Using Movies in the Classroom -Amy Martin

Using Movies in the Classroom

Some Dos and Don’ts for Teaching With Popular Films

Nov 13, 2009 Amy Martin

Using movies in the classroom can be an effective way for teachers to engage students in course material if teachers take some important precautions.

Students live in a visual culture, bombarded on a daily basis with web pages, video games, television, and film. Using popular movies in the high school or college classroom can engage students who might not otherwise read course material and/or help students to better understand course material by being able to relate that material to a medium with which they are more familiar.

However, teachers need to take some steps to ensure that they are using film in the classroom in a way that is appropriate, is legal, and will create a significant learning experience for their students. Following are some dos and don’ts teachers can use to guide them should they decide to use popular films in the classroom.

Dos for Using Movies in the Classroom:

Do check into school or department policies regarding the viewing of films in the classroom. Some schools and departments frown on showing full movies in class or over multiple classes as they assume (rightly or wrongly) that teachers are wasting valuable class time. On a related note:

Do be aware that some students (and/or their parents) may be uncomfortable if teachers plan to show films with graphic language, violence, or sexual situations, particularly if students who are under eighteen are enrolled in the class. Teachers should work with their schools or departments regarding policies, securing permissions, and designing optional assignments if some students are prohibited from watching the film.

Do discuss the movie with students before, during, and after airing. Teachers will want some pre-discussion in order to connect the movie explicitly to course content and to prepare students for certain themes or plot points. Discussing the film with students before they have completed viewing it allows them to voice any concerns about the film (See #2) or ask about anything they may have missed or didn’t understand. And, obviously, teachers will want to have some wrap-up discussion about the film.

Do provide students with a viewing guide and/or a series of questions to answer about the film. If students have a list of characters, a few main plot points, and some questions to address about the film, they will be less likely to drift off or let their attention wander while viewing.

Do design an assignment or project that explicitly connects the film to course content. For example, students could write a paper discussing a theory covered in class and explain how that theory was used (or could have been used) by a character in the movie.

Don’ts for Using Movies in the Classroom:

Don’t feel that showing the entire film during a class period or multiple class periods is necessary. If the school library owns the film, teachers may be able to put the movie on reserve for students to watch on their own time, freeing up class time to discuss assigned portions of the film or to do a class activity related to the film. Teachers can also show pertinent scenes during class time and require that students watch the entirety of the film on their own.

Don’t violate copyright. Even if a teacher owns a copy of a film, making a digital copy of that film, putting it on a school-owner computer server, and then linking to the film copy through a course-management system shell runs the risk of violating copyright. Teachers should make sure that they understand copyright laws regarding the use of film in the classroom in both the online and face-to-face formats.

Don’t view the film as a one-shot assignment in the course. As students may be impacted more by what they have viewed in the film than by anything else in the course, refer to instances from the movie (when relevant) periodically throughout the semester. Not only does referencing the film emphasize to students that the film was more than just a “fun” assignment, but it also reinforces the movie’s connection to course content. Teachers could also ask students if they see course concepts present in additional movies or other media after the film assignment.

Film can be an interesting way for teachers to connect sometimes theoretical or abstract course concepts to a world outside the classroom. However, teachers need to do some advance work and take into consideration some possible pitfalls in order to ensure that a film viewing is a productive learning experience for students.

Copyright Amy Martin. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.