A Study on Role of Films in English Teaching and Learning Process in ICT Era

Manjappara Educational & Charitable TrustB.Ed College

Manhappara, Ayur, Kollam1

Sl.No. Content Pg.No1 Title 12 Content 23 Introduction 34 Supportive factors of films 45 Film Selection 56 How to utilize 57 Activities to ensure maximum

comprehension of the films6

8 Conclusion 89 Reference 9

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Submitted to:Mrs. Anziya Thasnim

Lecturer of EnglishMEACT B.Ed College

Manhappara, Ayur

Submitted by:Mohammed Salim VDepartment of EnglishExam Code:Candidate Code: 16515372004

IntroductionIn learning and teaching a language, the resources and

methods play a crucial role in getting the final result. This might be the reason our two year B.Ed syllabus has made “Films in Education” a considerable part of it and incorporated different resources of teaching into the paper “TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION IN EDUCATION” (Edu:03) under the unit-1 (Introduction to Educational Technology).

Thanks to modern globalized and ICT world, many new resources have come up in teaching and learning languages. Films can be considered one of the most effective tools among them as films and TV shows are an integral part of students’ lives.

Watching movies and films can contribute to the learning of language in many respects. They help solve many problems like poor comprehension, limited vocabulary, slow reading, bad grammar, nonexistent conversational skills, to name the most obvious. This is due in part to the fact films are not usually created for English language learners – they are made for native English speakers. Therefore, the language is exactly how one hears it in real life – it is spoken quickly, with native accents and pronunciation and using many idioms and colloquial expressions.

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Supportive factors of films There are a number of reasons why film is an excellent teaching and learning tool. The most important reasons are given below.Films is motivating and enjoyableMotivation is one of the most important factors in determining successful second-language acquisition. Films and TV shows are an integral part of students’ lives so it makes perfect sense to bring them into the language classroom. Film, as a motivator, also makes the language learning process more entertaining and enjoyable.Film provides authentic and varied languageAnother benefit of using film is that it provides a source of authentic and varied language. Film provides students with examples of English used in ‘real’ situations outside the classroom, particularly interactive language – the language of real-life conversation. Film exposes students to natural expressions and the natural flow of speech.Film gives a visual contextThe ‘visuality’ of film makes it an invaluable language teaching tool, enabling learners to understand more by interpreting the language in a full visual context. Film assists the learners’ comprehension by enabling them to listen to language exchanges and see such visual supports as facial expressions and gestures simultaneously.

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Variety and flexibilityFilm can bring variety and flexibility to the language

classroom by extending the range of teaching techniques and resources, helping students to develop all four communicative skills.

Film SelectionNot just any film will serve the purpose of helping in learning

the language. Many Hollywood films that appear every year designed to attract large numbers of young people with varying combinations of sex, violence, and gross humour are mostly ineffective in this respect. For this purpose, we can mainly use two categories films. 1. Light films

This category of films is mainly characterized by light conversations and social themes like family relationships and friendships. It is free from extra sound effects and unbelievable animations. 2. Films on literatures

This kind of films are produced based on the wolrd famous classical works like Shakespeare’s dramas like Macbeth or Othello or Charles Dickens’ novels etc..

How to utilize For maximum benefits from watching a film, teacher can

show any selected movie in a smart class rooms and immediately 5

after the class a discussion shall be conducted. Class format will change according to the usual variables: number of students, their relative skill and maturity, class duration, availability of screening facilities, etc. Ideally, small groups are best (6-8 students). As most classes are large and facilities limited, some form of compromises may be necessary.

The membership of different groups should remain static, also to encourage intimacy and trust, thereby lessening the embarrassment of students who are shy about speaking in front of others. The watched movies can be used as basis for class activities for the next three to four weeks. This usually involves a combination of assignments including readings, compositions, Internet research, and group debates.

Activities to ensure maximum comprehension of the filmsMovies can be implemented into any lesson, with the

purpose of getting students to comprehend and gain meaning from free-flowing speech. Here are five great activities to check comprehension.

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1. How Observant is the student?

This activity is good for getting students to talk in the past tense about observation-based facts. Before the movie clip, don’t tell the students what they are looking for, but tell them to watch with a keen detective’s eye. Afterwards ask them a question about a specific item in a room, or a character’s words or actions. You can make this a group exercise, getting teams to write their answers together. Repeat as many times as you want!

2. Vocabulary Meaning Match

Use a movie to reinforce or teach vocabulary with this simple activity. Give students a worksheet with a list of vocabulary words in one column, and scrambled definitions in the other. As students watch the movie clip, they have to match the vocabulary to the adjacent list of meanings.

3. Order the EventsThis is a reading-based activity, good for building up

students’ recall power. After watching the clip, give students a set 7

of event cards (no more than ten), in pairs or individually. Each card should contain one or two sentences of events from the movie clip. These can be as significant or insignificant as you want, depending on the length of the clip and what the focus of the lesson is. Students have to rearrange the events into the correct order.

4. Buzz Game

Here is another activity to test students’ powers of observation. Put the students into teams. Ask a question such as, “What color is sweater?,” and then start the clip. When a student sees the answer, they “buzz” by making a pre-decided comical noise, or by standing up. If the student is correct, move onto the next question and the next section of the movie clip.

5. Choose a Word

A simple and lively activity for practicing listening skills, this one works better the more repetition of words there is within the movie clip. Give each student a word that will appear at least once in the movie clip. While watching, when any student hears their word, they stand up. Sit back and watch the students bob up and down!

Conclusion

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Given the benefits of using film in the language learning classroom, it is not surprising that many teachers are keen to use film with their students, and an increasing number of them are successfully integrating film into the language-learning syllabus. Until quite recently it was difficult to find pedagogically sound film material to help students improve their language through watching film, and teachers had to spend many hours creating their own materials. However, with the advent of the internet there is now a wealth of online resources for both language teachers and their students. With so many resources, it’s sometimes difficult for teachers to see the wood for the trees.

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Reference 1. Sherman, J. (2003) Using Authentic Video in the Language

Classroom. Cambridge University Press

2. New Media Literacies http://newmedialiteracies.org/

3. FILTA (Film in Language Teaching Association)

www.filta.org.uk

4. Altman, R. (1989) The Video Connection: Integrating Video

into Language Teaching. Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin

Company

5. Champoux, Joseph E. (1999) Film as a Teaching Resource.

Journal of Management Inquiry. Volume 8, Issue 2, Pages

240-251.

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