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Short Film in Language Teaching

Find out how teaching with short film can bring alive the learning of languages and introduce rich cultural content to lessons.

23,912 enrolled on this course

Lead educator Muriel teaching language in a classroom at the whiteboard
  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Use short film in foreign language teaching and learning

Learners of a new language face exciting challenges in developing their abilities to speak, listen, read and write and in learning about other cultures. Through short film, teachers can bring new worlds into the classroom and bring language learning alive.

Research has shown that short film has much to offer language teachers in helping learners develop their knowledge of language and cultural awareness. This online course will share ways of teaching languages through the medium of short film that will inspire and motivate both teacher and learner, and improve attainment significantly.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 7 seconds Hi. I’d like to invite you to sign up for our course, Short Film in Language Teaching. In my opinion there is no better way to invigorate a language class, than by using film. My name is Muriel Huet and I’m a language teacher and teaching consultant. Throughout my career I have found that introducing film into my language teaching, excites learners in ways that other lesson content doesn’t. This course is a step-by-step guide to making the best possible use of foreign language short films. We will introduce you to teachers, educators and experts, who will illustrate to you, the enormous benefits that short film can bring to the classroom.

Skip to 0 minutes and 45 seconds This course will equip you with a range of simple, but effective techniques that have the potential to increase your language students attainment and enjoyment. It doesn’t matter what set, or what level, or how many students you’re dealing with, you will be able to find a way to make that film very interesting and captivating and to bring languages alive for those students. We kind of think of it as “real French” rather than textbook French. We hear the words are in a different language, but you can see what they’re trying to say in their language.

Skip to 1 minute and 14 seconds I think it allows people to apply their knowledge they already have of French, into real-life situations and how people would use certain phrases and certain tenses in real life. We’ll be using several short foreign language films that you can use in your classes and we will also direct you to a host of other film resources, that you can explore. This course does not require any specialist or technical film knowledge, but by the end of it, we think you will have the confidence to use and make short films that bring languages to life. So join us and bring a little film magic into your language classroom.

What topics will you cover?

  • Some key pedagogies and approaches to teaching languages using short film.
  • Working with creative technologies in language learning.
  • Assessing language learning using the different dimensions of film including sound, image and time.
  • Film language and language learning.
  • Film sound and languages, and how sound can be exploited for language learning.
  • Teaching with film music and genre.
  • Film dialogue and language learning.
  • The film image and language learning - how the varying dimensions of the film image can be used in language teaching and learning.
  • Exploring body language, facial expression and the image in film, for use in the languages classroom.
  • Film time and languages - flashbacks, backstory and the past tense. Present tense, narrating and ellipsis. Flash Forward, prediction and future tense.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

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...

  • Discuss the principles behind working with short film in language teaching
  • Ability to design effective teaching strategies for working with film in language teaching
  • Develop an understanding of what the language of film, especially short film, offers in support of language teaching
  • Explore and use creative film technologies to support effective language teaching

Who is the course for?

The core target audience is language educators, in any setting, who want to develop their professional expertise in film-rich approaches to teaching. The examples of practice will be drawn from the UK, though the short films we use come from all over the world. There is an inbuilt default in the work we’re drawing on towards French and Spanish language learning, though we will take care to generalise away from specific languages wherever possible. Prospective learners need nothing more than a curiosity about film, the world, and about how people learn languages.

What do people say about this course?

"This was a great course and it really opened my mind to the extensive possibilities of using film in the classroom. I had a few set films that I used to use for specific language tasks but now I have a treasure chest full of ideas. My students will benefit greatly."

"Thanks everyone for an engaging three weeks thinking about using film in language learning, and creating what felt like a real learning environment in a virtual world."

Who will you learn with?

I am an Education Consultant, with 14 years’ experience in teaching, developing educational strategies and teacher training across 12 countries.I specialise in teaching languages with short films

Who developed the course?

The British Film Institute (BFI)

The British Film Institute (BFI) was founded in 1933 and is a charity governed by a Royal Charter. It has three priorities – education, supporting the UK film industry and unlocking film heritage.

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.

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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