[Kieran]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the film guides.

For this task I looked at the viewing guides for Carol and The King’s Speech.

two great films!

Both guides are comprehensive. They give students a very structured approach to viewing the film and allow for greater learner autonomy.

I completely agree with you that the guides can help to develop students’ autonomy.

Pre-viewing

The viewing recommendations give students a clear order and the pre-viewing questions help students to start drawing on their background knowledge and making connections. I’d like to do this in class because it would lead to interesting discussion and I think it would be more beneficial for the students to share their ideas.

I also think this Pre-viewing stage works best in class and generates a lot of interesting discussion.

With The King’s Speech I wonder what sort of answers students would have – their knowledge of the British monarchy might be limited to contemporary figures like Queen Elizabeth, Prince William, Harry and Meghan etc. Being able to make that link, as well as knowing it’s based on a real person, may make it more interesting for them.

I’d use Carol with students who had the intellectual maturity to be able to tackle the subject matter and issues contained in the film. I’d really like to be able to use a film like this, but in some settings it’s too controversial or taboo.

Synopsis

The synopsis for The King’s Speech is short and to the point; for Carol it’s longer and more detailed. Both are sufficient in helping students understand the respective stories

I think the longer synopsis is better as it gives students more idea of the narrative and this can reduce the cognitive load when they watch the film.

The glossary for both is extensive and there are example sentences which help further student comprehension. At first it might seem quite overwhelming for the students with multiple pages of new vocabulary. Breaking the film down into sections, along with the relevant vocabulary, and watching a second time will help students retain more. It allows students to do this as self-study and revisit it at their leisure. They don’t need to rewatch the whole film, they can concentrate on a specific part if they wanted to.

Yes. Breaking the film down into sections with the relevant vocabulary makes the guide more student-friendly. Watching a second time will definitely help students retain more.

Post-viewing questions

There are a lot of questions here, broken down by categories from the viewing framework (story, character, composition etc). This variety gives the teacher/students lots of options.

Very good point here. Giving the teacher and students lots of options is very important.

Like with the pre-viewing questions I think this would work best as an in-class discussion, but it could be set for writing homework, or a mix of both.

I also think this stage works best in class.

Response to the film

Giving the students a choice of three options allows them to produce a personal response to the film that suits their learning style and allows them to reflect and develop their ideas.

Yes. With the choice of three options, most students should find a task they find interesting and engaging.

Extensive viewing in my classroom

I teach young learners are the moment, so I wouldn’t use either of these films. However, I think that I could still use the basic principles and structure with a different film in my middle school class (B1 level).

Excellent point. The framework wouldn’t work so well with younger learners. But, as you point out, you could still use the basic principles and structure with other films in your middle school class.

The problem here is convincing parents that extensive viewing is a valuable use of time when students have other academic priorities.

This is a great point. Many parents would argue that watching a film is not homework, but I’d argue that students are not just passively watching a film but actively viewing and analysing a visual text, and doing lots of engaging activities which will improve their children’s English level.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Andrew.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Gail,

Thanks very much for your great analysis of the scene.

I saw American Beauty a long time ago and remember not liking it. To see Kevin Spacey now – it’s hard not to think of what has happened with the actor himself.

It is a shame what has happened to Kevin Spacey. he seems to have destroyed his career and reputation.

I liked the framework very much. It is helpful in providing focus for students and teachers to analyze a scene or film.

I’m delighted to hear you like the framework!

1. Characters – describe each of the two main characters, how they relate to each other and also to their daughter. This would lead me to

There are a number of Character questions that would work perfectly to characterise the realtionships shown in the scene.

2. Social Issues – dealing with some aspect of family relations or the role of men and women in the American family (and with some comparison to the student’s own culture).

I think getting students to compare the culture shown in the fuilm with their own culture is really important.

3. Composition – there is SO much here, for example, the role of the asparagus, the costumes (contrast the formality of the wife to the informality of the husband), the set (formal, lit candles!!) vs the content and style of language used by the characters.

Absolutely! There is so much going on! The formal ‘beautiful ‘ room and table setting, contract so mcuh with the unpleasantness of the argument and language.

4. Sound – The background music of Frank Sinatra (and one could bring the words of the song and compare them to the content of the dialogue and scene itself), the volume of the music – relatively stable and minor – vs the ups and downs and yelling and pauses in the dialogue. BTW I think of Lawrence Welk as ballroom dancing music, not as what is played here, but that’s not the point…

Brilliant analysis of sound. I love your idea of getting the words of the song and comparing them to the content of the dialogue and scene itself. That would be amazing!

I very much like your additions to the 3 Cs and Ss – they add a lot.

I’m happy you like the additions to the 3 Cs and Ss.

Thanks again for your great analysis, Gail.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

Thanks very much for your great analysis of the scene.

Social Issues: What social issues are being explored?
Society gives us scripts. Here the script is: get a good job, get married (heterosexual), buy a house, have offspring… and automatically you will be happy. And don’t endanger this happiness, your job is to conform and do everything possible to maintain this life!

I like what you say about society giving us scripts!

The protagonist is fed up, he conformed too much, he didn’t stand up for himself, for his own desires, maintain his boundaries… he lost himself in conforming to what he thought he “has to do” as dictated/expected by society. He lost his authenticity, his truth, himself, his happiness.

Great point about the protagonist having lost his way in life. This is very common, isn’t it?

And in this scene he takes a stand. It’s a turning point when he learns to stand up for himself and to literally no longer be a pushover.

The scene really is a turning point for the protagonist.

Self: What do you think the message of the film is?
I believe the message is that living an authentic life is what brings happiness, not conformity to the expectations of others/society. But also, that it is never too late to take a stand for oneself. It really contrasts life as a teenager with that of the middle-aged… you are left wondering what happens in-between… cluelessness as a teenager, looking for direction in society, and then ending up a product of society rather than your own self-determined person.

I think your captured the message of the scene/film beautifully here.

Character: Were you able to identify with the characters in the film? Why or why not?
I can identify with the character to a certain extent. Although I didn’t follow that pattern he did in life, I do feel societal pressures to be or act a certain way. Or sometimes I do not take a clear stand to mark my boundaries. I’ve been reflecting on how this issue manifests in my life and how I want to be here on forward. As I am reflective by nature, I feel I have gone through a lot of tweaking over time, so no need for crazy explosions like he is going through.

I really like the way you’ve expressed how you identity to a certain extent with the character.

Culture: What different social classes are represented in the film? How are their cultures represented?
American (upper) middle-class is portrayed here. And the idea that “you have everything, so just f-ing be happy”. I think there is implied guilt of the middle class: all material needs are met, people in poor countries are the ones that have real problems, the ones that should be sad (The US is the land in which one can fulfill all their dreams and happiness – what?? people aren’t happy there?!).

Great stuff! The scene/film really seems to questions the ‘American Dream’ and ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ is some way, doesn’t it.

In my class
I have a class called Cultural Studies USA (C1). For that class this would be excellent. And though it is not a contemporary movie, the topic remains relevant.

The film would be great in your course on American cultural studies. Even though the film isn’t contemporary, I ffeel that much of it is still relevant in 2021.

Thanks again for your great analysis, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

I watched American Beauty years ago so I don’t really remember all the nuances of the film, what I remember is the midlife crisis of a white middle-class man who sexually objectifies the underaged friend of his daughter as he goes through a self proclaimed rebellion against the seemingly attainable comforts of the American Dream kind of suburban life which is satirised in the film. I assume it’s about much more than that but given that that’s what I recall I don’t consider the white male rage of any significance among the myriads of intersectional struggles that many other less privileged individuals are facing and thus wouldn’t want to introduce anything like it to students.

Yes, I take your point about elements of the film being problematic but I’m not suggesting using it with your students, just to use it as practice in applying the framework. My approach to using feature-length films is that when a film is potentially problematic, we can still use it as long as we encourage students to critically analyse it and deal with the areas which are potentially problematic rather than ignoring them.

In any case, if I were to use the scene I would rather go for the ‘social issues’ and ‘culture’ aspects of the scene even though I totally get how the analyses made by the other colleagues would help students practise linguistic aspects associated with e.g. setting etc.

This film definitely lends itself to analysing the ‘social issues’ and ‘culture’ aspects.

Regarding ‘social issues’ I would focus on: midlife crisis – how one should deal with it – acceptability or not of anger as a response / ‘joblessness’ as frowned upon in our societies / social hierarchy within the family and conflict-resolution to name a few

These are great points.

Regarding ‘culture’ I would be focusing on American culture in relation to pursuing the American dream / individualism vs collectivism in family decision making or asking questions such as: Is quitting your job accepted within your own culture? / How is the middle-class represented in the film? (grim and troublesome rather than idyllic) / How would the daughter get affected by the parental dispute or the father’s decision to quit his job? (we hear all about how the mum is the sole breadwinner in the family now, but nothing about how the father’s decision to quit might affect his daughter – will she get bullied at school ? )

Excellent. Even in such a short clip there are so many cultural aspects which appear and can be exploited, as you point out very clearly.

These are some of my initial thoughts but I would definitely have to re-watch the film in order to have a more informed opinion!

If you do re-watch it at some point, Marialena, let me know what you think of it.

Thanks again for your great analysis, Marialena.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

If the skill “reading” is broadened to also imply “reading visuals”, then it might not be necessary. I like the idea of including “viewing” as a receptive skill,

This is a very important point. In several countries they now refer to ‘reading’ as ‘reading/viewing’ which i really like.

Basically the four basic skills are like doing reps in the gym or repeating basketbal shots. Critical thinking / viewing integrates the skills, kind of like applying the strength/skills you gained doing reps to a game like playing a soccer game. The final level is simply interacting in the real world.

Very interesting perspective. I like it!

I think it is important to shine light on it and to implement a structured approach. As described above, I feel like it is an interactive version of the four basic skills.

Your concept of ‘an interactive version of the four basic skills’ is great.

What do you think of the videos which show the viewing frameworks in action in the classroom?
I like group lessons over 1-on-1 classes, and especially this kind of context where the students are encouraged to interact with what they see, and as you don’t exactly know what they are going to say it remains interesting for both teachers and students.

Yes. I agree these frameworks work better with groups. Students being encouraged to interact with what they see and make sense of what they see is very important, as you point out.

In the video with the primary students, where the teacher paraphrased each student’s expression, it felt a bit overdone, slowed the pace down a bit much and after a while felt boring. It would be ok for a shorter exchange. The paraphrasing is more interesting in the ESL classroom.

I completely understand your point here. The teacher in this case is a trained VTS facilitators and, as you spotted, maybe overdoes the paraphrasing.

Which framework do you like the most? What do you like about it?
I like the first video as it was three basic questions, so it is easy to remember and to implement, and can get the student going/producing speech.

A very simple but powerful framework.

Video Qs

How does this video relate to the fifth skill of viewing?
It highlights the importance of developing viewing skills. In light of our daily bombardment with visuals, it is important to discern who/what deserves our attention and then to understand the message of the visual – what the intention was and what we are interpreting from it, and consciously decide if we want to internalize the message or not.

Excellent answer to this question. I like what you say about consciously deciding if we want to internalize the message of the visual or not. Nice!

What do you think the film’s message is?
The importance of developing visual literacy and recognizing the importance of developing critical thinking skills in this area.

Yes. This is definitely the message.

Do you agree with its message? Why or why not?
Yes. Not developing these skills means you become a pawn on this planet. Developing the ability to think, and therefore actively choose the beliefs you integrate in your life allows you to not be directed by society/culture but to lead a self-directed life.

Great answer. I like what that you say if we don’t develop these viewing skills, we become pawns.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Andrew ,

Thanks very much for your in-depth evaluation of the scene from American Beauty.

Setting

From the start we can see that the scene takes place in a dining room. The decorations in the room like framed pictures and curtains, the wooden furniture, the tableware, the tablecloth and candles are all more formal. It suggests something about the family – the sort of house they might live in and perhaps their social status. They’re not eating in the kitchen or having a TV dinner – it’s a dedicated space for enjoying a leisurely meal. What we might expect is a relaxed family dinner and not the argument that quickly materialises.

Excellent analysis of the setting. The setting does give us clear clues about the social status of the family. The beautiful setting contrasts with the ugly argument, as you point out.

Sound

The music in the background (swing?) sets an easy, relaxed atmosphere and is juxtaposed with the couple’s argument. Sometimes it can be heard and at other times it’s barely audible. It’s noticeable that when the father says “Don’t interrupt me, honey” the track ends, there’s a few seconds of silence and there’s a transition to different music. It’s interesting that he also makes a comment about the music.

Superb analysis of the sound here. Again we have a contrast with something pleasant, the musi, and the ugly language and argument.

Camera

There are a number of shots that make up the scene. We start shot of the entire dining room as the daughter comes in and sit down. Is it being filmed from an adjoining room or are we the flies on the wall? That sets up the scene and the viewer knows where they are.

Yes. The setting is established very well with this shot, isn’t it?

It then cuts, back and forth, to close ups of the parents arguing with the daughter trapped between the two, like a game of tennis. This is more intimate but it’s also more effective – we feel the tension and see the expressions clearly. When the daughter stands up the camera follows her, and when she sits down it moves back. We’re trying to escape but we’re pulled right back in. There are wide shots when the father moves round the table to get the asparagus and when he throws the plate.

Great analysis. yes, the daughter is definitely “stuck in the middle” as Michael also pointed out. ASs you point out, the camera shots do capture the tension.

It allows us to be part of what is happening – he’s unpredictable and we’re not sure what he’s going to do. The scene ends as it started, with a shot of the entire dining room, allowing the viewer to be part of the aftermath in this uncomfortable silence.

There’s a nice symmetry with starting and ending the scene with the same type of shot.

The scene takes place in the evening – it seems to be dark outside and the room is not brightly lit – there are some lamps on the wall and candles on the table but those are the only sources of light. We can see some shadows around the room and under the table. It means there is not much distraction which allows us to focus on the conversation between the main characters. The colour palette seems to be cooler and there doesn’t seem to be much warmth which suits the atmosphere of the scene – mainly the cold relationship between the parents. The only real colour comes from the top the mother is wearing and a little in what the daughter is wearing. Overall, it doesn’t create a welcoming, friendly environment.

Excellent analysis of color and light. As you point out the choice of colour and light don’t create a welcoming, friendly environment!

Thanks again for your excellent comments, Andrew.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Daniela,

Thanks very much for your in-depth evaluation of the scene.

1) Setting:

-The action takes place in a dining room of a family house. It is evident from the very start of the scene as there are all the elements: a table, with an elegant table cloth, plates, cutlery, candles, glasses, jug of water, etc. And people are sitting and eating at a table. It is clear that it’s a house, because we see a window with curtains an a door from where the girl enters the dining room to join her family for dinner.

Great analysis of setting!

2) Sound:

– The background music is quite soft, and relaxing, it is a sort of slow swing, a lounge soft music, that turns into a more classical sound with violin playing in the very end of the scene. The effect it gives to the scene is to create a contrast, to express contradiction: in fact while the atmosphere may seem relaxed and elegant, there is actually a strong argument going on and strong language been used between the couple.

Excellent analysis. The pleasant music contrasts with the unpleasantness of the argument and language, doesn’t it?

3) Characters:

– The main character, husband and wife, are having a strong argument, there is verbal aggressiveness, screaming and some violent reactions from the man. All these elements show that there is conflict between the two, and this conflict is just bursting out in this scene. The woman does not show much appreciation for her husband, while the husband is trying to get more respect from her wife. He seems to be trying to assert his virility, his power as husband and father. They don’t like each other. This is quite evident.

Great analysis of the dynamic between the two characters.

4) Composition: What does the main actor’s gestures tell us about the personality of his character?

– The man’s gestures are very assertive, showing authority and power. His voice and his body language proceed according to an increasing intensity, reaching a climax in the moment when he throws the plate of asparagus onto the wall, out of any patience or calm. All his gestures tell us that he’s quite neurotic and he’s very likely aggressive and probably violent.

Really good analysis of the character’s gestures and how they reflect his personality.

I think the framework is really effective: I’ve just seen how, if we choose the right questions for our students, the framework can be adapted even to a short scene of an entire movie. Another very interesting aspect is the fact that we can select specific questions according to the aspects, themes, issues, language, etc. we want our students to focus on.

Absolutely. the selection of the questions is key and the framework can be adapted to just one scene in a film or even a short film.

It is really helpful and I think it gives both teachers and students a good structured activity, easy and clearer to tackle.

I’m delighted you like the framework so much.

Thanks again for your excellent comments, Daniela.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your in-depth evaluation of the scene.

S1 — Setting

I think it would be important in any analysis of this specific scene, to remind ourselves of what has happened up to this point, as it would explain why the characters are behaving the way they are. The father is quite obviously in the middle of a mid-life crisis or a mental breakdown, in addition to having (not) lost his job; the mother is manic which is typical for her (and could provide the spark for a discussion of another ‘hysterical’ female character) and a bit obliviously self-righteous (if I remember correctly she’s already having an affair – could be wrong about that as I’ve not seen the film in years); the daughter is both literally and figuratively ‘stuck in the middle’. The drama of the scene is pitted against a mundane setting: a boring dining room; yet, at the same time, isn’t it the dining room where events like this often happen? I might also ask my students what ‘family fights [at the dinner table]’ look like in their particular culture.

Fantastic analysis of setting! I completely understand what you mean about reminding ourselves of what has happened up to this point, but I think we could also use the scene in isolation without students having seen the rest of the film and get them to speculate about what might have happened before.

“Call me irresponsible” by Frank Sinatra is used as background music for the majority of the scene. It’s a very interesting choice, in that his wife is accusing him of just that. His responses (which make a certain amount of sense?) are lost on her until he, in an apparent improvisatory move, hurls the plate of asparagus against the wall. I find it intriguing that the character in the song is actually replying to this accusations by expressing how much he loves the person making the accusations – is this meant to be ironic, or expressing the husband’s deeper feelings in a different way? His final comment that they’re sick of the Lawrence Welk sh*t, draws the viewer / listener’s attention to this.

Excellent analysis of the music. The choice of music is brilliant, isn’t it?

How can one not look at the characters here??? The contrast in behaviour between the three of them (manic wife, befuddled offspring, and slightly drunk husband in the midst of / beginning of a midlife crisis) is wonderfully represented. But how they each compare to where they were earlier in the film is what is really interesting; the characters are both getting exposed for who they are (eg. The wife), where they’re headed, i.e. toward disaster (both the husband and wife), and the poor daughter remains ‘stuck in the middle’

Great analysis of personality of the three characters and the dynamic between them. I love that you’ve spotted that the daughter is figuratively and literally the poor daughter remains ‘stuck in the middle’!

The composition of this shot shows us a mid shot of a couple having dinner. The distance between them seems accentuated by the candles, which also bookends the negative space where the daughter should be. Later, when she appears it seems like she is what ‘fills the gap’ or, perhaps ‘holds the family unit in place’. Their relative placements are static, until the husband (vaguely menacing?) crosses over to the wife’s side, but returns to his own side.

Really excellent analysis of setting.

I think there’s sooooo much more to this scene, but this will have to do for now!

There is so much going on in this scene, isn’t there! I know psychologists who use this scene to teach trainee psychologists about dysfunctional family relationships and family conflicts.

I think this framework is going to be a great addition to my new class (Korean language and culture through film), though we might end up focusing on one certain ‘c’ more than other elements (at least in class). Still, it’s going to provide a consistent point of departure for class discussions and (some?) independent work!

I’m delighted the framework is going to be of use to you in your classes.

Thanks again for your excellent analysis and comments, Michael.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

Certainly! Nowadays students are exposed to countless multimodal texts daily thus it is imperative to be able to ‘read’ them actively and effectively, especially due to the fact that they often associate visual media to entertainment and thus neglect to evaluate the information they receive indirectly beneath the entertaining facade.

Great answer! I think your point about students often associating visual media to entertainment and thus neglecting to evaluate the information they receive indirectly beneath the entertaining facade is an excellent one.

Not only should more countries adopt this skill in their curricula but adults should also get relative training in order to understand in depth the world as it is now.

Absolutely. The need for adults to get training in evaluating multimodal texts is also imperative.

Absolutely! I would even say that the word traditional should also characterise the skill of ‘viewing’. Visual media and visual communication are nothing new – the format might be in constant development but the need to ‘read’ visual media has been here for decades – not to say centuries (look at cave paintings). It’s quite sad that we approach this skill as something new and/ or innovative within education when it should have always played an important role in the curriculum.

You make excellent points here. The need for visual literacy has indeed existed for decades.

I didn’t know any of these frameworks as such so the videos were really helpful.

I’m delighted you found the frameworks useful.

Even though I like ‘See, Think and Wonder’ I’ve had negative experiences with using questions such as “What do you think about what you see? / What does it make you wonder?” Especially in regards to ‘wonder’ I find that students are often confused and expect that they should wonder about something particular and thus don’t really engage with the task. I’ve gotten responses such as ‘I don’t wonder anything’ in the past so I think it might be more effective to start with the 3Cs, 3Ss framework – which seems more guided – and once students get familiar with ‘reading’ visual media gradually more towards See, Think and Wonder.

What you say about students struggling with the ‘wonder’ question is interesting. I haven’t heard this before but I can imagine it happening. Perhaps you might need to scaffold this element more by giving lots of examples of ‘wonder’ in sentences describing a painting or photograph.

Activity 2:

It explains visually what the 5th skill is all about. Music and the voice of the narrator are additionally employed to compliment the visuals.

Yes, it does describe the fifth skill of viewing.

What do you think the film’s message is?

Be active, not passive!

Do you agree with its message? Why or why not?

Isn’t this how we should approach life in general…

That’s a very interesting perspective and I can see exactly what you mean.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Marialena.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

Thanks very much for your thorough analysis of the worksheets.

1. I would mostly use this activity if the students could identify (at least in one way) with the characters of the film e.g. if they’re the same age, live in a similar environment, have similar hobbies or are troubled by the same type of concerns.

I think you make a good point about students being able to identify with a character in the film.

It seems like a simple activity which could be used at different levels as the ‘why’ question allows students to reflect differently according to their own language level.

Absolutely. It is a simple activity but as you point out it does allow students to reflect differently according to their own language level.

2. I would probably use this one in combination with the first one for relatively higher levels as this might allow the students to consider different aspects of why they like a character or not.

Quite a lot of teachers like to use this in combination with the first worksheet.

Nevertheless, it could also work nicely with lower levels – perhaps without the ‘body language’ and ‘facial expressions’ parts – for practicing adjectives or describing clothes, body etc. In this case I would ask them to do this activity while watching a silent film so they could entirely focus on the characters.

Yes. it can work very well with lower levels. I really like your idea of using it with a silent film so they focus entirely on the characters and are not distracted by the dialogue.

3. One of my three favourite ones! It covers many different linguistic aspects and allows the students to reflect on what the film/video really was about.

This is a very popular one with both teachers and students. The “tell me” questions are very simple but powerful.

4. I’ve noticed that many of my students are particularly engaged by this type of prediction tasks as either predicting correctly or coming up with something more intriguing than what the film really shows gives them a profound sense of accomplishment (one of my favourites as well).

I agree with you that many students are engaged by these type of prediction tasks. They tend to activate students’ schemata, get them thinking creatively and give them a reason for watching the film.

5. I think it’s pretty vague and that students would get lost.

Yes. As Gail pointed out this one could be much more specific about the language students should focus on. Perhaps teachers could adapt it to choose the language they want students to focus on.

6. Another one of my favourites since it also teaches students to critically watch trailers.

This is another very popular one. Trailers work very well in the language classroom and I agree with you that the tasks here encourage students to critically watch trailers.

Thanks again for your great analysis, Marialena.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

Thanks very much for introducing yourself. Great to have you on the course. I hope your MA thesis defense went well!

I’m looking forward to working with you on the course.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Daniela,

Thanks very much for your excellent answers.

1. Do you think the governments of Canada, Australia and Singapore were right to add the fifth skill of viewing to their English language curricula? Why or why not?

In the 21st century we experience the world and acquire new information, knowledge, data, etc. not only through reading an article, listening to the radio, or watching TV. So in order to be a “fully-developed” citizen of the digital age, you need to be able to interpret millions of messages that are being conveyed through videos and images.

I really like your point about citizens needing to be able to critically analyse images to be able to particpate fully in society.

ICONS are everywhere: I see every day that I (37 years old) cannot always understand “memes” or photos posted by teenagers on the socials, for example, as much as my mother (63 years old), cannot laugh at the same “memes” as I do. It’s like I cannot “read” nor “understand” those “texts”, so my mother and me are “illiterate” on those specific cases. As much as my students are “illiterate” in front of some specific texts that are familiar to me. This proves that viewing is one more skill to be acquired to be fully literate in this age, and to live critically in today’s and tomorrow’s world.

This is a great point. If we can’t read visual texts, it makes us effectively illiterate as images are becoming the primary mode of communication.

today’s life is strongly based on advertising, profit and non-profit campaigns, social networks based on video sharing or picture sharing (it’s not by chance that teenagers say to me that Facebook (still based on text/verbal communication) is for the elderly, while Instagram and Tik Tok are for the younger).

Absolutely. Young people’s preference of social media sites such as Instagram and Tik Tok which are primarily visual is very revealing.

I appreciate those little samples of how to operate according to this new methodology, which I think can bring a revolution in the way I teach English. I imagine it like teaching English without making students notice it’s a language lesson: this will make it a more natural process, a little bit more similar to acquiring L1. What strikes me more is that I see a lot of speaking carried out by students, and little speaking by the teacher, which is just what we should aim at!

These are very good points. These frameworks can make language learning seem more like a natural process rather than something artificial. Yes, the frameworks can be very learner centred.

If I must choose, I may say that the VTS is quite attractive for me, because I think it adapts to elementary and higher levels of L2, and also it would be a good way to start the “revolution”: the questions are simple and any student can answer them; questions stimulate their critical skills, and also their scientific thinking, as far as they must motivate their opinions based on elements they can see.

Yes. VTS is a very popular and powerful framework. The questions are simple, robust, encourage students to justify their inferences and look deeper into the image.

The next one I want to try with my classes is the 3Cs and 3Ss framework: what I like about it is that as teachers we can choose some of the questions, adapting the framework to the class, to the movie, to the learning objectives we have set.

This is my favourite framework for using with short films and videos. It’s more flexible than the other routines as the facets and questions can be used in any order.

The film message could be probably condense in the slogan “Why viewing matters”. It wants to tell the audience “don’t be a passive spectator, don’t be bombarded by the millions of images”: stop – think – act.

Absolutely. The message is about getting students to be active viewers rather than passive consumers of images.

I totally agree, and I find the message in the video is going to fill a space that is being left empty in today’s teaching.

That’s a nice way of putting it.

Thanks again for your excellent answers, Daniela.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

Absolutely! Given the amount of viewing that people do, and that it is now very often the primary means of information consumption, it makes sense. Also, written and especially spoken are now embedded in video.

Yes. This answer makes perfect sense.

Yes. Just as understanding a spoken text (i.e. not only linguistic, but paralinguistic, pragmatic, socio-culturally, etc.) or a written text (e.g., genre, register, etc.) demand specific skills, we need to develop skills that can help students process what they’re seeing on a daily basis.

I like what you say about needing to develop skills that can help students process what they’re seeing on a daily basis.

Solid illustrations of how the frameworks can be implemented. As ever, the teacher needs to be conscientious as to how this is done.

Yes, absolutely. These frameworks are very simple but also robust, and have stood the test of time.

I’ve used the see / feel / wonder thinking routine a lot over the past several years. It’s a simple routine, which doesn’t need much explanation, can be reused repeatedly, and works very well in mixed-level / conversation classes

Absolutely. This routine is very popular among both teachers and students because it’s very easy to implement and generates a lot of thought and language.

What do you think the film’s message is?
To me, the message of the film relates to the importance of being active, critical interpreters of what was see (as opposed to passive ‘sheep’).

Yes. The message is very much about getting students to be active viewers rathers than just being passive consumers of images.

Do you agree with its message? Why or why not?
I would add that I feel it is critical to train students how to ‘properly’ view the materials they see due to the amount of misinformation, disinformation and straight up falsehoods that circulate these days.

You make an excellent point here. With so much misinformation, disinformation and falsehoods circulating, the need to critically analyse and interpret images is more important than ever.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Michael.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Daniela,

Thanks very much for introducing yourself and telling us about your teaching context and background. Great to have you on the course.

I’m really looking forward to working with you on the course.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Daniela,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

I think film and video should be used in language education because it has been proved (by research and experience) that students learn better and probably even faster if all their senses are involved. Films and video are also a valid simulation of real-life situations, so I think they reproduce in the class an authentic experience with L2. In a student-oriented perspective, motivation, authenticity and visuality are for me the most important reasons why we should use film and video in the language class.

These are all great reasons for using film and video in the language classroom.

1. “film characters” activity sheet: it is quite simple and adaptable to the lower and the higher levels; I think it would work well to start the discussion, in pairs or in small groups, and then to share and compare opinions about students’ preference.

Yes, it’s definitely simple and adaptable. As you point out, it’s also a good way to introduce a discussion of characters.

2. “character appearance” activity sheet: it seems particularly suitable as a “while-watching” activity, guiding the students, making sense of what they’re watching and also helping them keep focussed all the time, which is impossible if they’re not given anything to do.

I agree that this one definitely works best as a while watching activity.

4. “film predictions” activity sheet: it seems very useful to break the movie into smaller chunks.

Yes. Breaking the film into manageable, student-friendly chunks is vital.

You can pause the movie and give the students this worksheet, which I find useful to practice or revise grammar (present perfect, present simple or continuous, and future forms for predictions/intentions) and to analyse or summarize what they’ve seen up to that moment.

These are nice ideas.

6. “Film trailer” activity sheet: very useful also for my classes who study film making, as this activity could be used to focus on how a good film trailer is made, for example.

Yes. I can also definitely see this one working with your students who study film making.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Daniela.

All the best,

Kieran

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