Making a film about making a film

This post is a follow on from the first post about using video in an EFL classroom. In this post I aim to answer a big question – what does making a film as a class project offer students?

In the first post I attempted to explain my experience through a storytelling fashion and again I wanted to give the sense of mini narratives in the short film I made; for example, watching the process of a milkshake being made and the interactions at a market stall. My purpose for this is that I believe narrative is integral to learning and understanding and that is one thing that can be covered in film making.

The rest of this post will come back to the idea of using narrative to learn but first I want to focus on some of the literature I have read during this module that has developed my view of these types of lessons, which are essentially project-based learning.

Reading the literature

In this particular topic area, the literature isn’t as vast as some other areas I have been researching throughout this course. However, there seems to be many other areas in the materials literature that intertwine with some of the fundamental reasons for asking students to make a film in order to learn English.

Firstly, I came across an analogy of ecology (Pachler & Daly, 2011) which summed up my perception of the complex reality we live in and therefore are required to communicate in. Thus, it has redefined my perception of English language learning as a complex structure that is interlinked with other aspects and structures in life throughout the learning process. It ultimately comes down to a social constructivist philosophy. As a teacher, I believe that learning English in English is a dynamic construct and the student is manipulating his or her reality in order to learn. The student cannot be separated from his or her reality because it is in that world that language exists.

It is important to note that the example that I gave in the previous post was regarding a group of teenagers. It became evident in the reading that in this particular age group, and younger, students often don’t realise the importance of learning a foreign language (Tomlinson, 2011). Whilst I agree with this to a certain degree, I feel that, more than ever before, teenagers are increasingly connected to the outside world as they grow up. For this reason, it seems that teenagers will at points during their educational and social life come across a need for English. Therefore, they might identify with learning English as a part of their future. But teenagers and children might not realise to what extent it is important in their future due to the nature of growing up.

Having said that, English exists in its truest sense outside the classroom and so does technology. According to Sharpe, Beetham and Freitas (2010) a person will come across technology in some form or another during their social, work and educational lives. Furthermore, we are currently living in a “knowledge revolution” and an “information revolution” (Pachler & Daly, 2011 p40) which exist due to the development of technology. The literature has highlighted a need for learners to connect to the outside world where the language is being used (Tomlinson, 2011). So, as the ‘real world’ uses technology, and knowledge and information are ever easier to access, it seems fitting for technology to play a part in the learning experience in an EFL classroom. In my opinion, I would go as far as saying that we, as teachers, have a responsibility in aiding students to make this connection to the real world and therefore to technology. McDonough, Shaw and Masuhara (2013) go on to explain that the links between technology and the communicative practice can promote authentic discourse communities which mirror online communities already on the internet, that exist without the learning focus. It is this mentality that pushes the boundaries of the classroom and offers students more authentic materials that consequently make the learning increase.

If there were more hours in the week to teach and the students studied at the school for longer, there would be so many more opportunities for developing authentic learning environments that used more authentic materials and tasks that produce the target language in a more ‘real world’ type of way. However, learners have a limited time and as a result the “productive skills are the ones that often suffer” (Tomlinson, 2011, p308). It is at this point that there is a need to work beyond the course (Sharpe, Beetham & Freitas, 2010), syllabus (Tomlinson, 2011) and institutional provision (Sharpe, Beetham & Freitas, 2010). And I believe, that it is this type of mentality that has seen an increase in the quality of learning and more opportunities to participate in the learning process (Pachler & Daly, 2011). Furthermore, a key to this increase in opportunities for participation is technology; there are many forms of technology that “enable us to be social in all sorts of ways” (Tomlinson, 2011, p308).

Using the term ‘technology’ in this post refers to a vast array of devices and softwares that can be significantly different in use and purpose from each other. To refine this list further and look at video in more detail it is first worth reviewing the traditional setting video in the older EFL classroom. Carbonaro et al (2007) give a clear example of the traditional use of video in EFL as “observational media”, rather than “creative media” (p688). The reason given for this lack of creative activities in the classroom was the difficulty in using the technology that was required for the activities to take place. It is when the students attempt to re-enact or perform the play/film, rather than read it or talk about it so interpretational activities have a chance to take place and authentic language production exists in the classroom. It is learning through designing and building that goes back to constructionist learning (Carbonaro et al, 2007). By allowing students to create things, it enables them to then manipulate those objects and learn concepts and language along the way (Carbonaro et al, 2007). This type of learning is centred around project-based learning and research has suggested that this type of learning “promotes the learning achievements of students” (Hung, Hwang & Huang, 2011, p368). Furthermore, it is through project-based learning that collaboration can take place. The concept of collaborative knowledge building in the education industries has increased in popularity and recognition over the last two decades (Sharpe, Beetham & Freitas, 2010) and as a result collaborative learning has developed. Collaboration offers students so many different types of opportunities and in a more authentic setting as the main outcome in any form of collaboration is that it “enables interaction” (Tomlinson, 2011, p330).

But again, concepts such as ‘collaboration’ and ‘project-based learning’ are diverse terms in the educational field, similar to the term ‘technology’. But it seems that these three areas are some of the building blocks that explain why asking students to make their own films is such a dynamic and successful learning experience. Moreover, there is one other vital aspect that using video offers learners: storytelling.

Goldstein & Driver (2015) explain one of the fundamental uses of narratives in films as “learners can provide their own narration and focus on different ways of approaching narrative by highlighting the storyline, the setting, atmosphere, characters or cinematic elements” (p39). It is through examples like these that it is possible to identify with the value storytelling can have during the learning process. Hung, Hwang & Huang (2011) outline some of the benefits these processes can offer students, including the improvement of motivation, learning performance, memory and the development of interaction. These are similar advantages to project-based learning (PBL); however, in PBL there is a central role of cooperative learning.

In my opinion, learning through stories is a method that is adopted and developed from a very young age. It seems that throughout human history, we have used storytelling to learn and pass on information and we still use it today. If this concept is so deeply interlinked into our makeup, then it seems clear that it should be used to learn English. There are advantages to PBL, collaboration and technology which seem to assist the development of narrative as a form of learning. Therefore, combining these different tools for learning seems a solution to improving learning achievement and experience.

Nonetheless, it is important to bare in mind the issues that can arise from using technology. Asking students to learn through a new system, such as a website or technological device can create other barriers to learning the target language. For example, using a website that the students have never seen before will incur questions and hurdles for them to navigate. But, as technology is becoming more accessible and frequently used, studies have shown that students often adopt personal strategies to cope with the technological challenges, similar to the way a dyslexic student might develop his/her own reading strategies (Sharpe, Beetham & Freitas, 2010). It has been suggested that the students develop flexible strategies when responding to needs within a particular situation and I think this is an example of project-based learning when making a film as a class. It can happen when using the technology but also when devising the story and following the process of making a film.

Therefore, it is through investigating the unknown or creating something new that empowers students with ideas; those ideas lead to different ways of connecting knowledge and that connection of knowledge can create more ideas (Carbonaro et al, 2007). It is only through storytelling , PBL, collaboration and technology that this mixture of complex interrelated networks in our reality can take place in a more authentic context within an EFL classroom. Thus, asking students to make a video is going to result in deeper learning.

So why did I make a film about making a film? The rest of this post is a reflection on the literature, my experience with students and my experience creating a film for myself.

What did I get out of the process?

When I decided to make a film for this module I wanted to do it for one main reason: engagement. I was becoming overwhelmed with the workload and the quantity of writing and reading I was completing on a weekly basis and decided I needed to express my opinions on this topic a little differently from normal.

I had completed all the reading and felt inspired by the dynamic and diverse things this type of activity could offer students. There were key words that kept appearing in the literature and I wanted the audience to focus on that.

I think the biggest benefit I received from the process was the reviewing and recalling constantly throughout the planning stage and then the filming and editing stages. The shots were loosely planned before the filming but the text and what I wanted to communicate was concrete. As I began to think of ideas for expression I realised that one idea lead onto another and then reconfirmed the content/substance of the video.

Originally I didn’t want any collaboration with the camera person as this was my university work. However, as the project progressed, it became impossible not to have a dialogue regarding the theory and the visual. Clearly, I had done all the reading and the camerawoman hadn’t so it wasn’t an input session but instead there were conversations where things were questioned for clarification. The project became a collaboration unintentionally.

What did I learn from the experience?

I learnt more about editing and filming but I also learnt about interaction with the contexts and situations unfolding around me. It is easy to walk to the shops without really looking at what is going on around you. Making the film made me look closely and question things in a different way.

If I were to do this again but in a language I was learning, the amount of language functions I would have used would have been diverse.  Also, the situations unfolding around the process would have had language and communication at the heart of the experience.

What would the learners get from a similar experience? 

So much! The students would have contextualised their learning and collaborated to produce a product that is centred around a narrative. It is difficult to say what a student would learn in projects like this in general as it depends on how and what the teacher chooses as the focus for the students during particular stages of the process. For example, looking at reported speech in a news report or spoken grammar in a script are two small language foci a project like this could include.

From chaos comes order… and a story.

A final point I want to make from this experience is something that doesn’t appear in the literature but I have noticed myself. Project-based learning, and particularly making a film with students, is often not a linear and tidy process.

Throughout my teaching experience, teaching students and using materials has always seemed like a step-by-step process that is clear and simple to follow. I totally agree that there is a place for this in the classroom and I feel it is easier for students and teachers to monitor progress. However, working, socialising and deep learning are not simple and straightforward like step-by-step guides, and neither is communication. Therefore, completing a project like this can appear chaotic and partly spontaneous during the process but what is produced as the final product and all the learning and communication that was involved during the process not only promotes learning but also further reflects the nature of communication and experiences outside the classroom.

— If you haven’t seen my short film yet, you can find it here —

https://youtu.be/i-heyCyOPFE

References

Carbonaro, M. et al. (2008). Interacitve story authoring: A viable form of creative expression for the classroom. Computers & Education, 51, 687-707.

Daly, C. and Pachler, N. (2011) Key issues in e-learning: research and practice. London: Continuum International Publishing Group.

Goldstein, B. and Driver, P. (2014) Language Learning With Digital Video. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Hung, C.M., Hwang, G.J., & Huang, I. (2012). A Project-based Digital Storytelling Approach for Improving Students’ Learning Motivation, Problem-Solving Competence and Learning Achievement. Educational Technology & Society, 15 (4), 368–379.

McDonough, J., Shaw, C. and Masuhara, H. (2012) Materials and methods in ELT: a teacher’s guide. 3rd edn. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell (an imprint of John Wiley & Sons Ltd).

Sharpe, R., Beetham, H. and Sara, D. F. (2010) Rethinking Learning for a Digital Age: How Learners Are Shaping Their Own Experiences. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

Tomlinson, B. (2011) Materials development in language teaching. 2nd edn. Edited by B. Tomlinson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.