Film Education

The way I define film education in the most simply way is that it is a way of using film to enhance study. In the report ‘Making a case for Film Education’ ten key positive messages about film in education are included. The ones I thought were the most important were;

• The type of film education would include discussion, presentation, critical thinking, working in teams and filmmaking as well as watching.
• Film engages young people in learning. Film stretches the most gifted and engages the hardest to reach.
• Film education teaches young people many skills. The most valuable film education strategies enhance critical, cultural and creative abilities

(Richard Miller, Keith Randle & Sally Graham, 2012).

Digital literacy has come to the attention of educators as it becoming a bigger part of how young people socialise, work, communicate, spend their leisure time and how they learn and share knowledge. Therefore educators are appreciating that the role of teaching isn’t just to prepare children for the digital world but that a continued engagement with technology is now vital to the development of children’s knowledge across different subjects and disciplines. After the lecture on film education I looked to see how popular film education was in Wales. I found the film agency for Wales’s website. The film agency for Wales support film and media education projects for students aged 3 to 19 years and through to lifelong learning and adult education. Their website says that National research shows that there is a benefit from using film across the curriculum as well as through informal learning contexts. By watching, learning about, understanding and then making film it supports people of all ages by increasing cultural and social awareness, as well as building transferable skills and knowledge in a digital media age (Film Agency for Wales, 2006).

After learning more about film education from the lecture and seminar I realised that at times in my education some of my teachers had used these techniques to enhance my learning. In a different module I am studying in University we often watch video clips and are asked to take notes, to give our opinion and to share what we have taken from the clip in groups. As I am more of a kinaesthetic and auditory learner I find this type of learning more beneficial for me. I find that with films or videos things are more likely to stick into my mind rather than when I read a passage of text.