Education is moving beyond the use of traditional teaching methods. Using technology is now a common way to impart knowledge in the classroom. Using movies to teach combines learning with a source of entertainment. It can be most engaging for students to learn in this way. One challenge is that many parents still have the perception that screening movies is not teaching. Teachers must be careful about their choice of movies and incorporate the right movie at the right time if they want them to serve as an educational tool.
Teaching through movies
Movies teach in a visual, engaging way. Students who learn visually will learn more from a movie than from a textbook. A movie can keep them engaged and prevent them from being distracted. It can create an emotional connection to the subject matter. The audio and visual elements can help students to retain the information.
Movies can provide more understanding about the lives of different characters students have to learn about in subjects like history. Movies about historical figures help them to place the person within a time and place in history. They can see what life was like in a particular era, the issues they had to face at the time and why people acted in a certain way.
Documentaries can bring the world to students in very vivid ways. They can take them beyond their own daily life and introduce them to new experiences, places, people, innovations etc. Showing films based on novels can stimulate debates in literature classes about which medium students liked best and why.
Teaching with a movie – Freedom Writers
In the movie Freedom Writers, dedicated teacher Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) has to teach at-risk teenagers in a racially divided Los Angeles school. She does not give up on them even though previous teachers found it impossible to teach them. The students begin to take an interest in education as she gives them reading material that relates to their lives. She inspires them to start writing in journals.
Essays about movies
Students at college or university can relate to movies and learn from them. In many cases, learning is hard for them when getting an education. They are exposed to so many written texts. Campus activities, classes, writing essays etc., can be challenging time-wise. For free writing help, they can find various essay topics on “Freedom writers” on EduZaurus. They can also find essays about a book for a certain course. Writers are available to write an essay for them and also any other academic paper that they need.
Best educational movies
Good Will Hunting is a movie that may just inspire students to discover their hidden talents. Matt Damon has a genius IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. His talent at solving complex math problems was discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau. The professor soon realizes that he may be brilliant, but he has problems in life. A psychologist, Sean Maguire, helps him to understand what life is really about.
Dead Poet’s Society is a classic movie all students should watch. Students at a traditional boy’s prep school are taught in a rigidly organized way. A new teacher with a love of teaching arrives at the school and starts threatening the status quo. He opens up a new world to his students that makes them take risks and find their own voices.
Educational movies for students with learning difficulties
Students with learning difficulties often have problems with written texts. However, they will often willingly talk about movies they can relate to. Educational movies can reach students who teachers find difficult to reach in any other way. Subtitled movies can even help them to improve their reading and literacy skills.
Intelligent Lives is a documentary by award-winning filmmaker Dan Habib. It follows the lives of three adults with intellectual disabilities. Naomie, Micah, and Naieer challenge our assumptions of what it means to be intelligent. The documentary follows them as they navigate high school, college, and employment. Naomie is a vibrant girl who loves to sing. Micah is a national speaker who fights for students with disabilities and promotes inclusion. Naieer is a great artist, and his work is shown throughout the documentary.
Conclusion
Movies can act as an effective technological tool in education. They can inspire, inform, educate, help to give context and much more. Many students find visual learning easier than learning from a textbook. Teachers do need to choose movies carefully if they want to use them as educational tools. Many movies offer inspiring and positive messages that can motivate students to want to learn.
