Using film images for assessing language learning

So far in Week 2 we’ve focused on the visual aspects of film. We have looked at spaces, including rooms, and the characters and objects we find in them, as well as the way characters dress, and use non-verbal communication to support what they’re saying. We’ve suggested ways of exploring these visual aspects of film, and related them to concepts and skills in language learning.

In this step, we’d like you to think about how to use practical activities with film images to create a piece of work that would enable you to assess the progress made by an individual or group of learners in acquiring a skill in a particular language, or learning a new concept.

The video in this step shares some teachers’ views on how filmmaking can support language learning, and it ends (at the 05:00 mark in the video) with a short example of a student-made film that illustrates how practical filmmaking can help us assess a student’s progress in language learning. The English transcript for this is available in the download section.

Activity

Please add any of your own filmmaking and language assessment ideas to the comments section. Even if you have never made a film before, can you imagine how this technology could be used for assessing language learning? How can these concepts be adapted to suit your classroom? Add your ideas to the comment section.

Extension Activity

We’d now like to encourage you to create something yourselves using simple filmmaking technology. If making a film seems a little daunting to you, why not try scripting or storyboarding your ideas instead. See Step 1.10 for the storyboard template. And remember that extension activities are optional; you do not need to do the extension activities in order to successfully complete the course. We’d encourage you to give them a go though!

If you do have the technology and feel confident with it, go ahead and make a short film – it can be as little as 30 seconds long – that demonstrates an aspect of language learning and assessment. Or, if you’re able to, ask a group of students to create a short piece of film that does the same. You can use the technology guides mentioned in Step 1.16 to help you. Share your videos to padlet or alternatively if you have uploaded your film to YouTube, copy and paste the YouTube URL to the comments section.