Wednesday, January 5, 2011

LB#12: The Power of Film, Video and TV in the Classroom

During a Manny Pacquiao fight, from which would you rather learn about the happenings inside the ring? The radio, the live telecast on TV, or the newspaper the next day? The answer is obvious.

The television is a very powerful tool. It combines both audio and visual. People can relate to it. Watching TV is effortless. When you listen to the radio, you still have to imagine visually what's going on. With TV, it's a complete package. It can bring you worlds you haven't been to in the comfort and safety of your seats or sofa. Come to think of it, it's even better watching the Pacquiao fight on TV than being physically beside the ring because you get to see close-ups and slow-mo replays.

Being this powerful, why not use this tool in teaching? It keeps the attention of the students and retention is better with audio-visual tools. Before viewing, give your students a set of objectives and expectations in watching the film. Link the film with your lesson. Set house rules to prevent interruptions during the viewing process. Give out guide questions for them to answer after viewing.

After the film showing, ask the class to answer the questions you gave them beforehand to see whether they learned something. Afterwhich, you can let the students do the asking and discuss with them possible answers to their questions. Based on personal experience, an essay is usually made after watching the film to write down everything we have learned from it.

The television is a powerful tool. But we should not forget Ben Parker's parting words to Peter, "With great power, comes great responsibility."

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