Film is cool. Everyone likes film. And that, according to Flip Kulakiewic the Education and Learning Coordinator at Filmhouse in Edinburgh, is why teachers come to their school screenings. It is accessible, engaging and everyone enjoys themselves. Flip herself vividly remembers watching Bowling for Columbine at the age of 14 and says that the entire class came out of the cinema furious and enraged by what they had watched.
Only by being outraged at how unfair the world is, are people motivated to try and change things.
Fury and outrage
Responding with ‘outrage at social injustice’ is one of the key traits of a Global Citizen, as defined by Oxfam. Not malevolent shouting or physical violence, but real and thought provoking outrage. Only by being outraged at how unfair the world is, are people motivated to try and change things.
Every school can ‘do’ Global Citizenship. None of us need to be ‘outraged’ to raise money for a school in Malawi or even a little bit ‘cross’ to get an award or a school flag. However, if we really want to try to address complex and divisive issues we must think about Global Citizenship in a different way. We should think about ourselves as equal (with a nod to the BFG, showing at cinemas nationwide) Human Beans not just as ‘us’ and ‘them’, or as teachers ticking a box.
Inspiring and motivating
Global Citizenship offers us resources and a framework to add depth and breadth to our curriculum; importantly it articulates the pivotal role teachers play in inspiring and motivating pupils to find the role they can play in a wider, global society. As teachers we need to reframe stories for our pupils not just regurgitate the old ones or ignore the uncomfortable and controversial ones. Global Citizenship is about introducing pupils to the many voices and perspectives of our world and creating spaces where we can explore the difficult and contentious.
As teachers we need to reframe stories for our pupils not just regurgitate the old ones or ignore the uncomfortable and controversial ones.
Film allows us to bring stories and issues alive. By framing the film we are able to support the audience to watch the film as an active participant rather than a passive recipient. Beyond belly laughing humour, a great script and gorgeous cinematography there is a real opportunity to use film to intensify learning and, perhaps, provoke a response from our pupils. Maybe even a little outrage.
Take one action
Take One Action Film Festivals use film for audiences to ‘see the change they want to be’. Phyllis Mitchell, a teacher from Balgreen Primary School in Edinburgh, recently took a group of P6 pupils to a school screening at the Filmhouse. She believes that, ‘using film is a really powerful tool as it brings global issues to life for children in a way that motivates them into wanting to make a difference’.
Before the film Take One Action asks audiences to think about why they have come to watch the film and what questions they have about it. After the film they ask how they feel about what they have watched and how they could respond to it: ‘is there any action we can take?’ And it works. I recently watched a film as part of the Take One Action film festival, and it enraged me so much that I woke up in the morning thinking about it and, best of all, I chatted about it with a random person on the train.
Take One Action Film Festivals take place at a number of locations across Scotland and include a selection of films and events for schools. Up-coming events are in Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. (See Good to Know section for details.)
DocAcademy
Good, thought provoking film stays with us. For pupils that response can be collective and individual. How you as a teacher facilitate that conversation after the film can have a profound impact on their learning. We need to ask the right questions and allow time for them to really think about how they feel about a story. And importantly how they would like to respond.
A useful resource to support this process is DocAcademy. DocAcademy is an online resource which provides access to documentary footage, curated film clips and accompanying lesson plans on a range of topical issues such as refuges, poverty and climate change.
“Using film is a really powerful tool as it brings global issues to life for children in a way that motivates them into wanting to make a difference”.
He Named Me Malala
The Malala Fund recently invited the Global Learning Centres in Scotland to partner with them as they plan to distribute copies of He Named Me Malala to schools across Scotland. As part of this programme Scotdec recently facilitated a CLPL course in partnership with Take One Action and a similar programme will be rolled out across Scotland. Also available are resources, ideas and lesson plans all free to access online.
Trumped
Film comes in all sizes, shapes and colours. One size does not fit all levels. A 2-minute, one-sided, Donald Trump-bashing YouTube video provoked a huge response during a recent workshop. A little fury. A lot of laughs. Great discussion. I have played that same 2-minute video at a conference and no-one laughed. Everyone looked very uncomfortable, even appalled that I was very openly presenting a one-sided perspective of this man. Plus it was political. But the point is that I didn’t make that video, I am not that talented. I just brought it to an audience. How they respond is up to them. Silence, laughs, perhaps a little outrage.
