Presentation Slides - Concordia Language Villages

Using short, authentic film to teach culture
Carolyn N. Gill
Concordia College
CLV Educator Webinar Series
April 29, 2014
World Language Publishing
Challenges of Teaching Culture
ACTFL: the Products, Practices and
Perspectives of the Target Culture
Cultural Iceberg
Observable: behaviors, language,
dress, habits, etc.
Non-observable: beliefs, expectations,
values, norms, etc.
World Language Publishers Claim Short Film is
Effective for Culture Instruction
Short Subject Film
• A short film is defined
as an original motion
picture that has a
running time of forty
minutes or less,
including all credits
(Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and
Sciences, 2013).
What makes short film so unique?
• Short films are typically non-commercial
• Created by aspiring directors
• Provide students with a distinctive cultural
manifestation
• The genre is growing
Literature Review
Visual Learning and the Net Generation
• Gardner’s (1991) work on
visual learning
• Statistics on visual learning
from the Visual Learning
Alliance (2013)
• The Net Generation as
visual learners
(Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005)
Authenticity in the Language Classroom
• Shrum and Glisan (2003), Kramsch (1993), and Villegas and
Medley (1988) stress the importance of authentic materials in
the language classroom.
Rise in Popularity of Authentic Film
• Film represents an attractive resource to reach
students and assists them in functioning on more
profound levels in another culture (Bueno, 2009).
• Film both reflects and creates culture (Sherman, 2003).
Modern Language Association Report
(2007)
Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New
Structures for a Changed World
• Language study should be used to promote
translingual and transcultural competence
• The report suggests film and media can be
used to challenge students’ imaginations and
help them consider alternate ways of seeing,
feeling, and understanding things
Authentic Film and the ACTFL Standards
• Film allows students to
gain insights to the
products, perspectives
and practices of the
target culture
(Bueno, 2009).
• Using film to foster Big
“C” and little “c” culture
(Herron, Cole, Corie and
Dubreil, 1999)
CULTURE
Products
Practices
Perspectives
Big “C”
little “c”
Kramsch’s “Third Place”
Byram: the Intercultural Sojourner
Epistemological Humility through Film
• Examining and repositioning contemporary
cultural contexts with authentic French film
(Dubreil, 2011)
Research Question:
How does authentic, short film impact
students’ cultural competence?
Design of Study:
Qualitative Analysis using Ethnographic
and Narrative Research
• Two days of classroom
observations, two student focus
groups and interviews with each
professor
• Collection of field notes, journals
and recordings
Participants
• 23 students in two sections
of Spanish 321: Composition
and Conversation in Cultural
Contexts
• Students were a mix of
freshman, sophomores and
juniors
• 2 of 23 students had studied
abroad
Instrument for Data Collection
• Short, authentic films from Revista: Conversación sin barreras
~ Experiences and Expectations ~
*It is important to note that even though I have
promoted and believed in using short film for culture
instruction throughout my career at VHL, I was
unclear what the findings of my research would
reveal and was eager to explore all data—whether
congruent or incongruent with my previous beliefs—
that surfaced during my study.
Findings
I. Overall Efficiency of Short Film
• Positive implications for
students’ attention spans:
•
Short films are “easier to
digest” than a longer film.
•
Short film demand a “higher
level of attention.”
•
Time-effectiveness of a short
film: “Students get bored
with long film, and I do too.”
II. Film as a Visual Medium
Overwhelming data from both students and
instructors showing that students are visual
learners:
• “I am more likely to remember it and
become more engaged with it than if I
were to read the words out of a book.”
• “When I watch a film, there is always
something keeping my attention. It’s
more a visual learner type thing. It just
works a lot better for me to watch a
film.”
• “75% of what people learn is visual and
adding the visual element to the
language education formula is
advantageous.”
III. Decipherability of Context Cues
• Both instructors and
students discussed the
decipherability of
context through the
visual medium of film (vs.
reading a text).
• When reading, students
said they hyper focus on
their comprehension of
every word whereas
with film, they can learn
through context.
IV. Short film to Demonstrate Cultural
Perspectives
Film captures the ”essence of the culture”:
• Film allows to us to see “what it is really like.”
• How Spanish speakers think and feel – the
“base” things (i.e. the emotions and things we
all experience in life)
• Short, authentic films helps us “learn meaning
vs. facts.”
• The films showed the “realities of life”, not the
“superficial stuff.”
• Changing stereotypes about little “c” culture
What are the steps to make a film
instructionally effective?
Instructional Process using ROPED+
•
•
•
•
•
Reflect
Observe
Predict
Experience
Demonstrate
Comprehension
• +Add Value
Reflect
Observe ~ Predict
Experience
Demonstrate Comprehension
Add Value+
Conclusions
• Authentic, short film
increases students’
cultural competence and
facilitates the teaching of
cultural perspectives
– Short film is an effective
vehicle of instruction for
reaching visual learners
– Due to its economized
length, short film is both
convenient and effective
for use in the language
classroom
Implications, Challenges and Calls for Further
Research
• The results of this research highlights the
possibilities for a new type of curriculum
• More research is needed, specifically on short
film and its implications on learning about the
perspectives of the target culture
• As a result of this data, publishers have an
excellent opportunity to create more short filmrelated materials with an emphasis on culture
learning and intercultural communication
Thank you for your attention!
Questions?
Comments?
[email protected]
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ACTFL. (2006). Standards for foreign language learning in the 21st century. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press, Inc.
Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Sorenson, C. (2010). Introduction to Research in Education. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Cengage Learning.
Bueno, K. (2009). Got film? Is it a readily accessible window to the target language and culture for your
students? Foreign Language Annals, 42, (2), 319-339
Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Clevedon, England:
Multilingual Matters, Ltd.
Byrd, D., Cummings-Hlas,A.,Watzke, J., Montes-Valencia, M. (2011).An examination of culture knowledge:
a study of L2 teachers’ and teacher educators’ beliefs and practices. Foreign Language Annals. 44, (1),
4-23.
Creswell, J.W. (1997). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions.Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publications.
Davies, R. (2010).The long history of short film.The Telegraph. Retrieved February 2, 2013, from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-life/7593291/The-long-history-of-short-films.html
Edison,T. (1948). The diary and sundry observations of Thomas A. Edison. New York, NY: The Philosophical
Library.
Ess, C. (2007). Bridging cultures:Theoretical and practical approaches to unity and diversity online.
Introduction to special issue on Information Ethics, International Journal of Technology and Human
Interaction 3(3), iii-x.
Gardner, H. (1991). The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach. New York, NY:
Basic Books.
Herron, C., Cole, S., Corrie, C., Dubreil, S. (1999).The effectiveness of a video-based curriculum in teaching
culture. Modern Language Journal, 83, (4), 518-533.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). The ISTE NETS and performance indicators for
students. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from
http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Student_2007_EN.sflb.ashx
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and culture in language teaching. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Moran, P. (2001). Teaching culture. Perspectives in practice. Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage Learning.
MLA Ad Hoc Committee on Foreign Languages. (2007). Foreign languages and higher education: New
structures for a changed world. Profession 2007, 234–245.
National Geographic Explorers. (2013). Retrieved February, 7, 2013 from
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/bios/wade-davis/
Oblinger, D. Oblinger, E. (2005). Educating the Net Generation. Retrieved from www.educause.edu
Omaggio Hadley, A. (2001). Teaching Language in Context. Boston, MA: Heinle, Cengage Learning.
Oxford, R. Oxford, J. (2009). Second Language Teaching and Learning in the Net Generation. Honolulu, HI:
National Foreign Language Resource Center.
Pederson, C., V. (2012).“Spanish 321U: Composition and Conversation in Cultural Contexts”.
Peterson, E. Coltrane, C. (2003). Culture in second language teaching (Publication No. EDO-FL-03-09).
Prathoominthin, S. (2009). Learners’ perceptions of culture through movies. Electronic Journal of Foreign
Language Teaching. 6, (1), 291–301.
Rule Nineteen: Special Rules for the Short Film Awards (2013). Retrieved February, 2, 2013, from
http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/85/rule19.html
Roell, C. (2010). Intercultural training with films. English Teaching Forum. 2, 1-15.
Sherman, J. (2003). Using authentic video in the language classroom. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
Press.
Shrum, J., Glisan, E. (2010). Teacher’s handbook. Contextualized language instruction. Boston, MA: Heinle,
Cengage Learning.
Spanish and Hispanic Studies Department Courses (2013). Retrieved February, 2, 2013, from
http://www.cord.edu/Academics/Spanish/Courses.php
Stephens, D. (2007). Short film: A brief critical history. Helium:Where knowledge rules. Retrieved February
2, 2013, from http://www.helium.com/items/134656-short-film-a-brief-critical-history
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Stevens, J. (2001). Teaching culture and improving language skills through a cinematic
lens: A course on Spanish film in the undergraduate Spanish curriculum. ADFL
Bulletin, 33, (1), 22-25.
The Oscar Nominated Short Films (2013). Retrieved February 2, 2013, from
http://theoscarshorts.shorts.tv/about.php
The Visual Teaching Alliance (2013). Retrieved February, 3, 2013 from
http://www.visualteachingalliance.com/
Villegas Rogers, C., & Medley, F. W. Jr. (1988). Language with a purpose: using
authentic materials in the foreign language classroom. Foreign Language Annals,
21, (5), 467-478.
White, S. D., (2011). Teaching culture in the foreign language classroom. Partial
fulfillment of the Master Teachers Program. Retrieved from
http://www.westpoint.edu/cfe/Literature/White_11.pdf
Zhang, L. (2011). Teaching Chinese cultural perspectives through film. L2 Journal, 3,
(2), 201-231.
Zoreda, M. (2006). Intercultural moments in teaching English through film.
Reecuentro, 047, 65-71.