The anti-bullying maestro does it again!
Mike Feuerstein, the award-winning filmmaker who travels from school to school armed with his extensive knowledge about empowering children and using the craft of film for the greater good, has struck gold again.
Mike works with classes of non-professional Primary school-aged actors on film scripts that he bases loosely on the real-life experiences of the very children he works with. This makes the final product not only thoroughly entertaining but insightful, relevant and a real game-changer in getting children to reflect on poor habits and the likely consequences of their actions.
In his latest trilogy, Mediasphere, Feuerstein’s focus is social media addiction and the tendency for the fake world of likes and influencer rankings to take over. In the first instalment, cleverly titled Pop Polarity (the other two segments will be reviewed over the next few weeks), a new girl in a school that values social media presence over the real person and the qualities that make them unique is made to decide whether she wants to play by the rules or maintain her sense of self and dignity. This oddball school, where even the Principal is far less interested in academic progress than Twitter followers, cleverly plays on society’s false priorities and allows children to observe how absurd online behaviour can be.
I have had the good fortune to collaborate with and befriend Mike over the last decade and remain a huge admirer of his work. Over the course of my career, I have encountered my fair share of anti-bullying and cyber safety programs. None has come close to Mike’s How to UnMake a Bully series for effectiveness, artistry and student engagement.
Below is the movie. I urge you to show this and all his other movies to your class.
Special Announcement:
I am donating 100% of the royalties of my hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian, during the month of January to those affected by the devastating bushfires in my country, Australia. This book is perfect for children aged 9 to 14 and the ideal class novel for Upper Primary students. Please leave a comment to indicate your purchase. You can buy a copy by clicking on this link.
Tags: Anti-bullying movies, Anti-bullying programs, Bullying, Cyber Bullying, Cyber Safety, Cyber safety movies, Cyber safety programs, Mike Feuerstein, Pop Polarity
Topical Teaching 
January 13, 2020 at 1:06 am |
A very meaningful service and topic. By the way have you ever considered putting a “recent posts” notice and an archives in your widgets column. I know I would care to scan past posts that are of interest and would be helpful to followers.
January 13, 2020 at 10:26 am |
Thanks Carl. I took your advice. Always appreciate your feedback.
January 14, 2020 at 12:26 am |
Nice!!! 🙂
On Sun, Jan 12, 2020 at 7:13 AM Topical Teaching wrote:
> Michael G. posted: ” The anti-bullying maestro does it again! Mike > Feuerstein, the award-winning filmmaker who travels from school to school > armed with his extensive knowledge about empowering children and using the > craft of film for the greater good, has str” >