5. Practical Example of a Lesson Based on Film-viewing
5.2. Analysis of the Lesson
I executed a practical example of the lesson at Gimnazija Bežigrad High School Ljubljana, in year three. The lesson was executed as expected, however, there was definitely some room for improvement, as well as some positive points that confirm previous claims on why the usage of films is beneficial to teach in schools.
First of all, I have to mention that the lesson was delivered at the end of the school year when most students slowly stop paying attention to school material, and there was also an issue of myself being an outside teacher they had never seen before. With a difficult topic such as racism, political revolution, and Civil Rights Movement, students were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of difficult information I provided during a single lesson; therefore, they were not participating as much as I had hoped. I, however, anticipated this and planned extra discussion questions to try to entice students to participate. Shy at first, most students were reluctant to answer my questions, partially due to them not wanting to participate, and partially due to my high expectations for them to know more about American history in Civil Rights than they did. I expected them to know about the 1960s’ civil rights movement and most known people – Dr Martin Luther King, for example – however, they did not seem to recall this information by themselves.
This could easily be rectified if this lesson were taught by their own teacher, whom they have known from the beginning of the school year, as I was not aware of their level of knowledge. Also, a single lesson is absolutely not enough to teach about such a difficult topic. For future reference, I would highly recommend that this topic is split into two or three lessons – one focusing on the background information of Black civil rights movements and important people, the second one spent watching the film and then discussing the themes of the film and history. Difficult subjects should not be rushed through since students do not retain the information by hastily glancing over it.
Regarding my choice of film which I decided to show and teach – Judas and the Black Messiah (King, 2021) – some students knew of the film, but had not watched it yet, so I had a clean slate to work with. I showed three separate clips, each portraying a
51 significant event that happened both in the film and in real life. The selection of the clips was appropriate, because they showed the most important scenes of the film without spoiling the plot for those wanting to watch it by themselves.
One thing to keep in mind for future film viewing in class is to add subtitles. I was not able to add subtitles to clips due to their format, but they were needed as students barely understood what the characters were saying, hindering the comprehension of the clips, which then defeats the purpose of showing them. Had the subtitles been provided, I believe that the students would have understood more and therefore participated in the discussion more.
Handouts with additional information about the film, the characters, and the plot were provided, which was necessary since there was no option to show the film in its entirety. I provided a warning of profanity and racist language throughout the clips, but because most students were around 17 years old and had already encountered bad language, I did not worry about censoring it.
While the lesson was a success, there is some room for improvement, however, most of the improvements can be achieved by simply teaching your own class and knowing the students beforehand. I do think that the students gained something from the lesson, which is not only a better understanding of the requests and demands Black people had and still have today, and how that influences their lives; but also a bit of American history when it comes to Civil Rights, the culture, and society of the 1960s. The film clips bring a good insight into that era, both when it comes to language, behavior, and the issues minorities had (and still have) to deal with. Without the usage of films or other similar videos, this topic would be immensely more difficult to teach, because it is already challenging as it is, and because students have difficulties visualizing issues of both the past and of different races. Therefore, the usage of films presents a unique opportunity to teach about difficult subjects, especially in regards to different races and cultures not close to the students.
52
Conclusion
When it comes to education about British, American, Canadian and Australian cultures, the topics of racial injustice and discrimination are often overlooked. The aim of this thesis was to find out if and why the usage of films is a beneficial teaching tool to raise racial awareness, find the advantages and disadvantages of watching films in an EFL classroom, as well as ways to incorporate films and activities about racial issues in the EFL lessons.
The usage of films as a teaching tool to educate about sensitive topics has many advantages and it may bring a new level of education to regular EFL lessons. Films engage multiple senses which encourage motivation and learning through emotional reactions, they appeal more to the eye and ear, which stimulate the senses, engage emotions, familiarize difficult topics, contextualize historical events, and promote active learning. They connect challenging topics to real people and events, which students can in turn identify with. While there are some disadvantages, such as taking the precious lesson time to watch the film in its entirety, obtaining the film, as well as filtering through films and clips that may be too triggering or traumatic for some students, the positive aspects outweigh the negatives.
A film is a great tool to bring the topic closer to students through an enjoyable and captivating medium, which students enjoy watching in their free time as well. Films dealing with racial topics illustrate and exemplify social issues of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other parts of the world throughout history as well as the present, as racial injustice is still a big part of their cultures. They present racial issues in an engaging way, which then leads to discussions about messages, events and characters and with that, raising racial awareness in students. That way, students develop critical thinking, connect their experiences to the experiences of others, as well as share their views of the world and said issues with the rest of the class.
The final part of this thesis offers a practical example of a film being used in a physical classroom, which tests and supports the claims of the advantages of using films to
53 teach about racial topics. With this lesson, there were some unexpected disadvantages, however, most of them were the result of unfamiliarity with the students and their prior knowledge.
As to why the usage of films is a useful tool to teach about racism in EFL classrooms, we have to be aware that film is not the only option to teach about racial injustice, however, it is a learning material that interests students more than typical lockstep lectures. Racial injustice education is a difficult topic to teach in itself, so by increasing interest we increase active learning, memory retention and further passion for the topic.
With the wide arrangement of films about racism and discrimination, teachers can help their students to better understand the topic and the history behind racial discrimination, raise their awareness and make them more active in trying to engage in activities directed against the issue, and be willing to step up to racist behavior, changing the world and making it better for future generations.
54
Bibliography
Au, W. (2021). ‘What We Want, What We Believe’: Teaching with the Black Panthers’
Ten Point Program. Zinn Education Project.
https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/black-panthers-ten-point-program/.
Accessed on 23 June 2021.
BBFC (n.d.). How Films and TV Shows get Age Ratings. British Board of Film Classification. https://www.bbfc.co.uk/about-classification/classification-guidelines Accessed on 20 May 2021.
Bosnič, T. (2006). Film kot Izhodišče Pouka Tujega Jezika in Medpredmentnega Povezovanja. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana.
Boyer, M. A., Pollard, V. K., Kuzma, L. M., & Haney, P. J. (2002). At the Movies: A Continuing Dialogue on the Challenges of Teaching with Film. International Studies Perspectives, 3(1), 89–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/1528-3577.00081.
Accessed on 17 March 2021.
Brookfield, S. D. (2018). Teaching Race: How to Help Students Unmask and Challenge Racism (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.
Buckland, W. (2015). Film Studies: An Introduction (Teach Yourself) (1st ed.). Great Britain. John Murray Learning.
Center for Media Literacy. (2008). Literacy for the 21st Century: An Overview &
Orientation Guide To Media Literacy Education.
https://www.medialit.org/sites/default/files/01a_mlkorientation_rev2_0.pdf Accessed on 26 March 2021.
Costanzo, W. (1992). Reading the Movies: Twelve Great Films on Video and How to Teach Them. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, Westchester Community College.
55 Dirks, T. (n.d.). Main Film Genres. Filmsite. https://www.filmsite.org/genres.html.
Accessed on 30 March 2021.
Duncan, G. A. (2014). Black Panther Party | History, Ideology, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Panther-Party. Accessed on 25 May 2021.
Fischer, L., & Petro, P. (Eds.). (2012). Teaching Film (Options for Teaching). New York: The Modern Language Association of America, an imprint of Modern Language Association of America.
Hanson, A. A. (2014). 7-Step “Freytag’s Pyramid.” The Writing Itch.
https://writingitch.com/2014/08/21/7-step-freytags-pyramid/. Accessed on 30 March 2021.
Harbin, M. et al. (2019) Teaching Race, Racism, and Racial Justice: Pedagogical Principles and Classroom Strategies for Course Instructors. Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice: 4(1) https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/rpj/vol4/iss1/1 Accessed on 20 April 2021.
Homeschool Super Freak. (2021, March 17). 19 Harriet Tubman Lessons, Activities and Projects for Kids. https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/harriet-tubman-movie/.
Accessed on 29 June 2021.
Hornshaw, P., & Lincoln, R. A. (2018). No, ‘Black Panther’ Was Not Named After the Black Panther Party. TheWrap. https://www.thewrap.com/black-panther-name-black-panther-party/. Accessed on 1 June 2021.
IMDb (n.d.). Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keywords “race-relations”, “racism”, “African-American.”.
https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=race-
relations%2Cracism%2Cafrican-american&sort=moviemeter,asc&mode=detail&page=1&ref_=kw_nxt Accessed on 18 July 2021.
56 Kuzma, L. M., & Haney, P. J. (2001). And . . . Action! Using Film to Learn about Foreign Policy. International Studies Perspectives, 2(1), 33–50.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1528-3577.00036. Accessed on 17 March 2021.
Masterman, L. (1985). Teaching the Media (Comedia) (Reprint ed.) [E-book].
Routledge. http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/58699/1/16pdf.pdf.
Accessed on 31 March 2021.
Miyamoto, K. (2021). Is Your Script “Based On” or “Inspired By” a True Story? What’s the Difference? ScreenCraft. https://screencraft.org/2021/01/26/is-your-script-based-on-or-inspired-by-a-true-story-whats-the-difference/. Accessed on 24 May 2021.
Newton, H. (1966). Ten-Point Program. The Black Panther Party.
Purkat, N. (Ed.). (2008). UČNI NAČRT ANGLEŠČINA - Gimnazija [The Curriculum for English as a Foreign Language]. Strokovni svet RS za splošno izobraževanje.
http://portal.mss.edus.si/msswww/programi2010/programi/media/pdf/ucni_nacrti /UN_ANGLESCINA_gimn.pdf Accessed on 17 April 2021.
Russell, W. B. (2009). Teaching Social Issues with Film. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Tognozzi, E. (2010). Teaching and Evaluating Language and Culture Through Film.
Italica, 87(1), 69-91. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20750678 . Accessed on 20 April 2021.
UC Press. (2021). The Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program. UC Press Blog.
https://www.ucpress.edu/blog/25139/the-black-panther-partys-ten-point-program/. Accessed on 25 May 2021.
Vanderplank, R. (1988). The value of teletext sub-titles in language learning. ELT Journal, 42(4), 272–281. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/42.4.272 Accessed on 24 June 2021.
57 Woelders, A. (2007). It Makes You Think More When You Watch Things: Scaffolding for Historical Inquiry Using Film in the Middle School Classroom. The Social Studies, 98(4), 145–152. VBC, Canada. https://doi.org/10.3200/tsss.98.4.145-152 Accessed on 14 April 2021.
Yang, H. Y. (2014). The Effects of Advance Organizers and Subtitles on EFL Learners’
Listening Comprehension Skills. CALICO Journal, 31(3), 345–373.
https://doi.org/10.11139/cj.31.3.345-373 Accessed on 24 June 2021.
58
Film and Image Bibliography
Blum, J. (Director). (2018). BlacKKKlansman [Film]. Focus Features.
Dash, J. (Director). (2002). The Rosa Parks Story [Film]. Chotzen/Jenner Productions.
King, S. (Director). (2021). Judas and the Black Messiah [Film]. BRON Studios.
Lemmons, K. (Director). (2019). Harriet [Film]. Perfect World Pictures.
McQueen, S. (Director). (2013). 12 Years a Slave [Film]. Regency Enterprises.
Melfi, T. (Director). (2016). Hidden Figures [Film]. Fox 2000 Pictures.
Parker, N. (Director). (2016). The Birth of a Nation [Film]. BRON Studios.
Taylor, T. (Director). (2011). The Help [Film]. DreamWorks Pictures.
Tillman, G. (Director). (2018). The Hate U Give [Film]. Fox 2000 Pictures.
Warner Bros. Studio. (2021). Fred Hampton and Daniel Kaluuya [Photograph].
BlackGwinnett. https://blackgwinnett.com/black-history/how-the-cast-of-judas-and-the-black-messiah-compares-to-the-real-people-they-portray/. Accessed on 26 May 2021.
Warner Bros. Studios. (2021). Lakeith Stanfield in Judas the Black Messiah and
William O’Neal [Photograph]. The Telegraph.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/judas-fred-hamptons-messiah-tragic-tale-teen-car-thief-turned/. Accessed on 26 May 2021.
59
Appendix A – A List of Films That can be Used in Class
Here is a list of some of the films that are appropriate to use in class when it comes to teaching about racism. Each description of the film contains a brief summary, as well as an explanation of the rating and potential triggering or traumatic scenes teachers should keep in mind prior to showing the film in class. The films are arranged according to their release year.
The Rosa Parks Story (2002)
Genre: Biography, Drama Rating: PG
Director: Julie Dash
Producers: Pearl Devers, Elaine Eason Steele Writer(s): Paris Qualles
Length: 1h 37min Language: English
Production: Chotzen/Jenner Productions Based on: real events
Main Cast: Angela Bassett as Rosa, Peter Francis James as Raymond Parks, Tonea Stewart as Johnnie Carr, Von Coulter as E.D. Nixon, Dexter King as Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
Synopsis:
The film is based on real events, set in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950s’. The film starts with Rosa as a young girl, being courted by Raymond Parks. After they marry, Rosa looks for volunteer work as an activist for civil rights. As she refuses to give up her seat on a bus to a White man, she is arrested, which triggers the Montgomery bus boycott. She became an icon of resistance and the Black rights movement. The film is
60 rated PG due to its racial themes, some profanity and aggressive behavior towards Black people.
The Help (2011)
Genre: Drama Rating: 12A
Director: Tate Taylor
Producers: Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan, Brunson Green Writer(s): Tate Taylor, Kathryn Stockett
Length: 2h 26min Language: English
Production: DreamWorks Pictures
Based on: the novel “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett, fictional work
Main Cast: Emma Stone as Skeeter Phelan, Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark, Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly Holbrook, Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson, Jessica Chastain as Celia Foote
Synopsis:
This is a fictional story, set in Mississippi in 1961/62. Skeeter decides to write a book about Black maids that are employed by White families. Her book would focus on their experiences from the point of view of Black people, and how they are treated as the help. As Black people uncover more and more racist acts performed upon them, Skeeter helps them, while at the same time undermines her own White friends who use the Black people as help. While the story itself is fictional, it is placed in the real world, as real historical events are unfolding in the background (Kennedy assassination, Dr Martin Luther King Jr., protests, etc.). The film offers many examples of racism and discriminatory behavior, such as Black people not being allowed to use the same items as the White people, using the toilet in their houses, being “praised” as help at the events, but treated horribly in privacy, as well as Black people being framed
61 for the crimes they did not commit in order to silence them. The film is rated 12A due to racial themes and discriminatory behavior, it does not include any nudity, but it does include mild violence and mild profanity.
12 Years a Slave (2013)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History Rating: 15
Director: Steve McQueen
Producers: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, et al.
Writer(s): John Ridley, Solomon Northup Length: 2h 14min
Language: English
Production: Regency Enterprises
Based on: a memoir by Solomon Northup, real events
Main Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup / Platt, Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps, Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey, Sarah Paulson as Mary Epps, Paul Dano as John Tibeats, Benedict Cumberbatch as William Ford
Synopsis:
The film is based on a true story and life of Solomon Northup, set in 1814 in New Orleans. Solomon is a free Black man, living with his family in New York. He is offered a job opportunity as a musician, when he is suddenly kidnapped, shipped to New Orleans and sold as a slave. Solomon – now renamed to Platt – works on several plantations under different slave masters. He faces death many times, as well as constant lashings and torture. He constantly attempts to write a letter to New York, where his documents are, stating that he’s a free man. When he finally succeeds, he is rescued and returned to his family in New York after 12 years of being wrongfully enslaved. The film is rated 15 – there are countless racist slurs spoken throughout the film. The film includes a lot of violence, including an explicit lashing of Patsey with
62 clearly shown open wounds. There is also a lot of nudity and rape shown on screen, which may be disturbing for some students. Teachers should definitely offer trigger warnings to students prior to showing the film and opt to skip some traumatizing scenes if they deem it necessary.
Hidden Figures (2016)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History Rating: PG
Director: Theodore Melfi Producer: Donna Gigliotti
Writer(s): Allison Schroeder, Theodore Melfi Length: 2h 7min
Language: English
Production: Fox 2000 Pictures
Based on: a novel by Margot Lee Shetterly, inspired by real people
Main Cast: Taraji P. Henson as Katherine G. Johnson, Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan, Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson, Kevin Costner as Al Harrison
Synopsis:
The film is set in 1961 and is based on true events. Katherine Goble is the first Black woman to work on the Space Task Group, helping to get the first American into space.
Her work is vital to their success. Mary Jackson succeeded at becoming the first Black woman to get into an all-White school in Virginia to advance in engineering. Their work pushes NASA ahead of the Russian space exploration. There are many examples of segregation throughout the film – toilets, fountains for Black people, cafeteria for Black people, library section, protests, Black people not allowed to share anything with White people. Some of the laws prohibiting Black people to use the objects are changed when Katherine’s work lags behind because she’s not able to access the toilet.
Towards the end of the film, Black women are the main reason for American success
63 in space exploration and are praised as vital parts of the system. The film includes no violence, no nudity, mild profanity and many discriminatory acts towards Black characters.
The Birth of a Nation (2016)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History Rating: 15
Director: Nate Parker Producer: Nate Parker Writer(s): Nate Parker Length: 2h
Language: English
Production: BRON Studios.
Based on: real events
Main Cast: Nate Parker as Nat Turner, Armie Hammer as Samuel Turner, Penelope Ann Miller as Elizabeth Turner, Jackie Earle Haley as Raymond Cobb, Mark Boone Junior as Reverend Walthall, Aja Naomi King as Cherry
Main Cast: Nate Parker as Nat Turner, Armie Hammer as Samuel Turner, Penelope Ann Miller as Elizabeth Turner, Jackie Earle Haley as Raymond Cobb, Mark Boone Junior as Reverend Walthall, Aja Naomi King as Cherry