Posts Tagged ‘Movies’

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Oscar Special: Teaching Film Literacy in the Classroom

February 25, 2013

oscar

 

I love film and take much pleasure in teaching my students a subject called Movie Comprehension.

Courtesy of edutopia.org, the following is a list of resources for teaching film literacy in the classroom:

 

  • Teaching for Visual Literacy: 50 Great Young Adult Films: Authors Alan B. Teasley and Ann Wilder share tips for using film as a classroom tool, and include an extensive list of films that are perfect for young adults, focusing on lesser-known flicks, classic films, and movies that students have not likely seen.

 

  • Oscar-Nominated Flicks for Families: Common Sense Media produced this list of reviews of 2013’s Oscar-nominated films for the whole family. Included are reviews for animated films, Brave and Frankenweenie, and films based on historial events, Lincoln and Argo.

 

 

  • 12 Basic Ways to Teach Media Literacy (PDF): This guide from Ithaca College is a great beginners resource for teaching media and film literacy. The tips included by authors Cyndy Scheibe and Faith Rogow are a great kickstarter for any media literacy unit, including suggestions for stimulating student interest in new topics and encouraging students to think about how media messages influence them.

 

 

And while we are on the Oscar theme, here is my all time favourite Oscar clip from my childhood. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_KpNWCjgCc

 

Click on the link to read Could This be the Most Violent High School Test Question Ever?

Click on the link to read Six Valuable Steps to Making Positive Changes in Your Teaching

Click on the link to read 10 Art Related Games for the Classroom

Click on the link to read 5 Rules for Rewarding Students

Click on the link to read Tips for Engaging the Struggling Learner

Click on the link to read the Phonics debate.

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Posted in Engaging Students | 1 Comment »

Need School Security? Call in Steven Seagal!

February 10, 2013

I wish I could say this is just an idea for a cheesy Hollywood comedy. Unfortunately, I can’t:

Action film star Steven Seagal, who racks up big body counts in his on-screen battles with bad guys, took on a new role on Saturday, training posse volunteers for controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio in how to use guns to protect schools in shooting incidents.

Arpaio, who styles himself as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” enlisted Seagal to train his Maricopa County posse members at a school in Fountain Hills, a suburb northeast of Phoenix, with children used as stand-ins for scared students.

Seagal, a burly martial arts expert turned actor, guided 48 volunteers through various aspects of responding to a shooting, including room-to-room searches, and critiqued their work.

“I am here to try to teach the posse firearms and martial arts to try to help them learn how to respond quicker and help protect our children,” Seagal said.

Arpaio, whose tough stances on crime and illegal immigration have made him a national figure, has dispatched the volunteer posse to patrol schools in response to the shooting rampage that killed 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut school in December.

Those killings touched off a renewed debate over gun violence in the United States. President Barack Obama proposed a sweeping package of gun-control measures, including a ban on assault weapons.

The National Rifle Association, which opposes the gun-control proposal, has advocated placing armed security guards in schools.

Arpaio’s volunteers, some trained and qualified to carry the same guns as deputies, can intervene if there is an imminent threat to life. To add realism to the training event, guns firing non-lethal rounds that leave a color mark were used.

“It’s important to help protect our children and our schools and we need to do that with whatever means we have,” said Rick Velotta, a posse member and retired General Electric manager who attended the training.

About a dozen people protested the event.

“No gun should ever be in a school,” said protester Cynthia Wharton, a Fountain Hills resident.

Arpaio’s 3,450-strong posse of unpaid men and women has for years helped the sheriff target drunken drivers and illegal immigrants, and chase down fathers who are behind on child support.

Last year, Arpaio sent posse members to Hawaii to investigate the authenticity of Obama’s birth certificate at the request of local Tea Party activists, a key Arpaio constituency.

A sometime resident of the Phoenix Valley and member of Arpaio’s posse, Seagal, 60, starred in big-budget films in the 1980s and early 1990s, earning a reputation as an action star in movies like “Above the Law” and “Under Siege.”

He more recently played a corrupt Mexican drug lord in the 2010 film “Machete.”

Seagal also has been sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy in a Texas county along the border with Mexico and appeared in a reality TV show detailing his work as a reserve deputy in New Orleans.

Instead of training school security posses, it would be nice to see a school trying to change its culture, become more inclusive and make its student population feel appreciated for who they are and what they have to offer.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio watches as actor Steven Seagal addresses the media about a simulated school shooting in Fountain Hills

Click on the link to read Do You Really Want to Arm Me?

Click on the link to read Living With Adam Lanza

Click on the link to read School Shooting Showcases the Heroic Nature of Brilliant Teachers

Click on the link to read Let’s Make Sure that this School Shooting is the Last

Click on the link to read Get Rid of Your Guns!

Click on the link to read Explaining the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting to Children

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Posted in Child Welfare | Leave a Comment »

Just Wait a Minute! This isn’t Madagascar!

October 24, 2012

What an unfortunate mistake! Not only was the wrong reel put in the projector, but the film which was supposed to be an animated family entertainment, instead became the scariest film of the year.

Parents have told how their children were left ‘scarred for life’ after cinema staff put on a horror film instead of a cartoon comedy.

There was panic in a Saturday-morning screening when 15-rated supernatural thriller Paranormal Activity 4 started playing instead of PG family movie Madagascar 3.

Youngsters reacted in horror as a ‘flashback’ scene from the original Paranormal Activity showed a bloodied corpse being hurled at the camera.

Around 25 families at the Cineworld cinema in Nottingham scrambled for the exits with their crying children – some as young as five – when the film started.Natasha Lewis, 32, had taken her eight-year-old son Dylan to see the film.The full-time mother, from Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, said: ‘Dylan wanted to see the new Madagascar film as he’s seen the others and they’re his favourite. He was really looking forward to it.

‘We sat down and it was meant to start at 10am, but it took until 10.30am for the lights to go down and for the trailers to start.

‘They started playing the movie and I thought – this doesn’t look right. And then I recognised the opening sequence as a flashback to the first movie, which I saw a couple of years ago.

‘It opens on the most terrifying scene in the first film – where a body shoots full pelt towards the camera.

‘It’s enough to make grown men jump, so you can imagine the terror in these young faces.

‘Everybody just scrambled for the exits, all you could hear were children crying and screaming. Everyone was very upset.

‘I’ve watched a few horror films in my time but the Paranormal Activity films are the scariest since the Exorcist.

‘It was only about two minutes worth of the film but it was enough to scar them for life.

‘There were parents and kids in there, including some children who were younger than Dylan.

‘The cinema needs to check the film before sending everyone in so they don’t make this mistake again.

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Posted in Child Welfare | Leave a Comment »

Why Don’t They Make Suitable Movies For Kids Anymore?

July 3, 2012

It’s school holidays and there isn’t one G rated (General Classification) movie at the cinemas. I would understand how that could happen during the school year – but during holidays?

Movies like The Brave and Ice Age 4 have violence and course language warnings and are intended for families rather than children. Unfortunately, some adults are so selfish that they would refuse to go to the movies with their children unless the film proved entertaining for them too. I am all for adult in-jokes and films that entertain both myself and my daughter, but not at the expense of a good, wholesome, non-violent movie experience. I would gladly suffer through a children’s film as long as it was appropriate for my daughter.

Yesterday my daughter and I watched Annie together. Annie, although still a hit stage musical, would never have gotten made today. Neither would have other child friendly films like Mary Poppins. These films don’t have enough crude toilet humour, adult themes and violence.

How sad is that?

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Posted in Parenting | 1 Comment »

New Sesame Street Movie Announced

June 21, 2012

From the people who taught us that reading and writing can be fun comes a new venture that should please young children worldwide:

Big Bird, Elmo and Oscar the Grouch could be returning to cinemas after studio 20th Century Fox bought the film rights to the show from production company Sesame Workshop.

A new film would be the third big-screen outing in the 43-year history of the iconic US TV series, whose previous guests have included Johnny Cash, David Beckham and Michelle Obama.

The announcement comes off the back of a successful film featuring Jim Henson’s other troupe of puppets, the Muppets, which took over £100 million at the box office earlier this year, and picked up an Academy Award for best song.

It is also reported that Fox have secured Sesame Street writer Joey Mazzarino to pen the script, as well as Shawn Levy, director of Night at the Museum and Reel Steel, to produce.

The movie will be the first from Sesame Street, which was originally launched as an educative tool by the US government, since the 1999 film The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. That came 14 years after 1985’s Follow That Bird, starring Chevy Chase.

As of 2008, the show, which is shown in some form across 140 countries, was estimated to have been watched by over 77 million children during its run of 4,300 episodes. The Cookie Monster and friends can boast a collective 8 Grammies, and 118 Emmys between them.

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Posted in Education Matters | Leave a Comment »

The Classroom isn’t the Best Place to Rectreate Famous Movie Moments

June 2, 2012


Finding a humourous way to let an unruly student know that they have overstepped the mark can be quite effective. It lets them know that you are disappointed in them without a loss of anger or creating a big scene.

However, when attempting to use humour in this way, please follow the following rules:

1. Never humiliate the student;

2. Never humiliate the student; and

3. Never, ever, humiliate the student!

Public humiliation is a huge demotivator, and it really hurts the same child you are supposed to be nurturing.

When a teacher decided to communicate displeasure in a student by reprising a scene from the hit movie Bridesmaids, the teacher didn’t just manage to break all three rules, but also managed to add violence into the mix:

THE family of a California high school student has failed to see the funny side of a teacher imitating a scene from the hit comedy “Bridesmaids” and allegedly trying to slap some sense into the girl.

Dionne Evans, a ninth grade student at Malibu High School, alleges that when she forgot to bring her homework to class on May 22 she was called to the front of the room and the unnamed teacher asked, “Did you see Bridesmaids?”

The teacher then allegedly slapped the girl’s face up to six times, TMZ reported.

It is believed the teacher was referring to a scene in the 2011 movie where one woman literally tries to slap some sense into another.

Evans’ family have filed a complaint with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s Special Victims Unit confirmed to the Santa Monica Daily Press that they are investigating the incident.

The teacher has since written an apology to Evans but her family have hired an attorney and are reportedly considering a civil lawsuit against the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

“My client has not been back to the class, she’s been doing her school work in the library,” attorney Donald Karpel told the Daily Press.

“She has been humiliated and devastated. She will be seeking counseling. It has been horrible.”

Bridesmaids, starring Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, centered on a series of misfortunes suffered by Wiig’s character after she is asked to serve as maid of honor for her best friend.

Some suggestions for other movies best left out of the classroom:

1. Fight Club

2. Bad Teacher

3. Kill Bill

 

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Posted in Professional Conduct | Leave a Comment »

Eight Tips for Teaching Shy Children

January 11, 2012

I once taught a child that refused to talk. He was already in fourth grade by the time I had him and some of his previous teachers had told me that they hardly recall a time when they heard the sound of his voice. No matter what I tried, nothing was working. By the end of Term 1 I was beginning to doubt I could do anything for him.

Then it hit me. It was a long shot, but I couldn’t think of anything else so it was worth a try. The boy reminded me of Harpo from the Marx Brothers. Not only didn’t he talk, but he had the same facial features and a similar haircut. I decided to show the class my favourite Marx Brothers movie, Duck Soup, and dedicate the screening to this student that refused to talk. I mentioned how Harpo Marx is cool and so is this student who happens to share a resemblance.

I figured that instead of trying to get him to talk and making his silence a negative, I would celebrate it and cannonise it. The class loved the Marx Brothers and particularly enjoyed Harpo Marx. In fact, no one loved it more than this particular child, who would mimic Harpo, get his parents to order the Marx Brother’s DVD’s and yes, the positive attention from peers in particular made him start to talk!

I recently stumbled on a valuable website that deals with helping parents and educators deal with shy children. The website is called shakeyourshyness.com and it features some useful tips. By following the link provided, the tips below are explained in more detail.

  1. Normalize shyness and depict it in a positive light.
  2. Make regular contact.
  3. Give shy children a job to do.
  4. Comment on their successes and post their work.
  5. Help Children Learn To Initiate Contact With Others.
  6. Educate Parents.
  7. Reward Small Improvements
  8. Keep an eye out for teasing

It turns out that he was just waiting for somebody to at least attempt to understand him. He didn’t want people to try to change him, he wanted people to appreciate him for who he was.

Later that year, this very child performed in the school concert. Thank you Harpo!

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Posted in Child Development | Leave a Comment »

The Education Version of “Moneyball”

December 23, 2011

The continued debate between private and public school funding tires me out. I am a big believer of a well-funded (i.e. wisely funded) public school sector as well as a thriving private school sector. There is no reason why parents can’t be given choice and why supporting private schools must come at the expense of quality public education.

This is where the “Moneyball” analogy fits in.

Moneyball is the true story of Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane. Oakland is severly restricted due to the lowest salary constraints in baseball. Winning means beating teams with much better infrastructure and player payment capacities. Billy is presented with the unenviable task of finding a winning team with the miniscule budget offered. Together with a Harvard economics major, a system is devised that uses statistical data to analyse and value players they pick for the team.

Public schools need to take the same approach. Just like the big baseball teams of the time, plenty of money is spent on public schools, but much of it is wasted money. I look at education in a very traditional way. Whilst it is ideal to have the best sporting fields, technologies and building designs, none of these ingredients has been proven to be essential for teaching and learning the curriculum. The school across the road may be able to give each child their own i-Pad, but that shouldn’t explain a marked difference in maths, science or english results. A teacher should be able to deliver on the curriculum with or without such devices.

Whilst many get worked up when Governments subsidise private schools, there is a good reason why they do it.

1. It takes billions off the budget bottom line. This saves Governments money, resulting in reduced taxes and smaller class sizes in public schools.

2. It allows private schools to lower their fees. This is crucial for parents who are by no means wealthy, but are prepared to scrimp and save (and sometimes take on multiple jobs and a second mortgage) to get their children into private schools. These people should be commended. They work long hours, weekends, give up overseas travel and big screen TV’s, just to give their kids the best education possible. Government subsidies allow that to happen.

In Australia, the Government gives $13,000 to every public school per student. Private schools get $5,000. Factor in to the equation that many private schools are not elite schools with truck loads of money and resources (I work in such a private school, where I earn considerably less than a public school teacher), and you realise that the subsidy shouldn’t detract from a thriving public education system.

By constantly drawing attention to private schools, we risk bringing the private school system down to the public level. What we should be doing instead is trying to get the public school system improved to the level where it gives its private school equivalent a run for its money. That way, you have a private school that sets the bar for top quality education and a public school system that is structured to be able to go toe-to-toe with them based on prudent spending, good decision-making and a workforce of supported and fairly paid teachers.

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Posted in Government Funding | 1 Comment »

One-in-Five High School Students ‘Learn Nothing’

September 20, 2011

There is a 1983 film entitled Teachers, which while universally panned by critics and eventually bombed at the box office, stands as one of the most accurate portrayals of schools caught on celluloid.  Starring Nick Nolte, the film is a satire of American Government High Schools.  Those not familiar with the way a school runs found it over-the-top, unfunny and irritating.  Whilst the film is badly made, it contains some insights and observations that are perceptive, extremely funny and just as relevant today.

There is no better example of this than the fact that the school in the film is being sued by a former student that was allowed to graduate without being able to read or write.


Now contrast that scene with these findings:

The UK is falling behind international rivals because one-in-five children “learn nothing” throughout their secondary education, according to the head of Britain’s top private schools’ group.

Figures show that almost one-in-five pupils left primary school this summer without reaching the standard expected of the average 11-year-old in reading. Some one-in-10 boys had the reading skills of a seven-year-old or worse.

Perhaps what worked most against the success of the movie Teachers was that it was too clever and too accurate for its own good.

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Posted in Education Matters | Leave a Comment »

Kids Fight Back Against Bullying

September 10, 2011

I just watched an absolutely incredible movie featuring 4th and 5th Grade students about dealing with bullies and bullying.  As the intro to the movie explains:

The following movie was developed with a cast and crew of only 4th and 5th Graders (and one 1st Grader) from Glendaal Elementery School.  They worked during recess, lunch, before and after school for 3 months.  They hope it helps shed some light on the issues of bullying, and helps anyone who might be experiencing the effects of bullying.

As someone who is currently preparing to make a movie with my Grade 5’s, I was blown away by this technical and artistic achievement.  The kids act beautifully, the direction is solid and the script is very effective.  I hope this garners worldwide attention and gets used in classrooms all around the world.  These kids have done more for bullying awareness than any anti-bullying program I know of.

Please show this video to your kids/class and let them enjoy the message.  You may want to use it to inspire your class to make a powerful film of their own.

Enjoy!

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Posted in Bullying | 7 Comments »

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