Usingmoviesandsongsinclass

Researchsuggeststhatpeoplelearnabstract,new,andnovelconceptsmoreeasilywhen
theyarepresentedinbothverbalandvisualform(Salomon,1979).Otherempirical
researchshowsthatvisualmediamakeconceptsmoreaccessibletoapersonthantext
mediaandhelpwithlaterrecall(Cowen,1984).InWillingham's(2009)researchheasks
asimplequestiontomakehispoint,"Whydostudentsremembereverythingthat'son
televisionandforgetwhatwelecture?"becausevisualmediahelpsstudentsretain
conceptsandideas.
Bransford,Browning,andCocking
(1999,p194)alsonotethecrucial
rolethattechnologyplaysforcreatinglearningenvironmentsthatextendthepossibilities
ofonewaycommunicationmedia,suchasmovies,documentaries,televisionshowsand
musicintonewareasthatrequireinteractivelearninglikevisualizationsand
studentcreatedcontent.
Prosofusingmoviesintheclassroom

Canextendthelearningbeyondthetextbook

Sometimesamoviecanreallyhelpstudentsgetafeelforaneraoranevent.For
example,ifyouareteachingaboutthe
Titanicdisaster
,clipsfromthemovie
Titanic
whichportraythedifferentclassesandwhylifeboatswereallowedtoleave
partiallyfullcanhelpstudentsexperiencetheissuesinvolvedinvolvedtoamuch
greaterextent.

Interestbuilding

Atsomepointintheyear,studentsmightneedaninterestbuildingactivity.
Typically,thishappensinmyclassroombetweentheendofwinterholidaysand
thebeginningofspringbreakwhentheweatherisnotthatgreatoutsideand
thereareonlyacoupleofdaysoff.Addingamoviecanbuildinterestinatopic
thatisbeinglearnedwhileprovidingasmallbreakfromnormalclassroom
activities.

Meetsadditional
learningstyles

Presentinginformationinnumerouswayscanbethekeytohelpingstudents
understandtopics.Forexample,havingstudentswatchthemovie
SeparateBut
Equal
canhelpthemunderstandthereasonbehindthecourtcase
Brownv.Board
ofEducation
beyondjustwhattheycanreadinatextbookorlistentoina
lecture.

Provideteachablemoments

Sometimesamoviecanincludemomentsthatgobeyondwhatyouareteaching
inalessonandallowyoutohighlightotherimportanttopics.Forexample,the
movie
Gandhi
canprovideyouwiththeabilitytodiscussworldreligions,
imperialism
,nonviolentprotest,personalfreedoms,rightsandresponsibilities,
genderrelations,Indiaasacountry,andsomuchmore.

Canbeagoodthingtodoondayswherestudentswouldbeunfocused

Itisafactofdaytodayteachingthattherewillbedayswhenstudentswillbe
focusedmoreontheirhomecomingdanceandgamethatnightortheholidaythat
startsthenextdaythanonthetopicoftheday.Whilethisisnotanexcuseto
showanoneducationalmovie,thiscouldbeagoodtimetowatchsomethingon

thetopicyouareteaching.
ConsofUsingMoviesintheClassroom

Cancausestudentstolosefocus

Moviescanbedistracting.Itisimportantthatyoucompletelywatchandknow
everythingaboutthemovieyouareshowingsothatitdoesnotleadtounwanted
conversationsandsituations.Forexample,youmighthavewatchedamovie
numeroustimesathomebutonlywhenwatchingitwithaclassroomfullof
studentswillthosecursewordsthatyoudidn'tnoticetrulystandoutoran
offcolorjokerearitsheadcausingstudentstolaughandtalkamongst
themselves.

Maytaketoomuchtime

Moviescansometimesbeverylong.Evenashortmoviecantakeup23daysof
classroomtime.Further,itcanbedifficultifdifferentclasseshavetostartand
stopatdifferentspotsofamovie.

Reallyeducationalpartmayonlybeasmallportionoftheoverall

Inthesecases,itisbesttojustshowtheclipsifyoufeelthattheytrulyaddto
thelessonyouareteaching.

Amountof
preptime
isimportanttomakesureeducationalexperience

Ifdoneproperly,showingmoviesisnotaneasywaytocreatealesson.You
shouldwatchthemovieanddetermineexactlyhowyouaregoingtoincludeitin
yourlessonplans.Forexample,areyougoingtocreateaworksheettobe
completedasthemovieisbeingwatched,providethestudentswithspecific
informationthattheyaretolookoutfor,stopthemovieanddiscussatcertain
points,etc.

Perceptionofusingmoviescanbebad.

Finally,thereisaperceptionthatwatchingmoviesisabadmethodofteaching.
Thatiswhyitiskeythatifyouareincludingmoviesthatyoupickthemwisely
andproperlycreatelessonsthatinvolvethemoviesandtheinformationthatthe
studentsarelearning.Youdon'twanttogetareputationastheteacherwho
showsallthosemovieslike"FindingNemo"whichservelittletonopurposewithin
theclassroomsetting.

Parentsmightobjecttospecificcontentwithinamovie.

Ifyouhaveanyconcernsatallaboutamovie,youshouldsendhomepermission
slipsforstudentstoreturn.Itiswisetoincludeasmanyspecificreasonsas
possiblewhyyoufeelthemovieisnecessaryforyourlesson.Invitetheparents
totalkwithyouaboutanyconcernstheymighthavebeforetheshowing.Ifa
studentsisnotallowedtowatchthemovie,theyshouldbegivenworkto
completeinthelibrarywhileyouareshowingittotherestofclass.

Intheend,moviescanbeaneffectivetoolasyouarecreatingyourlessonplans.The
keytosuccessistochoosewiselyandcreatelessonplansthatinvolvetheinformation
learnedinthemovie.

BenefitsofusingMusic

Haveyoueverheardofanyonewhodoesn'tlikemusic?Somepeoplemaynotlikeart,
dancing,reading,ormovies,butalmosteveryonelikesonekindofmusicoranother.
Mostpeoplelikemanydifferentkindsofmusic.Studieshaveshownthatmusic...
improvesconcentration
improvesmemory
bringsasenseofcommunitytoagroup
motivateslearning
relaxespeoplewhoareoverwhelmedorstressed
makeslearningfun
helpspeopleabsorbmaterial

Websused

https://serc.carleton.edu/econ/media/why.html
http://712educators.about.com/od/curriculumandlessonplans/a/ProsAndConsO
fUsingMoviesInClass.htm
https://www.englishclub.com/teachingtips/musicclassroom.htm

Moreadvantagesofusingmoviesintheclass:

Therearemanybenefitstousingvideoineducation,becausestudentscanassimilate
contentattheirpaceandexploreitmoredeeplyduringclasstime.Therearenumerous
advantagesaboutit:

Itfacilitatesthinkingandproblemsolving:itenablesstudentstoacquirearange
ofskills,suchasresearchskills,collaborativeworking,problemsolving,
technology,andorganisationalskills.
Itassistswithmasterylearning:videocanbeasgoodasaninstructorin
communicatingfactsordemonstratingprocedurestoassistinmasterylearning,
wherestudentscanviewthingsasmanytimesastheyneedto.
Itinspiresandengagesstudents:incorporatedintostudentcentredlearning
activitiesthrough:increasedstudentmotivation,enhancedlearningexperience,
developmentpotentialfordeeperlearningofthesubject,developmentoflearner
autonomy,enhancedteamworkingandcommunicationskills,asourceof
evidencerelatingtoskillsforinterviews,andopportunitiesforstaffdevelopment.

Moreadvantagesofusingsongsintheclass:

Thereareseveralbenefitsofusingmusictoenhancethelearningenvironment.
Songscanbeusedforanumberofpurposes,andtherearemanyreasonswhysongs
canbeconsideredavaluablepedagogicaltools.Songscanhelpyounglearnersimprove
theirlisteningskillsandpronunciation.Also,songscanbeusefultoolstoimprove
vocabularyacquisitionandsentencestructures.Thegreatestbenefittousingsongsin
theclassroomisthattheycanhavefun,anditcanimprovestudentsmotivation.This
stimulatesinterestandattention.Moreover,theyareusefulforlisteningactivities.Some
songscontainscommonexpressions,andlisteningtoitoverandoveragaincanseem
lessmonotonousbecauseoftherhythmandmelody.Songsprovidesarelaxedand
informalatmosphere,andreduceanxiety.
Bibliography:

Pedagogicalbenefits
http://www.uq.edu.au/teach/videoteachlearn/pedbenefits.html
UsingsongseffectivelytoteachEnglishtoyounglearners
http://es.slideshare.net/btlsvr/usingsongsinlanguageteaching
TheuseofsongsintheESLclassroom:

TheuseofsongsintheESLclassroomisveryuseful,songscontainauthenticlanguage
andtheyprovidevocabulary,grammarandculturalaspectstoworkwith.Inaddition,
youcanworkwithpronunciationandrhythm,andthetopicsofthesongscantrigger
discussionandinterestingthemestobeexplored.

HereareninereasonswhyweshouldusesongsintheESLclassroom:
Songsalmostalwayscontainauthentic,naturallanguage:Ofcoursesongscanalsogo
totheotherextremebyusingoverlycrude,foulorotherwiseobjectionablelanguage.
Butweshouldselectcarefullythesongandhaveathandanextensivelibraryofusable
songsforlanguagelearning.
Avarietyofnewvocabularycanbeintroducedtostudentsthroughsongs:wecafind
vocabulary,phrases,expressionsandidiomsincontext.
Songsareusuallyveryeasilyobtainable:songsarenowadaysnotthatdifficultto
obtain,therearealotofmediainwhichwecanplaythem.
Songscanbeselectedtosuittheneedsandinterestsofthestudents:insteadofthe
teacherchoosingthesongs,itisagoodideatohavestudentschoosethesongsbytheir
favoritesingers,bands,genres,etc.
Grammarandculturalaspectscanbeintroducedthroughsongs:sonsinclude
recurrentthemesandtopicsthataresometimesoverlooked.Theycanbeusedtotrigger
discussionsaboutthetopicstheydealwith.
Timelengthiseasilycontrolled:Whetheryouhaveanhour,30minutes,oronly15
minutesorso,asongcanbeusedinthecourseofaplannedlesson.Useofsongsis
veryflexible.
Studentscanexperienceawiderangeofaccents:studentscanbeexposedtodifferent
accentsofEnglishbyworkingwithsongsuseofcontractionscanalsobetakeninto
consideration
Songlyricscanbeusedinrelatingtosituationsoftheworldaroundus:manysongs
areaboutprotests,civilrights,injustices,andotherimportantcurrenttopicstobe
discussedintheclassroom.
Studentsthinksongsarenaturalandfun:thelyrics,thebeats,thevoices,thevideos.
Studentslovetheseelementsinasong,andtheycanhavefunwhilelearningwith
songs.

source:
http://www.eslbase.com/teaching/usingsongstoteachefl
BenefitsofusingsongsinESLclassrooms
Thebenefitsofsongsasteachingtoolsgowellbeyondjustteachingthelanguage.Here
areafewreasonstoimplementsongsinyourlessonsfromstarttofinish:
Songscreateapositiveatmosphere
Justaswetakegreatcareindecoratingourclassroomstomakethemwarmand
conducivetolearning,weshouldthinkabouthowwearedecoratingourclassroomswith
audio.Learningaforeignlanguagecanbestressfulforanyone,especiallyyoung
learners.Fun,simpleEnglishsongsplayingasstudentsentertheclassroomhelpcreate
awelcomingenvironment.
Songshelptobalanceenergylevels
Somechildrencometoclassbouncingoffthewalls,whileothersarequitereserved.
Startingclasswithanactivesongallowsthehigherenergystudentstogetthewiggles
outandthelowerenergystudentstopepupalittle.

 Songsareveryeffectiveinsignalingtransitions
Studentsoftengetconfused,andsubsequentlytuneout,duringtransitionsfromone
activitytoanother.Verbaldirectionsalonecanbedifficulttounderstand,especially
whenastudentwasfocusingondifferentactivity.Usingsongstosignalchangeshelps
studentsunderstandwhatisgoingon(andhelpssavetheteachersvoice,too!)Try
usingdifferentsongstosignalwhenitistimetostartclass,timetocleanup,timeto
makeacircle,timetotakeoutyourcoursebook,etc.
Songsalloweveryonetoparticipate
Thesedays,somestudentscometoourclasseshavinglearnedEnglishfrombirth,while
othersinthesameclassmaybelearningEnglishforthefirsttime.Singingisanactivity
thatchildrenofalllevelscanenjoyequally.StudentswithlowEnglishlevelswillbeable
tofollowalongwithgesturesanddancesastheygraduallylearnthelanguageinthe
song.Moreadvancedstudentscanalsoenjoysinginganddancingwhileimprovingtheir
rhythm,intonation,andpronunciation,eveniftheyalreadyknowallthewords.
Songsallowforquickreview.
Itcansometimesbedifficulttoprovideasmuchreviewaswedlikeforourstudents.
Songsareafun,easywaytoquicklyreintroducelanguagefromearlierlessons.
Songsaresticky
.
Whenyouteachwithsongs,youbeassuredthosesongswillbouncearoundyour
studentsheadslongaftertheclassisover.Thesamecantbesaidformostother
teachingtools.
Aclassroomfullofsongsisawarmclassroomwherestudentsaregettinglotsofquality
Englishinputinafunandeasytounderstandway.

https://oupeltglobalblog.com/2011/05/11/whyshouldsongsbeusedmoreintheyoun
glearnersclassroom/
AdvantagesofusingfilmsintheESLclass

Learningfromfilmsismotivatingandenjoyable

Motivationisoneofthemostimportantfactorsindeterminingsuccessful
secondlanguageacquisition.FilmsandTVshowsareanintegralpartofstudentslives
soitmakesperfectsensetobringthemintothelanguageclassroom.Film,asa
motivator,alsomakesthelanguagelearningprocessmoreentertainingandenjoyable.

Filmprovidesauthenticandvariedlanguage

Anotherbenefitofusingfilmisthatitprovidesasourceofauthenticandvaried
language.FilmprovidesstudentswithexamplesofEnglishusedinrealsituations
outsidetheclassroom,particularlyinteractivelanguagethelanguageofreallife
conversation.Filmexposesstudentstonaturalexpressionsandthenaturalflowof
speech.IftheyarenotlivinginanEnglishspeakingenvironment,perhapsonlyfilmand
televisioncanprovidelearnerswiththisreallifelanguageinput.

Filmgivesavisualcontext

Thevisualityoffilmmakesitaninvaluablelanguageteachingtool,enablinglearnersto
understandmorebyinterpretingthelanguageinafullvisualcontext.Filmassiststhe
learnerscomprehensionbyenablingthemtolistentolanguageexchangesandseesuch
visualsupportsasfacialexpressionsandgesturessimultaneously.Thesevisualclues
supporttheverbalmessageandprovideafocusofattention.

Varietyandflexibility

Filmcanbringvarietyandflexibilitytothelanguageclassroombyextendingtherangeof
teachingtechniquesandresources,helpingstudentstodevelopallfourcommunicative
skills.Forexample,awholefilmorsequencecanbeusedtopractiselisteningand
reading,andasamodelforspeakingandwriting.Filmcanalsoactasaspringboardfor
followuptaskssuchasdiscussions,debatesonsocialissues,roleplays,reconstructinga
dialogueorsummarising.Itisalsopossibletobringfurthervarietytothelanguage
learningclassroombyscreeningdifferenttypesoffilm:featurelengthfilms,short
sequencesoffilms,shortfilms,andadverts.
Source:
https://www.britishcouncil.org/voicesmagazine/howcanfilmhelpyouteachorlearne
nglish