Using Film Purposefully and Powerfully in the Classroom Presented by Mandy Latz Ivy Tech Community College Adjunct Faculty Conference 4 April 2009

Presentation Agenda Overview of film use inside classrooms Key items to consider Examples in a variety of disciplines Think-Pair-Share Activity

Why this topic? My own in-class film use – Vis-à-vis Blackboard as well Need to articulate rationale Student feedback Better than me Advocacy

Advocacy for Film Use Meets students “where they are” – Is Google Making Us Stupid? by Nicholas Carr, Brings course concepts to life Variation of messenger versus constant “sage on the stage” Provides a common experience to draw from Leads well into sundry activities, assignments, and discussions

Quotation “…instructors must learn, and in turn teach their students, how to make movie viewing a meaningful and active educational experience” (Sprau, 2001, para. 10).

Participating versus Spectating From passive to active viewing Cannot have a “Blockbuster” mentality Encouragement of multi-tasking Films cannot be “dropped” in

Purposeful Use Why are you showing the film? What is the purpose? How does the film integrate with course concepts? What learning outcomes are associated with the film? How will you measure the intended outcomes? – Link film use with activity, assignment, discussion, etc.

Quotation “…film in educational settings is often relegated to filler material for overworked, underprepared, or absent instructors” (Sprau, 2001, para. 10).

Considerations in Selection Documentary versus fiction Full length or clips – Length of class – Length of film – Method of presentation

Documentary versus Fiction Hollywood movies – Novel and appealing to students – Easy to find – Students may perceive fiction as reality Documentaries – May be hard to find – Closer to reality but may be historically or politically bias – Should be viewed critically

Quotation “One of the dangers of using a feature film is that students often confuse what they see in it with the truth or attribute to a film the factual characteristics of a documentary. Although most films are not documentaries, they can carry great emotional power while delivering truths that [obscure reality] as has been said about fiction. This emotional power can be a catalyst for thinking and learning. It is important to remember, however, that films are a starting point, not an end in themselves” (Harper & Rogers, 1999, para. 5).

Examples of Learning Activities Historical fiction – Popular – Is it accurate? Feature films in the psychology classroom – Diagnosis, identification, stereotypes Rewriting the documentary from a different perspective

Specific Examples of Films

Full Length versus Clips Consider the class time you have Consider the actual full length of the film Watching the whole film may be boring Clips can overcome lack of class time to show entire film Clips can be extracted to display particular character, scene, or concept Clips can be difficult to manage Go back to the overarching purpose of showing the piece YouTube, Google Video, other websites (PBS)

Crafting Learning Activities Some questions to consider… – What are you trying to achieve (in terms of student learning) by showing the film? – How can you “stretch” your students? – How can you help them to think critically? – How can you enable them to use a variety of skills (writing, speaking, building)? – How can you help students enjoy the process?

Quotation “The richness of their papers proved to me that the films and videos had engaged all of the students, regardless of their learning preferences, and pushed them to use and develop their analytic skills” (Tobolowsky, 2007, p. 24).

Using the New Bloom’s Building upon remembering and understanding Moving toward creating new knowledge

Using Kolb’s Cycle Moving from concrete experience (watching a film) to active experimentation (creating a new film)

Quotation “…an instructor, in selecting learning activities to correspond with each of the four poles of the experiential learning model, must give greater consideration to the functional use of the activity than to the activity itself” (Svinicki & Dixon, 1987, p. 144).

Personal Example from ANTH 154 The Observation Exercise

Think-Pair-Share How have you used films in your classrooms in the past? What types of learning activities have you linked with film viewing in the past? Brainstorm a new use of film within a class you are currently teaching – Create a short list of films to use – Create a learning activity for students that blends the film and your course content – Can you describe your activity in terms of the New Bloom’s or Kolb’s Cycle?

References Harper, R. E., & Rogers, L. E. (1999). Using feature films to teach human development concepts [Electronic version]. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development, 38(2). Sprau, R. (2001). I saw it in the movies: Suggestions for incorporating film and experiential learning in the college history survey course [Electronic version]. College Student Journal, 35(1). Svinicki, M. D., & Dixon, N. M. (1987). The Kolb model modified for classroom activities. College Teaching, 35(4), Tobolowsky, B. F. (2007). Thinking visually: Using visual media in the college classroom. About Campus, 12(1),

I appreciate your attendance! Mandy Latz, Adjunct Faculty, Muncie Campus (ANTH 154, IVYT101) Contact me at