UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA
ODDELEK ZA ANGLISTIKO IN AMERIKANISTIKO
NIKA PINTAR
The Usage of Film in EFL Classroom to Handle Delicate Topics: The Case of Racism
Uporaba filma pri pouku angleščine za poučevanje občutljivih tem: primer rasizma
Magistrsko delo
Mentorici:
doc. dr. Lara Burazer dr. Tamara Bosnič
Študijski program:
Anglistika – E – PED
Ljubljana, 2021
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Acknowledgements
Throughout writing this thesis, I have received a lot of help and support, without which I would not be able to finish my dissertation.
Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisors, Doc Dr Burazer and Dr Bosnič, who have helped me with their film and pedagogic knowledge, and supported me in finishing my master’s thesis.
Secondly, I have to thank my friends who worked hard to help me rephrase my sentences and laughed at my typos, as well as my family that helped whichever way they could.
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Abstract
The Usage of Film in EFL Classroom to Handle Delicate Topics: The Case of Racism
When teaching English as a second language to teenagers, every teacher will sooner or later find themselves in a position of uncertainty when it comes to teaching difficult topics. With the vast number of topics which fall under the taboo category, teachers have to find ways to present and teach those delicate topics. Such topics include the classic controversial topics such as religion, politics and sex, but also social issues like homophobia, substance abuse, mental illnesses, etc., and last but not least, one of the most prominent issues: racial injustice.
As the USA and other English-speaking countries battle the issues of racial injustices, such as Black Lives Matter movements that came forward in the past few years, the issues of racial inequality have once again come to the forefront of global discussions.
Since the English language adopted its status of lingua franca, EFL classes all around the world receive the need and opportunity to cover this ongoing issue. Any school discussion about injustice and discrimination is difficult to initiate due to the themes that may trigger students’ emotional reactions. The usage of films to help teach about challenging topics such as racism may be a good tool to illustrate difficult themes and historical events and figures through compelling medium students already enjoy in their free time.
A short survey shows that Slovene secondary school students are interested in racial topics and would likely be motivated to learn about them through a systematic approach of using the film in EFL. In order to assess the advantages of film in the classroom, relevant sources have been analyzed to prove the claims that film can be a good teaching medium, due to its visual and audio input, which builds a solid context relating to the topic it addresses. This often results in triggering an emotional response and subsequently raising students’ motivational levels regarding the issues it touches.
This thesis exemplifies nine films dealing with racial topics as well as examples of classroom activities that can be adapted to suit a multitude of films about racial injustice. Using a selected film material, a lesson on racial injustice was conducted in
iv class to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using film in class. While some disadvantages were discovered, the positive aspects outweigh the negatives.
Therefore, films dealing with racial themes can be beneficial to use in EFL classes as they bring the challenging topic closer to students through visually compelling media.
Key words: film-viewing, racial injustice, EFL activities
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Izvleček
Uporaba filma pri pouku angleščine za poučevanje občutljivih tem: primer rasizma
Pri poučevanju angleščine kot tujega jezika se učitelji prej ali slej znajdejo pred dilemo, ko pride do poučevanja občutljivih tem. Z veliko količino tem, ki so znane kot tabu teme, imajo učitelji nalogo predstaviti in učiti te tematike na čim bolj primeren način. Pod tabu teme spadajo klasične kontroverzne teme kot so religija, politika in spolnost, kot tudi družbene težave kot so homofobija, zloraba substanc, duševne bolezni, ipd., ter ena izmed najbolj prisotnih težav v angleško govorečih državah; rasna neenakost.
V času, ko se Združene države Amerike ter ostale angleško govoreče države spopadajo s problematiko rasne krivice, na primer z gibanjem Black Lives Matter, je diskusija o rasni neenakosti ponovno postala aktualna tema svetovnih razprav. Ker je angleščina globalni jezik, se obravnava te pereče teme pri pouku angleščine kot tujega jezika kaže kot potreba in priložnost. Vsaka diskusija o neenakosti in diskriminaciji k pouku prinaša svoje izzive, saj naslavlja teme, ki lahko pri dijakih in učencih sprožijo negativne čustvene odzive. Uporaba filma je lahko dober način, kako dijakom predstaviti zahtevne teme, kot je rasizem, zgodovinske dogodke in osebe skozi zanimiv medij, v katerem dijaki uživajo tudi v prostem času.
Krajša anketa je pokazala, da slovenski dijaki o rasizmu radi razpravljajo in da bi bili za diskusijo še bolj motivirani, če bi kot učni pripomoček pri učenju o rasizmu uporabili film. Za oceno pozitivnih in negativnih vidikov uporabe filma pri pouku sem analizirala več relevantnih virov, ki se v večini strinjajo, da je film koristen učni medij, saj preko vizualnih in slušnih čutil dobro ponazarja kontekst tematike. To pogosto sproži čustven odziv, ki pozitivno vpliva na motivacijo za diskusijo o rasni tematiki.
V magistrskem delu opišem devet filmov, ki se ukvarjajo z rasno diskriminacijo, ter pripravim primere učnih dejavnosti za pouk angleščine v srednjih šolah, prilagodljive različnim filmom z rasno problematiko. Prav tako sem s pomočjo izbranega filmskega gradiva o tematiki rasne neenakosti izvedla šolsko uro pri angleščini na srednji šoli.
Čeprav sem pri uporabi filma odkrila nekaj slabosti, jih pozitivni vidiki pri poučevanju
vi občutljivih tem odtehtajo. Filmi, ki se ukvarjajo z rasno tematiko, so torej koristni za uporabo pri pouku angleščine kot tujega jezika, saj dijakom približajo zahtevne in občutljive teme skozi zanimiv medij.
Ključne besede: gledanje filma, rasna neenakost, aktivnosti pri pouku angleščine
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Content
Introduction ... 1
1. Film in the Classroom ... 2
1.1 Advantages and Benefits of Film in the Classroom... 2
1.1.1. The Five Benefits ... 3
Stimulating the senses ... 3
Grounding abstract concepts ... 4
Engaging the emotions ... 4
Contextualizing history ... 4
Facilitation of an active-learning environment ... 5
1.1.2. Further Benefits ... 5
1.2. Potential Issues and Disadvantages ... 6
1.2.1. Timing issues ... 6
1.2.2. Obtaining issues ... 7
1.2.3. Content issues ... 8
1.3. Media Literacy ... 10
1.3.1. Film Language ... 11
1.3.2. Film Literacy ... 12
1.3.3. The Five Key Questions ... 13
2. Racial Injustice Education in Secondary School ... 16
2.1. The Usage of Films to Teach About Racism ... 16
2.1.1. Racial Injustice Education ... 16
Anticipating preconceptions ... 18
Selecting diverse course materials ... 19
Concept-based curriculum ... 19
Diverse forms of assessment... 19
2.1.2. The Usage of Films ... 20
2.1.3. How to Choose the Correct Film ... 24
Questions to Ask When Choosing a Film ... 28
2.2. Incorporation of Film in the Lesson ... 30
2.2.1. What to do Before Watching the Film ... 30
2.2.2. How to Prepare the Students ... 31
3. Survey Analysis ... 33
3.1. The Current Curriculum ... 33
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3.2. Students’ Survey ... 35
4. Recommended Activities to Use with Films-Viewing ... 42
4.1. True or False ... 42
4.2. Discussing the Differences ... 43
4.3. Know-Wonder-Learn ... 44
4.4. Personal 10-point program ... 45
4.5. Film Literacy and Analysis ... 46
4.6. Different Point-of-View ... 47
5. Practical Example of a Lesson Based on Film-viewing ... 48
5.1. Lesson Plan ... 48
5.2. Analysis of the Lesson ... 50
Conclusion ... 52
Bibliography ... 54
Film and Image Bibliography ... 58
Appendix A – A List of Films That can be Used in Class ... 59
Appendix B – The Students’ Survey ... 68
Appendix C – Handout 1 – The 10-Point Program ... 72
Appendix D – Handout 2 – Summary of Judas and the Black Messiah ... 73
Appendix E – Handout 3 – Discussion Questions ... 75
Appendix F – Selected Clips from Judas and the Black Messiah ... 76
Content of Figures
Figure 1 - Question 4 ... 35Figure 2 - Question 6 ... 37
Figure 3 - Question 9 ... 37
Figure 5 - Question 13 ... 39
Figure 4 - Question 11 ... 39
Figure 6 - Fred Hampton and Daniel Kaluuya... 73
Figure 7 - Lakeith Stanfield and William O’Neal ... 73
1
Introduction
With the various assortment of available teaching materials, some are used more and some less frequently. In the current time, where all information is easily accessible online, students are surrounded by different films, TV shows or other videos, educational or not. Students of all ages like spending some of their time watching films – it is enjoyable, relaxing and entertaining, with the possibility of learning something new. By using students’ interest in film watching in class, teachers can offer a different captivating medium for teaching the same topics simply by showing films. Film watching may be an effective tool to teach about challenging and delicate topics.
In this dissertation, I examine whether and why the usage of films in an EFL classroom is a useful medium to teach about challenging topics that are often seen as taboos, but I mainly focus on the topic of racial injustice issues. I look for advantages and disadvantages of using films as a teaching tool in an EFL classroom and how the usage of films in an EFL classroom with the intention of raising racial awareness can be incorporated into the curriculum. The aim of this thesis is to assess the level of usefulness of using the film in class when discussing the difficult topic of racism by examining its advantages and possible disadvantages.
I describe the advantages and disadvantages of using films, both in the context of film itself and in the context of using films with racial topics, and how they can be used in an EFL classroom. By this, I provide examples of films with racial topics with synopses and basic information to be aware of prior to using them in class. I also provide some examples of activities that can be used in class in combination with film summaries.
The final part of this dissertation consists of a practical example of a lesson in a physical classroom. I chose a film and prepared a lesson and then executed it in a physical classroom at Gimnazija Bežigrad High school Ljubljana.
The aim of this master’s thesis is to discover the positive aspects of teaching delicate topics to secondary school EFL students with films.
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1. Film in the Classroom
1.1 Advantages and Benefits of Film in the Classroom
As early as 1911, when the National Council of Teachers of English was founded, English teachers recognized the educational significance of motion pictures.
(Constanzo, 1992, p. 73) The usage of motion pictures in education is nothing we have not seen before. Films and videos have been used as a teaching material ever since the technology became readily available, due to its distinctive properties of engaging more senses than a novel or even a lecture could. Film has become an essential part of life and popular culture, especially for the generation which grew up surrounded by already advanced technology and social media (Russell, 2009, p. 1). Considering how much of their time students spend in front of TVs and computers watching films and TV shows, it is only understandable that teachers use this interest in media to their advantage. In this chapter, I am looking for the advantages and disadvantages of using films in the classroom. I am anticipating there are more benefits than there are issues with the usage of films as a teaching tool due to their unique aspect of including more senses than a traditional one would.
In Reading the Movies, Constanzo describes the properties of films and their benefits in accordance with the lesson:
Films appeal more directly to the eye and ear. [...] To verbal language, film adds the languages of color, movement, music, and natural and artificial sounds. To the linguistic conventions of diction and syntax, film adds principles of framing, lighting, editing, visual transitions, and montage. This is not to say that film is somehow superior to literature; on the contrary, it is often argued that literary codes are far more precise and elaborately developed than those of film. The point is simply that film covers a wider range of direct sensory experience.
(Constanzo, 1992, p.15-16)
3 A film can provide many learning materials to the lesson due to its features, namely, it conveys both visual and audio cues, equipping students with more elements than they would receive while reading a novel. While novels bring to the attention the meaning of conversation as well as detailed descriptions of motifs that are shown through characters and their actions, films create a shortcut of not needing to describe the elements in detail to portray their meaning. In relation to sensory experience, films show certain elements via visual cues as well as speaking and even background sound. We have all encountered movie scenes where the background sound emphasized the emotions and feelings of the scene, which is a significant detail a novel cannot provide.
1.1.1. The Five Benefits
When the lights go down and the movie starts, moving images, dialogue, and sounds bombard students. No other medium is more effective at engaging so many senses simultaneously.
(Kuzma and Haney, 2001, p. 34) When speaking of benefits a film can bring to the classroom, it is important to mention the article “And . . . Action! Using Film to Learn about Foreign Policy” by Kuzma and Haney (2001) where they claim that “[the] film stimulates the senses, grounds abstract concepts, engages the emotions, contextualizes history, and facilitates an active- learning classroom environment” (ibid., p. 34). These five elements are vital to productive learning when it comes to discussions about films, studying the events or characters presented in the film, or studying the film as a medium.
Stimulating the senses
As already mentioned by Constanzo (1992), watching a film stimulates the senses, which is a teaching strategy used by many teachers. As the film provides color, music, sound, diction, lighting, etc. (ibid., p. 15-16), Kuzma and Haney elaborate on the influence these senses add to retaining memory and learnt information. They reference that the information is stored in visual and verbal form, meaning that the information acquired through both forms is retained longer and more efficiently with more senses being incorporated into the learning process (Kuzma and Haney, 2001, p. 35). Simply
4 comparing novels to films, a film instantly provides more sensory experiences than a novel, yet novels remain the primary medium used in schools.
Grounding abstract concepts
The following point Kuzma and Haney make is that the film grounds abstract concepts.
They explained it as “to provide referents so that students can ‘see’ what instructors are trying to explain” (ibid., p. 35). Grounding foreign and abstract concepts helps students to connect what they see in a film with their own personal experiences, however different they might be to what is shown in the film. It can also help to visualize difficult concepts with the assistance of actions, emotions and ideas shown in the film, which students can then transform to their own beliefs and ideas. “Films can transform concepts into quasi-lived experiences that students may therefore retain long after class is over” (Kuzma & Haney, 2009, p. P35).
Engaging the emotions
Next, Kuzma and Haney emphasized the importance of engaging emotions while watching a film. “Films engage emotions - a process that has a strong impact on students' ability to learn” (Fishback, 1998-99 as cited in Kuzma & Haney, 2009, p. 35).
When we watch movie scenes that play on the strings of the heart, we memorize it better; music, scenography, lighting, and transitions all increase the susceptibility to picking up the nuances and meanings behind emotionally charged scenes. When portraying scenes that are difficult for an average viewer to accept – such as racism, bullying, or triggering topics such as suicide, self-harm, illness, etc. – films can portray social and personal issues many people are unaware of. Students learn and memorize these topics more easily because lessons including emotionally provocative topics
“provide the ‘hook’ that engages a student’s attention” (Jensen, 1998 as cited in Kuzma
& Haney, 2009, p. 35).
Contextualizing history
Another benefit of using films in the classroom according to Kuzma and Haney is that they contextualize history. Films can either be fictional or based on real events to some extent. When portraying a specific era in history, the directors have an important and difficult job to symbolize and present this era as factual and as close to reality as possible. Historical costumes, scenery, music and language create an effect which
“pushes” the viewers into this era and makes them more captivated. The events having
5 passed ages ago are now brought closer to home and are not as alien to the students (ibid., p. 35).
Facilitation of an active-learning environment
The last benefit Kuzma and Haney mention is that the film “facilitates an active-learning classroom environment” (ibid., p. 34). The usage of film is yet another one of the teaching methods teachers can choose. Some methods of teaching can be quite passive, e.g., lectures where students do not have much to say, whereas other methods which the teacher can use create an active learning environment. Active learning strategies help students to be actively involved in the lesson, to participate, ask questions and get feedback whenever they require it. The usage of films in the classroom encourages students to participate and partake in discussions, share their own opinions and debate with their peers over themes and topics that engage their development in learning and creating arguments. Kuzma and Haney, however, do warn that only using films cannot create an active learning environment by itself as films can also be taught using “a traditional lecture mode” (ibid., p. 36); teachers need to work alongside their students to actively engage them into participation and lively discussions. “[W]ell-chosen and well-introduced films and videos enable a transcendent cognitive and affective advantage in the international studies classroom:
appropriate and skillfully introduced films and videos simultaneously elicit learning at different levels of student understanding” (Boyer et al., 2002, p.89).
1.1.2. Further Benefits
There are many other advantages and benefits a film can bring into the classroom. In connection to facilitating an active-learning environment, Constanzo (1992) claims that
“[d]iscussing a film enables students to articulate their personal experiences, to compare their first impressions to other points of view, to connect what they have seen to larger social, political, and cultural events” (ibid., p.77).
Connection to personal lives enables students to understand films more clearly than a fictional connection would. Real-life applications are relevant tools to use during the lessons since, as students connect film scenes with their personal lives, the interest in the topic increases and students relate to the characters emotionally (Driscoll, 2005,
6 as referenced in Russell, 2009, p, 1-2). In regard to an emotional connection to the film scene or a character, Russell adds that controversial topics engage students more actively, as it teaches students to develop critical thinking and decision-making skills.
At the same time, students’ interest will boost with the portrayals of social and cultural issues, which then promotes the involvement students have in discussing and potentially solving the issues (ibid., p. 13-14).
Boyer et al. (2002) also add that a good film can help less-advanced students to understand and grasp the meanings and topics at hand without overwhelming them.
Following a film is easier than trying to understand foreign and abstract concepts, which is of great aid to students who cannot visualize these points by themselves.
Moreover, advanced students strengthen their already acquired knowledge as the film provides more elements, such as visual and audio input alongside the storyline (ibid., p. 92).
Besides the benefits already shown, there are many other advantages to using a film in the classroom. Dr Bosnič (2006) conducted a survey, asking secondary school students whether a film should become an obligatory part of the curriculum, and 72%
of students answered with “yes”. Some of the replies as to why they would prefer films during the lessons were that films make the lessons interesting; they learn the language more easily, they prefer to watch films over reading, they are more familiar with films and this medium in general, it’s a good motivation, they can connect the topics to their lives, and they can memorize the lesson better (ibid., p. 37).
1.2. Potential Issues and Disadvantages
1.2.1. Timing issues
With the many advantages films add to the learning process, this tool also comes with some disadvantages and potential problems. One of the major disadvantages of using a film instead of a novel is the time frame. Constanzo (1992) described the difference between the two media as:
One difference between film courses and other subjects is that the films are often screened in class, whereas novels, plays, and other texts are usually read outside of
7 class. Fitting a two-hour feature film into standard fifty-minute periods can be a challenge. Screening a film in two consecutive classes disrupts its continuity and takes away from valuable discussion time.
(Constanzo, 1992, p.77) Due to this reason, teachers often avoid screening films in class simply because of the length of films. With the vast majority of films being over one and a half hour long, a full-length film would take more than two 45-minute lessons to finish, which takes too long. Teachers could instead opt for singular episodes of TV shows which showcase the topics they are trying to teach, or they could only show an excerpt from the film that would be an appropriate example of the discussed issue. Russell (2009) adds that
“[s]howing the entire film is appropriate when necessary, as is showing small segments or clips. Research has been shown to support both types of film use” (ibid., p. 4).
Despite his claim, it is important for teachers to choose the correct clips and not waste precious time by watching excerpts that have nothing to do with the issue in question.
1.2.2. Obtaining issues
A potential issue is also the acquisition of the film. Fisher and Petro (2012) write that
“[a]lmost every other author speaks about the endless and frustrating difficulties of attaining adequate, viewable prints for classroom use of the films or television programs they wish to show, even with the proliferation of new technologies, Internet databases, and access to media online” (ibid., p. 14-15). In the European Union, the usage of films for education purposes falls under exception in copyright law, however, schools should obtain the rights for a film (European commission, 2015, p.59). The problem of physically obtaining the film still stands – the teachers wanting to screen a film during the lesson could buy the DVD or find it in the school or local library, alternatively if online streaming is available – which is again a problem in itself – teachers would either require a subscription to online streaming services or risk the possibility of the streaming site to be of illegal pirated origin.
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1.2.3. Content issues
Kuzma and Haney (2009) list some of the drawbacks related to the use of films. It is to be noted that the following disadvantages are not limited to films and can be applied to novels and other media as well. The first point Kuzma and Haney make is that film directors take a lot of artistic freedom when composing scenes. They often create
“fictional moves” to exaggerate the ideas behind the scenes, they can manipulate the viewers using dramatic effects and can create fictional historical scenes to fit the script.
“Films do not use history very well: they leave details and events out, make too much of other things, and often take license” (Gregg, 1998, as cited in Kuzma & Haney, 2009, p. 37). The same point is made by Boyer et al. (2002), stating that the instructions need to be extremely careful when choosing a film since scripts in historical films often deviate from actual historical records. Viewers, especially students learning about events or characters in history, need to be aware of whether the film is an accurate representation of the time, and how much artistic freedom the producers took while making the film (Boyer et al., 2002, p.93).
An issue also arises with the “Western-centric bias”. Hollywood films are primarily created for North American and European audiences, often relying on the similar mindset of these first-world countries. As an example, if Hollywood films portray a specific “non-Western” society without any input of people living in said culture, lacking the proper inside understanding of society, the film is relying on stereotypes – positive or negative – which then present the culture in an inaccurate light. “An instructor may use this tendency to his or her advantage […] by pointing out examples of stereotypes, enemy images, or other perceptual variables often inherent within American culture as depicted in the movies” (Kuzma and Haney, 2009, p. 37). Teachers must be aware of the possibility of inaccurate representation and inform their students to view the film with critical thinking and not only rely on information the film is presenting but research and contemplate whether the film is biased towards other cultures.
Engaging emotions is one of the advantages of using films, however, it can also hinder the learning experience. “[E]motional extremes reduce students' attention and inhibit the learning process” (Kuzma & Haney, 2009, p. 37). If the film triggers emotions that
9 are too extreme, the students stop paying attention and focus on their own feelings instead. This can, of course, help the learning process by signifying the importance of the scene, however, we have to be careful to not harm the students or trigger a negative emotional response from them. Students might come from negative backgrounds, so powerful and triggering movie scenes should be warned about. Since it is impossible to know the history of every student, teachers need to be aware of triggering topics and warn students of possible scenes that might cause discomfort (ibid., p. 37). Many students deal with family, social or personal issues, and being forced to watch a film where these issues are emphasized can negatively impact their mental health, as well as create a negative reference to the entire lesson. “So, instructors should always give a brief description of what the movie is about, warn students about tough scenes that might await them, and assure students that it is OK if they need to leave” (Allen, 1998, as referenced in Kuzma & Haney, 2009, p. 37-38).
More often than not, the topics that might be triggering are not problematic to students, but instead to their parents and school administration. “In most cases, the complaints came from parents, and to a lesser extent from school staff, who cited violence, sexual references, offensive language, and unacceptable ideas as their chief objections”
(Burress, 1979, as cited in Constanzo, 1992, p. 83-84). Many parents believe that their children should be protected from topics of violence, sexuality and profanity, and demand that some parts of the films and even novels should be censored (ibid., p.84).
This is extremely counterproductive because students need to be aware of the world outside of their parents’ protective bubble; overprotection and censorship develop into ignorance and unwillingness to further learn about social issues. Constanzo argues that teachers should always defend their film choices by “supporting your educational objectives with clear, convincing reasons, you strengthen your case for including any film that helps your students realize those objectives” (ibid., p. 85).
Censorship, triggering topics and lack of knowledge of how to confront controversial topics are the larger reasons teachers avoid discussions about social issues. Byford et al (as referenced in Russell, 2009) report that 75% of surveyed secondary school teachers agreed that controversial topics should be taught, however, 65% are uncomfortable teaching said topics. “This is because many teachers do not know how
10 to effectively teach controversial social issues and they do not have the appropriate resources available to effectively teach controversial material, such as social issues films” (ibid., p.12-13).
For teachers to be able to justify the usage of films in the classroom, especially films that deal with triggering and controversial topics, they need to have the appropriate background. Russell (2009) states that “[u]sing film as an instructional teaching method is a common practice. However, film education is not common. Teachers are not prepared to effectively use film as an instructional tool and students are not prepared to effectively view films and make informed decisions with regards to the content of the film” (ibid., p.17). Educating teachers and students on how to interpret the films and correctly assess the meanings, as well as defend their usage in school, requires film literacy. Education in film theory and literacy is equally important to understand film as literary theory is vital to properly understand written literature.
1.3. Media Literacy
Anyone can watch a film for fun and relaxation, however, education on film literacy and how the different techniques are used to embody the meaning behind the motion picture, increase the insight into the story. Center for Media Literacy (CML) defines media literacy as:
Media Literacy is a 21st century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate using messages in a variety of forms—from print to video to the internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.
(Center for Media Literacy, 2008, p. 42) Media literacy is an important skill to develop when we want to critically understand film media. Russell (2009) states that it is one of the most important skills to obtain since it is a fundamental part of lessons involving film or other media (ibid., p. 18).
Due to the lack of media literacy and film language, teachers are often uncomfortable with using films in the classroom, despite their availability nowadays (Russell, 2009,
11 p.17). By educating teachers, as well as students, to better understand the language of the film, as well as develop media literacy to the extent to be able to justify the selected films when it comes to controversial topics, films can broaden the education process and help develop critical thinking in students. “Media literacy, therefore, is about helping students to become competent, critical and literate in all media forms so that they control the interpretation of what they see, hear or interact with rather than letting the interpretation control them” (CML, 2008, p. 42).
1.3.1. Film Language
The foundation of media literacy is acquiring the basic terminology and understanding of how films are created (Russell, 2009, p. 20). The terminology that is recommended envelops the genre and story.
Genres are types and categories which films are divided into. This classification is used to separate films into groups where they share similar properties, which are mostly dependent on the story. “Genres refers to recurring, repeating and similar, familiar or instantly-recognizable patterns, styles, themes, syntax, templates, paradigms, motifs, rules or generic conventions” (Dirks, n.d.).
There are, however, many films that fit into multiple categories; rarely can a film be placed in a singular category. “This is because the boundaries between film genres are fuzzy, rather than clearly delineated. Moreover, genres are not static, but evolve.
Therefore, their common attributes change over time. Many films are hybrid genres, since they possess the common attributes of more than one genre” (Buckland, 2015, p. 121).
Looking through the one hundred best-rated films relating to racism on IMDb, I have accumulated the most common genres of these films. Due to each film being categorized by more than one genre, I only chose one, most prevalent genre, however, it should be noted that many genres overlap. Genres with the most mentions are biography and drama, each with 27 examples, followed by comedy (18 examples), crime (15) and action (11). Most biographical films also fall under the historical genre (IMDb).
12 The following genres are the most popular and commonly used to categorize films, and are therefore an essential part of film terminology learning: action, adventure, biography, comedy, crime, drama, historical, horror, musical, science-fiction and war (Dirks, n.d.).
While also present in novels, the “plot triangle” or Freytag’s Pyramid is an important part of understanding the films, creating the terminology students need to know. The seven elements of storytelling are as follows: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, denouement (Hanson, 2014).
1.3.2. Film Literacy
While understanding the language and vocabulary that accompanies film reading is very important, students should also be trained on how to evaluate and analyze the films in a critical manner. “By training students to read the film, students will be better prepared to analyze and evaluate the film and decipher what is meaningful and what is not” (Russell, 2009, p. 21). Preparing students to properly analyze films is essential to not only understanding the true intentions of the film but to form and develop critical thinking, a technique that is a valuable asset in students’ everyday lives.
By developing a critical approach to understanding films, students become media literate. Center for Media Literacy explains that “[t]o become media literate is not to memorize facts or statistics about the media, but rather to learn to raise the right questions about what you are watching, reading, listening or contributing to” (CML, 2008, p. 42). The goal of media literacy is to teach students to think for themselves and not rely on their teachers to explain issues. While students can be aware of issues and can develop critical awareness, the final goal is to make students autonomous. “The primary objective is not simply critical awareness and understanding, it is critical autonomy” (Masterman, 1985, p.22).
By instructing students on how to interpret and critically assess films, they develop their own opinions and techniques for dealing with social issues. Taking that from students by not letting them develop their own thinking is not only counterproductive but defies all reasoning for the usage of film in the classroom. “The acid test of any media education programme is the extent to which pupils are critical in their own use and
13 understanding of the media when the teacher is not there” (ibid.). As the aim of education is to prepare students for the world outside of the classroom, the teachers are required to assist students by equipping them with proper techniques to ask the right questions.
1.3.3. The Five Key Questions
Center for Media Literacy (2008) (from now on CML) presents five key questions to deconstruct the messages the products are attempting to convey. These are questions the consumers – in this case, teachers and students – need to ask themselves to be able to deconstruct the messages the film is delivering, as well as to help them acquire critical thinking and self-autonomy. While these questions are not created specifically for film analysis, but for general media evaluation instead, they are very useful questions to ask in the classroom while discussing films. The five questions are:
1. Who created this message?
2. What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
3. How might different people understand this message differently?
4. What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
5. Why is this message being sent?
(CML, 2008, p.47) The key questions are set in place by CML to encourage students to think beyond the storyline of the film, and to expand their analysis by not observing what the film offers on the surface, but instead looking for techniques and reasons why the message is delivered.
The first question - who created this message? – asks about the authorship of the message. It provides the answer to whether the message is authentic, whether there is a cultural bias, and what the author’s point of view is (ibid., p. 50). This information tells the consumer how to receive the message. If, for example, the film is about
14 injustice towards specific minority groups, and it is created by people from said minorities, we can assume the film is authentic and provides realistic examples of racial injustice. If, however, the film is created by people who are not a part of that minority, without any input of that culture, we should advise students to take the provided information with a grain of salt.
The second question asks “what creative techniques are used to attract my attention?”.
Films use sound and visuals to attract our attention and engage our emotions. These effects can manipulate or exaggerate our emotional reaction to the story, making us more susceptible to sympathize and overlook any potential issues in the message. The same techniques can also be used to improve our understanding of the message by providing metaphors and grounding foreign concepts to ease difficult topics (ibid., p.51).
The third question asks “how might different people understand this message differently?”. This question encourages viewers to step outside of their comfort zone and try to visualize the film from the perspective of others. While certain topics might not be anything special to some people, they can be triggering and hurtful to others.
Every person has a unique interpretation of the received message and encouraging students to look at the problem from another point of view is a great way to develop critical thinking and autonomy (ibid., p.52).
The fourth question deals with values, lifestyles and points of view represented in, or omitted from, the message. Similarly to the previous question, encouraging viewers to also see the message from the perspective of other viewers, this question guides the viewers to stand in the shoes of the characters presented in the film. Here, we can get valuable insight into the mentality, actions and emotions of characters, which would then help develop opinions based on the received messages. This question makes us identify with characters and feel what they are experiencing by allowing the story to penetrate our thinking (ibid., p. 53).
The last question - why is this message being sent? – asks for a reason why it is important to view the message/film. While some films are created simply for entertainment purposes, many of them are created for a reason – to represent certain
15 cultures, to raise awareness, to warn people, to share opinions and/or ideologies, etc.
Students need to be aware of the reasons why the message is being sent to determine why the issue presented in the film is important to acknowledge (ibid., p. 54).
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2. Racial Injustice Education in Secondary School
In this part of the dissertation, I discuss whether the usage of films in an EFL classroom is a beneficial tool to teach about racial issues and raise racial awareness in English classes in secondary school. First, I explore the ways of implementing racial injustice education into lessons, how to plan a course, and which issues to anticipate. Secondly, I investigate how to sort through films and choose the one that suits the topic and the students, as well as how to incorporate the selected film into the lesson. I expect to prove that films offer a captivating insight into the topic of racism, which in turn motivates students to be more interested in the topic itself.
2.1. The Usage of Films to Teach About Racism
This chapter explores how racial injustice education is taught in schools, as well as the benefits and challenges this topic brings to the lesson.
Therefore, in the following part of the MA thesis, I explain how racial (in)justice can be taught in school, especially how to use films to further engage students in the topic of racial inequality.
2.1.1. Racial Injustice Education
Teaching about culture is one of the primary goals of teaching a foreign language. As language accompanies culture, so does cultural education accompany language acquisition. Tognozzi (2010) claims that “[f]or students to increase their cultural knowledge, teachers must introduce students to the way of life in the target culture, including values and attitudes” (ibid., p. 70). The way of life in the target culture, values and attitudes include the discrimination of certain groups, meaning that while teaching an English class, the target cultures are mainly the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada and Australia. There is no doubt that the USA has a considerable history of racism, some of which is still present, and it is being brought to attention through various movements, the most prevalent of all being the Black Lives Matter movement.
17 It is not only the social customs of culture that must be considered, but also how these can be interpreted and understood in meaningful ways. […] As students and instructors alike come to better understand cultural constructs and to grasp more fully the social relevance of cultural markers, the opportunities for classroom enrichment begin to multiply. Students will learn factual knowledge but should also learn about the "hows" and "whys" of culture.
(Tognazzi, 2010, p.70) The inclusion of education about racial injustice is extremely important, especially when hoping the younger generations will deal with said issues in a more qualified manner and be more accepting of all people than the past generations. As we teach cultural acceptance and spread awareness of societies different to ours, we create a future that is tolerant and welcoming to foreign cultures.
Teaching race and racial injustice brings its own problems and does not come without challenges. Harbin (2019) states that “it is [not] possible to teach race and racism without conflict or confusion, or without emotional or intellectual discord” (ibid., p. 3).
As the topic of racism is by itself difficult and complex, bearing the history of slavery, genocide, lack of human rights and discrimination, teaching about it induces emotional responses from students as well as teachers. “Much can be learned in moments of confusion and conflict, an instructor can and should never fully avoid the difficulties of teaching racial issues” (ibid.). By being emotionally invested in the topic, students develop interest and motivation, which then furthermore aids in developing critical thinking and recognition of injustices. Avoiding any difficulties not only harms the teaching process, but could potentially teach students to avoid and ignore any discussion about challenging and difficult topics in their future lives.
No matter the teaching method we select when we want to discuss racial issues in class, there are certain preconceptions we have to be aware of. Every student comes to the classroom with their own ideas and beliefs of race and racial injustice, ranging from being a member of a segregated group, or in the worst-case scenario being aware or unaware of themselves having racial prejudice.
For instance, students may believe race is a fixed biological concept or subscribe to monolithic characterizations of racial groups. Students also may believe race
18 demands merely a focus on Otherness, or developing cultural literacies about non- white groups, rather than on race relations and studies of racial privilege, including the scholarship on whiteness. Finally, students may subscribe to individualist interpretations of racism that focus on individual manifestations of racial prejudice or discrimination rather than the complex institutional, cultural, and macro-social processes that can create racial inequality and injustice behind the backs of well- meaning individuals.
(Kandaswamy, 2007 and Bonilla-Silva, 1997 as referenced in Harbin, 2019, p. 5).
Facing students with racial injustice that surrounds them personally as well as institutionally and culturally, may make students uncomfortable while being forced with the reality they might have ignored, avoided or were the target of. This may “generate feelings of trauma and resentment, guilt, and pride” (ibid., p. 7). When confronting students with ongoing racism, they may resort to seeing themselves as bystanders who do not get involved, claiming that “success is a matter of mere effort” and thus either insinuating that the discriminated groups brought the problem onto themselves, or assuming only extreme racists are the problem, or believing that racism is a “regional problem” (ibid., p. 6). Due to these feelings, beliefs and opinions, teachers may not know how to intervene when these opinions do emerge during the classroom discussions (ibid., p. 7).
Harbin suggests four principles for course planning around topics of race, racism, and racial justice to help teachers deal with emotional reactions, unjustified blaming, guilt, trauma and consistently create an overall better understanding of the problem.
Anticipating preconceptions
“Instructors must anticipate preconceptions and ideologies students may hold about race and proactively structure assignments” (Harbin, 2019, p. 9). Many students come to class with preconceptions about race, some even harboring negative feelings towards other races, and as teachers, we have to be prepared to deal with students not wanting to accept the topic of racial injustice. As seen from the survey, some students even believe teaching about racial issues is “political propaganda” and teachers trying to impose their beliefs on students. This thinking has to be approached carefully, as students can perceive any blame as an “attack” and it, therefore, nullifies
19 the learning process. “Addressing misconceptions proactively and in an intentional order is more likely, both to motivate student learning, and to transform their racial preconceptions, thus making them more receptive to critical race studies” (ibid.).
Selecting diverse course materials
Diverse course materials can aid the teaching process, as well as help to develop critical thinking when it comes to racial problems and injustice. By focusing not only on lecturing, but instead choosing materials that range from films, stories, (auto)biographies, documentaries, interviews and even conversations with real people who can illuminate the issues by sharing their own experiences, helps students to understand the topic more clearly. By using diverse materials, students can see that racial injustice is not only something that is happening elsewhere but that it is also present in their lives even though they may not be aware of it (ibid., p. 10).
Concept-based curriculum
Creating a concept-based curriculum can help students to acquire the topic of racial injustice in a broader sense. “The concept-centered model uses key ideas such as colonialism, prejudice, and discrimination to examine broader social processes and understandings of the socio-historical significance of race and ethnicity” (Downey and Torrecilha, 1994 as references in Harbin, 2019, p. 10). Using this model, the teacher presents the topic of racism and racial injustice as a broad spectrum of issues.
Therefore, the students do not only view racism as a historical occurrence, or as police violence, or pay-gap between the races, etc., but view racism also as an overall problem of society and institutions, which is still excessively present in the world (ibid.).
Diverse forms of assessment
When assessing the knowledge of racial injustice and discrimination, it is best to use various assessment methods. Harbin suggests self and peer reflections for an objective assessment, which will in turn help students to express their views and beliefs on racial issues, develop their critical thinking and grasp the understanding of how to accept others’ opinions, beliefs and views, even when they might not fully agree with them (ibid., p. 11).
No matter what kind of teaching method the teacher decides to implement, students – regardless of their belief and background – need to feel safe and respected. Harbin
20 (2019) emphasizes how important it is to lead respectful and conflict-free lessons to their best abilities. Teachers are required to intervene whenever a conflict begins to arise that would threaten the safety or dehumanization of other students or other people in general. Some students were raised to believe certain misconceptions and stereotypes about different races (e.g., “Black people are more violent”), making it the job of the teacher to address these misconceptions and educate students to be accepting and non-judgmental. Whenever a student is targeting other races, an intervention is needed, because failing to address this violence, whether it be verbal or physical, will let students know that the teacher will not uphold what they teach. The teacher has to “maintain norms of civility and cope with the social challenges that difficult topics present” (ibid., p. 17). For an adequate education on racism and racial injustice, teachers need to be trusted and respectful, as well as careful and vigilant, prepared to intervene at conflicts, emotions and trauma, otherwise, their students will not engage in the discussions and participate during the lessons.
2.1.2. The Usage of Films
The power of the image goes much deeper than does the power of the word.
(Tognozzi, 2010, p. 72) As we explore the world of teaching, there are various methods of instruction we can implement to illustrate the learning materials. Film watching is rarely used as it takes a lot of precious time, but extremely valuable to illustrate themes we would usually discuss in a conversation or reading materials. Showcasing specific events, figures, topics, cultures, and races with the help of visual media is a fantastic tool to present the learning material in a compelling way. We can identify with the characters we see in a film more easily as we “inhabit the image of what we see”. With their visual representation they show more than writing does, audio input adds to pronunciation learning, students get familiar with different cultures and people, as well as their traditions, behaviors, and values. “Images do, in fact, let us experience, reflect, and add our subjective experience to them in order to understand their meaning” (Tognozzi, 2010, p. 72).
21 While films show the events, characters, historical happenings, and various storylines, there is more to the films than just the story and characters’ development. Constanzo (1992) claims that “movies are best seen as products of a whole society, reflecting values so ingrained that even those who make and view the films are unaware of them”
(ibid., p. 62). By this, films illustrate the entire society and present different cultures as the producers and directors might not have intentionally intended. For example, a film can include a Black character carrying a gun, being violent or being arrested, and while the intent of the director was not to be racist, it promotes stereotypes which are then ingrained in the minds of the viewers as something ordinary. This furthermore facilitates the negative stereotypes the minorities have been trying to part with for decades.
Keeping these hidden stereotypes in films in mind, students need to be made aware of what to look for while watching films. Showing the film Precious in his classroom, Prof. Brookfield states:
Students watching the film [Precious] for the first time (many watch it more than once) don’t initially see or think about the ways in which dominant ideologies are perpetuated through skin color. For example, all of the heroes in the film are light- skinned people of color. Neither do students reflect on the fact that this particular film celebrates individual acts of compassion but doesn’t attack structural inequities or show paths of resistance.
(Brookfield, 2018, p. 245) Even the film Precious (2009) that celebrates the Black culture, relies on the skin color to differentiate between good and bad characters, albeit the majority of characters being Black, those who are lighter-skinned are claimed to be the protagonists, again indicating that the darker the skin, the less trusted the character should be. Due to these deep-rooted stereotypes and misconceptions, “[m]any students (even students of color) buy into the idea that people of color are more likely to be poor because of personal characteristics or failings – things that they can ostensibly control. So, finding films and other multimedia sources that challenge this idea is critical” (ibid.). Reminding students to stay critical while watching films is crucial for the development of critical thinking and assessment of how films present and harbor racial ideologies and beliefs,
22 which in turn helps to either promote or reduce the stereotypes. Brookfield lists some films which are important to reducing racial stereotypes against Black people and could be used in the classroom to teach about racism and racial injustice: I Am Not Your Negro (2016), Fruitvale Station (2013), Junction 48 (2016), 13th (2016), Which Way Home (2009), and Do the Right Thing (1989). (ibid., p. 245) More of the appropriate films to use during the lesson dealing with racial issues are available in appendix A.
As racial issues have been present in the world for centuries, even millennia, they are definitely topics to be taught in History and Sociology classes, however, as EFL classes deal with not only just literature and grammar, but also the cultural significance and the history of English-speaking countries, themes such as racism and discrimination are to be mentioned during English classes, especially because these issues are still extremely prevalent in English-speaking societies. “History or social studies curricula that use film accounts as a pedagogical tool for inquiry-based learning activities are beneficial for students” (Woelders, 2007, p. 146). The usage of films is important to represent both past and current issues, as well as historical people, because it aids to a better understanding of the topics, eases analysis, and helps to interpret and showcase the problems. It can also provide a break from the repetitive and routine use of textbooks and lectures (ibid., p. 145).
The cinematic representation of events provides an excellent opportunity to compare students’ previous knowledge to what they see in a film; viewing of a film enriches the learning process as students evaluate different acquisitions of information and how they connect to or differ from each other. For example, if the current learning material is slavery in America, students are already familiar with the facts, but viewing a film from the perspective of slaves and how they truly experienced it, students gain a new point of view that can be rarely achieved by traditional materials – textbooks and lectures. The aesthetic, visual and audio inputs provide more information – and despite them being fabricated, they still represent the best insight into the time and space which no longer exist (Weinstein, 2001, Marcus, 2005 and Seixas,1994, as referenced in Woelders, 2007, p. 146).
As students gain the ability to analyze and research the information presented to them through various sources, including films, they also gain the ability to develop critical-
23 thinking skills as well as critical-thinking habits “transfer into their leisure activities, such as watching the latest blockbuster film” (ibid., p. 146). Students learn to examine the information provided to them, by comparing film scenes to real-life events, analyze conflicting sources, and look beyond the surface. As students examine the perspectives of characters and their actions, they can draw their own conclusions, which is easier to do while watching a film due to visual cues and receiving reactions simultaneously as the character’s actions are performed (ibid.).
While racism is a prevalent issue in today’s world, students are not likely to investigate and read about it in-depth on their own. With the recent Black Lives Matter protests in the US, following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, students are surrounded by the Civil Rights Movements, both in school and on social media, as well as on the news, and by protests all over the globe. By exposing students to films dealing with those issues, they do not get overwhelmed by the constant flow of information. By exposing them to films, however, we need to be careful that films offer an accurate and valid representation of the culture, people, events and problems.
Woelders states that “media – whether created for films or television, educational purposes, or entertainment – are the places where students are most likely to encounter the authentic application or misapplication of historical knowledge” (ibid., p.
146). Ensuring students can identify authentication or misapplication of information provided by films, Woelders suggests that students “compare films with other sources of information before confirming their ideas and opinions about historical people and events” (ibid., p. 147). This can be done by finding and recording at least two other sources that would confirm or deny the information provided by the film (ibid.).
As previously stated, watching a film makes it easier for students to empathize with the characters and understand their actions. On the other hand, films offer a safe space to analyze and criticize characters’ actions. Watching and observing the actions and behaviors of people they do not know eliminates the personal experience and connection. This, on one hand, helps students to understand how the world outside of the classroom works and get familiarized with practices outside of their known environment. On the other hand, because students do not personally know the characters, they are more likely to criticize and analyze them fairly. When students are
24 asked to examine their peers and friends, they tend to see and mention only the positive aspects, however, given the freedom of examining strangers, fictional at that, the students are welcome to share their true opinions and reach their personal conclusions objectively. This way, students are more likely to point out racist behaviors they see in a film than call attention to their peer’s behavior. Students may also disagree with protagonists and freely explain why they believe their actions were wrong or inappropriate; they may even sympathize with the antagonists, trying to understand why they did what they did. Freedom to express opinions teaches students how to communicate and coexist in the real world, evaluate people and their actions, as well as stand up for themselves and be critical towards what they believe is wrong (Brookfield, 2018, p. 224).
2.1.3. How to Choose the Correct Film
Selecting teaching materials is usually not the easiest job teachers encounter. The materials have to fit the lesson plan, the age of students, availability and appropriateness in general. The same goes for choosing the correct film to show in class. With the plethora of films dealing with racial issues, not all of them are appropriate to show in class when discussing racial injustice. Russel (2009) states:
When evaluating social issues films, teachers should view the film and determine its educational value. The educational value needs to fit the curriculum and the needs of the students. The more relevant the film and instruction, the more meaningful and powerful the lesson will be (ibid., p. 19).
The very first step teachers need to pay attention to, are film ratings and classifications.
British Board of Film Classification states that “Classification is the process of giving age ratings and content advice to films and other audio-visual content to help children and families choose what’s right for them and avoid what’s not” (BBFC, n.d.).
BBFC classifies films into 5 main categories, each one stating the age restriction and why such restrictions are implemented. Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States, which has similar categories, only differing in slight age differences, but generally implements similar restrictions.
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1 A “Universal” rated film is suitable for all audiences, has a positive framework, and is unlikely to include any dangerous, explicit and threatening images (ibid.).
“Parental Guidance” films are suitable for ages eight and up, they may include scenes of discrimination, drugs or minor bad language, but in no way condone these behaviors (ibid.).
“12A and 12” films are not suitable for children under the age of 12. Such films cannot promote dangerous behavior, discrimination, drugs, nudity and sexual scenes, and bad language, but can be briefly and discreetly shown with contextual justification (ibid.).
“R15” films are meant for anyone older than 15 years old. Dangerous behaviors, discrimination and drugs can be portrayed but not endorsed and shown details that can be copied. Strong language is permitted, as well as nudity and sexual scenes in moderation without strong detail. Violence can be strongly referenced, but not dwelled upon in detail (ibid.).
Films rated 18 are only suitable for adults, due to explicit scenes of sexual, derogatory, violent and dangerous behaviors, with little to no limitation of the detailed portrayal of acts. This rating does not include R18 films, which are of a purely sexual nature and are legally only permitted for ages 18 and up (ibid.).
As it comes to using films in school, it is only appropriate to be aware of film ratings and consider the students’ age when selecting the film. Slovene students normally start their secondary school education when they are 14 or 15, very rarely lower than that.
With this in mind, rating 15 should be appropriate for most first years and up. Films may show nudity in moderation, but not explicit sexual scenes. The usage of drugs may be shown, but not in a way students can replicate and abuse the substance.
Violent scenes may be present, but explicit gory visuals should be avoided. When it
1 The provided images illustrating the classification ratings are sourced from the BBFC.
26 comes to discrimination and racism, they can be shown in a classroom, however, films should not encourage these beliefs and mentality, but may illustrate historic events, actions of individuals and institutions, the consequences, the fight for basic human rights in relation to discrimination, as well as the mentality of people who discriminate and people being discriminated against.
An important aspect of choosing a film is also the language. As the film would be viewed in the English class, spoken English should be understandable for students, even with the help of English subtitles. With the many varieties of accents in the English language, teachers need to be careful not to show a clip where students would struggle to understand the dialogue, both in difficulty and accent. Regional accents, however, can be both a negative and a positive aspect of showing a film. While it may sometimes be difficult to comprehend, it offers new insight into the culture and society, as well as the language, dialogue and vocabulary. Teaching culture is an important aspect of an EFL class, but we cannot forget about the learning of the language itself. Tognozzi (2010) states that:
In choosing a film clip to use for pedagogical purposes, the vocabulary, accent, and manner of discourse may vary according to genre or region, and students will therefore be introduced to many forms and aspects of language that they may not find in the classroom. This non-homogenous language helps further develop advanced listening comprehension, models conversational vocabulary, and allows students to look at language as cumulative as opposed to linear (ibid., p. 72).
Language spoken in films, despite it being scripted to fit the story-line, is still a better and a more realistic variety of spoken language than what students hear in their classes, which in turn aids them to develop their communicative and speaking abilities, but also comprehension and listening skills.
Film clips shown in class should also invoke a reaction from students. The purpose of viewing a film in an EFL class is not for the fun of watching films, but to support the learning material and the curriculum. Segments should be relevant to students’ lives and their education, in a way to develop and improve their behaviors, mentality and treatment of others (ibid., p. 73). Taking racial injustice education into account, there is virtually no doubt students will come into contact with other cultures and people of
