Films in the ESL classroom, or any classroom for that
matter, can be a good or bad thing.
Sometimes they can be a sign of laziness. Lazy? Yes and that’s
bad. If one gets the chance to see the
amusing (but ultimately forgettable) film, “Bad Teacher,” Cameron Diaz plays
the eponymous “Bad Teacher.” She hates her job and instead is focused on her
life’s goal of raising funds for breast implants in order to better enable
herself to catch a rich husband and never have to work again. (Yes, in this
film Cameron Diaz wants breast implants. It’s not exactly the most thought-out,
intelligent, or deepest film ever made. I only saw it once and while I did enjoy
it, I have not seen it since.)
Therefore, instead of actually teaching her English
literature class, she simply sits in the
back of the room, snoozes, and plays movies each day. Each and every day. With
no exceptions or any other activities of any kid.
She is, as the title says, a bad teacher. (By the way, I have never used this film in the classroom. I doubt very much if I ever will. )
Don’t be a bad teacher. Don’t show films each and every day
in your ESL classroom.
But does this mean you can’t use any films at all in the
classroom? No, of course not. There are
many ways to show films in the classroom and do so in a way where you remain an
active, engaged teacher and your students benefit from the activity.
Over the years, I have used several films in my classrooms.
The tip to using them successfully, I feel is to choose a film that is useful
and relevant to the student’s interests, concerns, and goals. It should go
without saying that it is best to choose a film that will not offend and will
make students comfortable in the classroom. Then stop and teach from it. In other words, 15 to 20 minutes of film per
class with the film spread over several classes is not a bad way to do it.
It is a good idea to prepare ahead of time
Consider handouts or at least make a list of the following
that students will gain from the film:
- · Vocabulary
- · Idioms
- · Cultural references and customs
Discuss these. You might wish to have supplemental materials
prepared ahead of time.
Of course, it helps to know your students. In my last class,
we started watching the film, “Pieces of April.” This small independent film
involves a dysfunctional family that tries to get together for one last
Thanksgiving together because mom is dying from cancer. April, the problem
daughter, has invited everyone to her place for Thanksgiving dinner. There are
only two problems, the first is April really does not know how to cook. The
second is that when she does sit down and get ready to roast her turkey, she discovers
that her stove is broken and the finds herself running up and down the stairs
of her run-down apartment building desperately asking people if she can borrow
an oven on Thanksgiving morning.
In the film people speak relatively standard American English
but the idiom “nip it in the bud” as in “I am nipping this in the bud right now”
needed to be taught.
As the film is from 2004 the reference to “collect calls”
and “calling collect” needed to be explained.
Curiously the phrase, “Eddy the drug dealer is history”
which is used when the father is trying to give reasons as to why they should
be optimistic about April’s life and their upcoming visit, was quite confusing
to the students.
When it was all over, they had many questions, but a
surprising number of them were about how to properly cook a thanksgiving turkey
with stuffing. Next week I hope to bring some youtube videos on how best to
prepare a Thanksgiving turkey.
A few other films, I have used in the ESL classroom include:
Bright Lights, Big City
Hair Spray
My Name is Earl –Sold a Lemon Car (Season 4, Episode 9)
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