews, which they can share with classmates, families, or even online.
Another way to use movies as a reward for good behaviour is to allow students to choose the movie they want to watch. Students can vote on a movie they would like to see, and the one with the most votes gets played. This teaches students how to express their opinions, advocate for their preferences, and accept loss if their choice isn't picked.
Additionally, movie days can be used to teach students about media literacy and narrative structure. Students can learn to analyse how movies communicate messages and use music, images, and sound to tell stories or persuade. They can also understand the beginning, middle, and end of a story, as well as character development.
Movie days can also be used to teach students functional life skills. Before the movie, students can practice buying tickets, counting money, and budgeting. During the movie, they can learn appropriate group behaviour, such as being quiet and not disturbing others. After the movie, students can discuss themes, plot, character motivations, and lessons learned.
By incorporating these educational elements into movie days, teachers can effectively use movies as a reward for good behaviour while still providing valuable learning opportunities for students.
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Frequently asked questions
Watching movies in class is a great way to help students practice their media literacy skills and develop active viewing skills. Here are some ways to ensure students pay attention:
- Preview the movie beforehand to ensure it is appropriate and a good fit for your students' learning.
- Leave the lights on to signal that it is not shut-down time.
- Provide students with a handout of questions to answer during or after the movie.
- Use tools like Google Classroom, Padlet, and Edpuzzle to enable interactive, whole-class discussions.
- Encourage students to suggest and vote on movies to increase their engagement and investment in the activity.
Active viewing means watching with a purpose, paying attention, taking notes, and asking good questions about what you are seeing. It is a skill that can be practiced and learned.
Before starting the movie, ask students if they have ever read a movie review and where they saw it. Explain the concept of active viewing and provide them with a handout to help them practice this skill. During the movie, pause every 15-20 minutes to ask questions and encourage discussions.
Ask questions about the director's choices, such as "Why might a scene or a few lines of text have been edited out?" or "Did this character look or sound like you imagined?". You can also ask students to compare and contrast the movie with a book it may be based on, exploring narrative arc and duration.
While periodic interruptions can be useful for inviting discussion, some teachers prefer to let students watch the movie without disruptions. In this case, provide students with questions or a handout beforehand so they know what to look out for during the movie. Alternatively, assign each student a character to observe closely and take notes on their development. After the movie, you can discuss their observations as a class.
