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Developing Literacy: A Journey from Still Image to Film

Learn to use still and moving imagery to develop literacy skills, with this online course for teachers, in association with Tate.

3,351 enrolled on this course

Child reading an ipad
  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Discover inspiring ways to help develop literacy using still and moving images

Recent research has shown that using still and moving images in the classroom can have a sustainable, positive impact on young people’s literacy skills.

On this course, specially designed for teachers, you will learn how to use images, including images of the self (‘selfies’), to create extended writing, creative narrative, poetry and pupil made films and animations.

You will explore a range of lesson activity ideas, get access to resources that you can use straightaway in your lessons, and get advice and insights from film education experts at Into Film.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 5 seconds [music] If you’re an educator and you’re looking for a way to engage and inspire your pupils, bring the curriculum to life and reinvigorate your literacy lessons, then this course is for you. I’m Tarah Patel, a former secondary school teacher, now working as the Filmmaking Coordinator at Into Film. During this course, my colleagues and I will teach you how to use both still and moving image in your classroom to support literacy learning no matter the subject. Into Film, one of the UK’s largest education charities is partnering up with the world-famous Tate Britain to bring you a course that will increase your confidence and skills around using a range of imagery in the classroom.

Skip to 0 minutes and 55 seconds Recent research undertaken by PhD student Franzi Florack noted that students who worked extensively with moving image in their literacy lessons progressed at 22% over their expected level during an academic year, with pupils from a low-income environment benefits even further. Working with the film has had an enormous impact on engagement with children. Improving the attention spans, they want to be more collaborative in their approach to learning and they’re just more inspired to raise their standard of writing to a whole new level. We’ll show you a range of incredibly simple yet effective activities that could change the way you teach forever.

Skip to 1 minute and 39 seconds Using resources such as this to explore still images can really help in supporting to develop key skills, because art doesn’t have to be just confined to the art room, but it can filter into all the other subjects. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to bring a range of image-based stimuli into your classroom to produce engaging, exciting, and focused literacy lessons. You’ll be confident producing simple short films and animations, and you’ll have a range of frameworks and resources at your fingertips to help guide you. I hope you’ll be joining us on this course, get ready to change the way you teach forever.

What topics will you cover?

  • How to analyse still and moving images using key frameworks
  • How to use still and moving images as a catalyst for extended writing
  • How to use basic filmmaking and animation as a tool for attainment
  • Exploring the history of imagery
  • Creating poetry through imagery
  • Making a short film using still images
  • Animating and annotating an image-of-the-self (selfie)

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Apply your knowledge of visual storytelling to aid students’ analytical and literacy skills
  • Apply your knowledge of frame composition, such as camera shots, to inspire your students to create extended writing
  • Produce a range of curricular focused short films and animations with your class
  • Design in-class filmmaking projects to improve literacy attainment

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for teachers and educators who would like to develop their student’s reading and writing, although parents or anyone with an interest in developing young people’s literacy will also benefit from the approaches that are explored throughout the course.

Who will you learn with?

As a primary school teacher in South Wales Simon taught right across the KS 1&2 spectrum.
He was also the Teacher Training Manager at Into Film before starting his own training company - eCoach.

With six years’ experience teaching English and Media Studies in UK secondary schools, Paul Stapley is Senior Learning Coordinator at Into Film www.intofilm.org.

Tarah is the Senior Learning Coordinator at Into Film and her role is to ensure that filmmaking is threaded and supported throughout Into Film’s programme.

Alexia worked as a primary school teacher and enjoyed leading a successful film club. She is now the Training Manager at Into Film.

Who developed the course?

Into Film

Into Film is a UK-wide film and education charity, which puts film at the heart of children and young people’s learning, contributing to their cultural, creative and personal development.

Tate 3 Year Project

Into Film is collaborating on the Tate Year 3 Project, a landmark partnership project. The project is delighted to be supporting teachers in their exploration into new ways of learning with art.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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