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 film-related materials with an emphasis on culture learning and intercultural communication

Thank you for your attention!

Questions?

Comments?

cgill@vistahigherlearning.com

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.