Module 12: Integrating Film/Media into the Curriculum
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Module 12: Integrating Film/Media into the CurriculumAs was noted in Module 2 on formulating a justification for media literacy, one of the reasons for the marginalization of film/media in the language arts curriculum is that the overall curriculum is often defined in terms of separate components of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing, with priority given on reading and writing instruction given the emphasis on high-stakes reading and writing testing. “Viewing” is also perceived to be lacking intellectual or cognitive rigor associated with analysis of or production of print texts. However, as was argued in Module 2, the nature of the types of texts being analyzed—whether they are print or non-print, does not necessarily mean that such analysis is any less intellectual or cognitive rigorous. This suggests the need for an alternative curriculum framework that is organized around helping students learn to acquire interpretative strategies employed in responding to and producing both print and non-print texts. Framing the curriculum according to interpretative strategies serves to integrate media texts into the curriculum as requiring the same types of strategies and approaches applied to literary texts. It also assumes the strategies involved in learning to interpret texts are employed in producing those texts. Learning to analyze the ways in which a text positions audiences is also involved in producing texts for those audiences. This module describes this curriculum design approach in which you think about defining activities around helping students acquire both interpretive strategies for responding to and critiquing media texts and producing strategies for constructing media texts. It uses the example of studying the relationships between literature and film adaptations of literature to illustrate the use of these different interpretive strategies. The module therefore first presents some material on studying film adaptations of literature and theater as background to consider the use of different interpretive strategies. Framing the curriculum according to interpretative strategies serves to define the goals and learning objectives related to what students should learn to do in understanding and producing texts. As discussed at the end of this module, they are then evaluated in terms of criteria specific to each of the interpretive strategies and critical approaches. This focus on organizing the curriculum around strategies is consistent with media literacy curriculum development throughout the world. For example, the Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation of the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, in their "Foundation for English Language Arts for the Atlantic Provinces" blueprint for English Language Arts education http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/media_education/index.cfm formulate three basic strands associated with media education:
* Media Literacy is the ability to understand how mass media, such as TV, film, radio and magazines, work, produce meanings, and are organized and used wisely. * Critical Literacy is the ability to understand how all speakers, writers, and producers of visual texts are situated in particular contexts with significant personal, social and cultural aspects.
http://www.angelfire.com/ms/MediaLiteracy/ British Columbia: Film and Television, Grades 11/12 http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/film1112/filtoc.htm Britain has placed considerable emphasis on media education in the past decade, leading to the development of nation-wide Advanced Level examinations in media studies, film studies, and communication studies. All students are required to demonstrate proficiency in analysis of a media text. The British curriculum is organized around certain concepts of “media language”—properties of texts, “genre,” “representation,” “institution” (control/ownership of production), and “audience.” This leads to questions such as the following: * How is the meaning produced? * How might the text be classified as a genre? * What kinds of representation are found in the text? * Who produced the text and for whar purpose? * How might different audiences understand and respond to the text? * What kinds of skills and understanding are required to produce such a text? Roy Stafford (2001) http://mediaed.org.uk/posted_documents/mediaeduk.html In attempting to formulate a media literary curriculum, Renee Hobbs of Temple University, http://www.reneehobbs.org/renee's%20web%20site/Products/products.htm who has worked on developing the Maryland media literacy curriculum, http://www.msde.state.md.us/assignment_media_lit/home.html as well as the “Viewing and Representing” media literacy curriculum for Texas, notes the any media literacy curriculum needs to involve use of reading and critical thinking strategies involved in responding to a range of media texts (Hobbs, 2003).
http://members.aol.com/Mind2Ls/multimedia.htm Books on the topic of “mindtools”: Dikhstra, S., Jonassen, D., & Sembill, D. (2001). Multimedia learning: Results and perspectives. New York: Peter Lang Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Moore, J., & Marra, R. (2002). Learning to solve problems with technology: A constructivist perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Jonassen, D., & Stollenwerk, D., (2000). Computers as mindtools for schools: Engaging critical thinking. New York: Pearson. The Media Workshop http://www.mediaworkshop.org The Integration of Technology Across the Middle School Curriculum http://www.pineriver.k12.mi.us/ms/lessonplans/lessonplans.html For further reading on curriculum integration of media: Adans, D. M., & Hamm, M. (2000). Media and literacy: Learning in an electronic Age--Issues, ideas, and teaching strategies. New York: Charles C Thomas. Alvermann, D. (Ed.). (2002). Adolescents and literacies in a digital world. New York: Peter Lang. Alvermann, D., Moon, J.S., & Hagood, M.C. (1999). Popular culture in the classroom: Teaching and researching critical media literacy. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Barrell, B. R. C., Hammett, R. F., Mayher, J. S., &. Pradl, G. M. (Eds.). (2003). New traditions in subject English: Cross border perspectives. New York: Teachers College Press. Barrell, B. R.C. (Ed). (2001). Technology, teaching and learning: Issues in the integration of technology. Calgary: Detselig Enterprises Ltd. (324 pages). Brunner, C., & Talley, W. (1999). The new media literacy handbook: An educator's guide to bringing new media into the classroom. New York: Anchor Books. Buckingham, D. (2003). Media education: Literacy, learning, and contemporary culture. London: Polity Press. Buckingham, D., & Sefton-Green, J. (1995). Cultural studies goes to school: Reading and
Considine, D., & Haley, G. E. (1999). Visual messages: Integrating imagery into instruction: A teacher resource for media and visual literacy. Boulder, CO: Teacher Ideas Press. Doggett, S., & Montgomery, P. K. (2000). Beyond the book: Technology integration into the secondary school library media curriculum. New York: Libraries Unlimited Farmer, L. S. J. (2001). Teaming with opportunity: Media programs, Community constituencies, and technology. New York: Libraries Unlimited. Fleming, D. (2002). Media Teaching. London: Blackwell Publishers Goodwyn, A. (2003). English teaching and the moving image. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis. Hammett, R. F. & Barrell, B.R.C (Eds). (2002). Digital expressions, Cultural studies and technology. Calgary: Detselig Enterprises Ltd. Hart, A., & Hicks. A. (2002). Teaching media in the English curriculum. New York: Stylus Publishing. Kooy, M., Jansen, T., & Watson, K. (Eds.). (1999). Fiction, literature and media. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. Krueger, E., & Christel, M. (2001). Seeing and believing: How to teach media literacy in the English classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Kubey, R. (Ed.). (2001). Media literacy in the information age: Current perspectives. New York: Transaction Publishers. Loizeau, E. B., & Fraistat, N. (2002). Reimagning textuality: Textual studies in the late age of print. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press Mackay, M. (2002). Literacies across Media: Playing the Text. London: Routledge, 2002. Mayer, R. (2001). Multimedia learning. Cambridge University Press Pailliotet, A., & Mosenthal, P. (Eds.) (2000). Reconceptualizing literacy in the Media Age. New York: JAI Press. Richards, J. C., & McKenna, M. C. (Eds.). (2003). Integrating multiple literacies in K-8 classrooms. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Ross, J. M. (2001). The groovy little youth media sourcebook: Strategies and techniques from the ListenUp Network. New York: Listen Up! Semali, L. (2002). Transmediation in the classroom: A semiotics-based media literacy framework. New York: Peter Lang. Semali, L., Kincheloe, J. L., Steinberg, S. R. (Eds.). (2001). Literacy in multimedia America: Integrating media across the curriculum. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Tyner, K. (1998). Literacy in a digital world: Teaching and learning in the age of information. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Unsworth, L. (2001). Teaching multiliteracies across the curriculum: Changing contexts of text and image in classroom practice. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis. Drawing on Existing Media Studies Curriculum In this module, you will learn ways of formulating your own media studies curriculum as integrated into language arts, social studies, or second languages/cultures curriculum based on interpretive strategies and critical approaches. All of this involves adopting an interdisciplinary approach to organizing the curriculum, in which you are combining language arts, social studies, science, math, or second languages with media studies/art. In doing so you may want to examine curriculum developed by others, curriculum, syllabi, and units available from the following sites: Interdisciplinary lesson plans: by author and title http://www.suhsd.k12.ca.us/mvm/netlinks/contents.html The Educators’ Network (free sign up): units from different disciplines http://www.theeducatorsnetwork.com/main/ Teach with Movies: ways of integrating movies into the curriculum http://www.teachwithmovies.org/ Introduction to Media Studies: course at University of Texas http://www.utexas.edu/coc/rtf/305/fall98.html ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ss/ (lots of college syllabi) New Mexico Media Literacy Project http://www.nmmlp.org The Media Literacy On-Line Project http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/HomePage Media Education Foundation http://mediaed.org Center for Media Literacy http://www.medialit.org Media Literacy Clearinghouse http://www.med.sc.edu:1081/ Media Channel http://www.mediachannel.org Media Knowledge http://www.mediaknowledge.org The Connecticut Media Literacy Project http://www.medialit.uconn.edu
Media Working Group http://www.mwg.org/ Media Awareness Network http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/index.cfm The Media and Communication Studies Page http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/medmenu.html
Project Look Sharp http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/resources/integration/ EnhanceTV: Australian site that provides information about video recourses, some of which can be downloaded http://www.enhancetv.com.au/ Studying Film Adaptations of Literature and Theater English teachers frequently employ film adaptations of literature, one example of integrating film into the English curriculum. In doing so, English teachers may bring a bias towards assuming that print or stage literature is somehow a superior form to film, while film teachers may assume that film is superior. These presuppositions having to with one form being superior to the other often lapses into discussions of whether the film or the text is “better”—failing to consider or judge the uses of specific techniques within a particular form. The extent to which a film or text succeeds needs to judged according to criteria specific to that particular medium. Many early film adaptations were highly staged as no more than a faithful reproduction of the original theater production. These films did not succeed in terms of using the film medium itself to create highly cinematic versions of the original story that employs engaging film techniques. These films therefore did not exploit the differences between film and theater forms. Differences between film and theater. In his textbook, Understanding Movies, Louis Giannetti (2002) http://www.prenhall.com/giannetti describes some of the differences between film and theater: - time. Film can be highly flexible, moving backwards (with flashbacks) or forwards, as well as compressing or speeding up time; time in the theater is continuous and limited to moving forward in time. - space. Space in film is two-dimensional and viewers are positioned within that space through different types of shots—as close to a person or faraway from that person. Space in theater is three-dimensional and audiences can select what they and how they focus their attention. However, the space in a theater is a closed space—once actors leave the stage, they are forgotten, when film often uses “off-frame” action—the fact that we are aware of someone outside a frame. - language. Film employs both cinematography and language to convey meaning, whereas theater employs primarily language, although some theater productions incorporate multimedia/videos as part of the production. Theater therefore focuses primarily on characters and their relationships within relatively small, limited spaces, while film can place people in a range of different, much more open spaces. - directing. Film directors often have much more independence, control, and leeway to construct their own ideas and versions of the original screenplay, while theater directors are more limited to adopting the play. Film directors can redo a certain scene numerous times until it fits what they want to convey. While theater directors certainly will rework scenes, once the play begins its run, they have little control over the results. - settings. Film directors can work with a lot of different aspects of settings and forms of space, music, editing, and now—computer graphics and simulations, while theater directors are limited to the stage space. - costumes. In both film and theater, costumes are used to capture the historical or cultural contexts, using costumes to communicate the nature of the historical period; character’s class, gender, age, eroticism; attitude/style—often through colors or fit; or identity and personality—as eccentric, conventional, proper, elegant, etc. Directory: cinema Download 462.26 Kb. Share with your friends:
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