Why use short film in languages classrooms?

The video at the start of this step gathers together some insights from students, teachers and other professionals on the value of short film for supporting language learning. The key idea is that film is both engaging and authentic; it offers experiences close to real life, and real use of living language.

We value short film because it is more manageable in a classroom, and in lesson time, than a feature film, and because very often short films have something a little special – a quirky story, an unusual setting, a distinctive visual style. That said, our contributors remind us that film in itself won’t transform learning – it needs to be thoughtfully brought into learning situations, using the kinds of approaches we will introduce you to on this course.

Activity

Please tell everyone something about your experience of working with film in the classroom – is it a feature of your teaching? Have you used it as part of your language learning? What benefits has it offered you, as either a teacher or learner of languages? If you haven’t used film before, why have you decided to give it a go? Post your thoughts in the comments section.

The core materials for this course consist of a collection of short films which we use to inspire and encourage both teachers and learners in language classrooms. These films have been shown and used many times, in different countries, by a wide range of teachers. We have collected the films in a private Vimeo playlist, accessible only by participants on this course. Please use the following password to access the films on the Vimeo playlist: SFLT. Please note that this password is case sensitive. They can each be downloaded for you to watch offline, and to use in classrooms as well.

The only thing we ask is that you don’t rush to watch the films straightaway. Lots of the activities in the steps of the course use parts of the films – sound without images, or just short clips – and so if you had already seen the complete film, then the surprise and the learning points would be lost!