Published Authors

A place for budding and experienced authors to share ideas about publishing and marketing books
 
HomeHome  GalleryGallery  Latest imagesLatest images  RegisterRegister  Log in  Featured MembersFeatured Members  ArticlesArticles  

 

 Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?

Go down 
+7
Rhymer
Carol Troestler
Phil Whitley
Tory Lynn
Betty Fasig
alj
Dick Stodghill
11 posters
Go to page : 1, 2  Next
AuthorMessage
Dick Stodghill
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Dick Stodghill


Number of posts : 3795
Registration date : 2008-05-04
Age : 98
Location : Akron, Ohio

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySat Dec 27, 2008 11:21 am

A Stodghill Says So blog:

Muncie Central High School in Indiana has played a significant role in my life. Jackie is a graduate of the school. So were my mother, three aunts, an uncle and two cousins. I attended the school for a couple of months myself just before entering the Army in 1943.
Muncie Central has won eight basketball state championships, more than any other school in Indiana. One of those cousins was named Mr. Basketball, the highest honor for any Hoosier player.
The school has had a number of distinguished graduates, but today its test scores are abysmal. Gene Williams, executive editor of the Star Press, successor to the Evening Press, my paper for 20 years, wrote a column on the subject recently. The column centered on the showing of movies in class.
Since the current semester began four months ago, one English class has been shown four movies. While the movies were good ones, exactly what does watching Forrest Gump or any similar production have to do with teaching or learning English?
This smacks of a lazy teacher. It's far easier to show a movie than it is to prepare a lesson plan and then work with the students to see that they understand and will remember what they have been taught.
It would be interesting to know if any action was taken after Williams' column ran in the paper. Were the school administrators upset? Were any parents angry? Did the general public give a damn?
Would paying teachers more money produce better results? Not unless it attracted a better class of teachers. Anyone who has a job but performs only according to how much they are paid isn't worthy of anything more than being fired.
Some people feel that new buildings are the answer. In Akron they replaced a dozen or more fine structures with brand new ones, but the results have not improved one iota.
One thing is certain: Kids in the United States are falling way behind those in many other countries. So what is the answer? I don't know, but have serious doubts that it is watching movies in class.
Back to top Go down
http://www.dickstodghill.com
alj
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySat Dec 27, 2008 2:41 pm

Dick,

I understand your concerns, and have been aware of several incidents in the district where I taught that showing movies was used in what I, as a teacher, considered to be the wrong way. I remember that a team of teachers at a middle school there came up with the idea of making every Friday a movie day so that they could catch up on grading and paperwork and keep their weekends free. That one led to a ruling by the district that no teacher could show a film without getting permission from the principal, and that permission had to include a written justification.

Until I began teaching at the district's night school, an experimental program designed to lower the drop-out rate and find a way to help the young people who had fallen through the cracks in the system, I would show movies once or twice a year. I would nearly always end my study of To Kill a Mockingbird, for instance, with the Gregory Peck film. And once, during a time when the district was pushing English teachers to include fine arts and media presentations, I wrote a justification, and had it approved, to show a video of a current Masterpiece Theater production (legal when it was used within a specified amount of time) of a segment called "Baryshnikov by Tharpe," an hour of Mikhail Baryshnikov dancing to numbers all choreographed by Twyla Tharpe of the American Ballet Company. (I had to promise that Mr. B would not be wearing tights in any of the numbers, but the video was otherwise approved.)

Things changed, though, at the night school. I don't know if any of you remember a movie from the mid- 90's called Dangerous Minds. It was based on a book called My Posse Don't Do Homework, which might give you a better clue to the plot. This was not a film I showed in my classroom, but one that the night school principal took her entire staff - it was a small school; there were about 25 of us - to see as part of our teacher training. If you do remember it, you have a clear picture of our student body.

I transferred to the school primarily because my mother was living with me, and her health was such that I needed to be at home with her during the day. And partly because I had been teaching in another experimental school which had been a total delight until the district decided it was too successful, and ruined it - another thread to explain that one. I was surprised to find that, for the first year, I was in culture shock, even though my teaching experience had dealt almost exclusively with what are called "at risk" students. In the first school, we had focused on high expectations in small classrooms, with much success. I have to fall back on another film about teaching to explain it better: Stand and Deliver, starring Edward James Olmos as Jaime Escalante, an actual teacher in a barrio school in Los Angeles. Most of our students went on to college, often with credit from taking AP classes at our school.

But the student body at the night school was different. To shorten an already long and digressing story, nearly all of them were in gangs, more than half of the girls had children - note children, not child - and very few of them had ever ventured outside of an area of central north Houston of about 25 square miles. It became pretty obvious to me and all the staff during that first year, that if we were going to teach these young people, that we were going to have to come up with something drastically different. In literature classes, that meant introducing literary works with movies and videos with similar themes. I recall one instance when the reading selection I needed to teach, a non-fiction essay, focused on life behind the iron curtain. The students' world was so narrow, and their reading comprehension levels so low, that they could not begin to grasp the settings or the lifestyle depicted in that essay until I showed them the movie, White Nights. And yes, I was a hopeless Baryshnikov fan. Movies became a primary teaching tool, because they could understand and connect with action and visuals when they could not with the written word. One suggestion had been that we find books and articles written at elementary levels, limited to topics that would interest them: gang life and single teen parenting. I pushed to keep the traditional works of the curriculum, using films, among other approaches, to create a mindset where they were willing to work at reading real literary works, including Shakespeare. I asked for permission to substitute Hamlet for Julius Caesar with my sophomores because they could relate to it better, and began by presenting a scenario that basically related the plot in a gangland setting. The girls in the class quickly picked up on Ophelia's plight, and the guys, by the time we started in earnest, were enraged at Claudius' treatment of Hamlet. One of the other reasons I chose that play was that Kenneth Brannagh had recently released his 4-hour version using the complete text, so that they could read the play as they watched. When I taught the mythology unit, I interspersed the stories of Perseus, Oedipus, and KIng Arthur with the Star Wars films. But always, the movies were a springboard to the stories written by the great writers. It worked. Our first year, only 20% of our students passed the state exams. by the time I retired, eight years later, we were up to 85%.

I don't know the circumstances of the movies being shown in your Muncie classrooms. As I said at the beginning of this long diatribe (sorry) there is definitely a wrong way to use movies in the classrooms. Sometimes, IMVHO, they are justified.

Ann Very Happy Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? 144397
Back to top Go down
http://www.annjoiner.com
Dick Stodghill
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Dick Stodghill


Number of posts : 3795
Registration date : 2008-05-04
Age : 98
Location : Akron, Ohio

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySat Dec 27, 2008 2:59 pm

I'd say your's was a special case, Ann, and you had carefully thought out exactly what you were doing. In the case in Muncie, the school has some students from a disadvantaged area but the majority come from prosperous, even wealthy, neighborhoods. The one who brought the situation to the attention of the editor was a student who felt he was being cheated by the teacher.
Back to top Go down
http://www.dickstodghill.com
alj
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySat Dec 27, 2008 4:13 pm

Probably more like the middle school teachers in our district who used movies to give them free time. Yes, it happens too often.

Ann
Back to top Go down
http://www.annjoiner.com
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySat Dec 27, 2008 5:08 pm

Dear Ann,
Your beauty as a teacher cannot be surpassed, IMHO. I hope I wrote that to mean in my humble opinion. I wish that I had you as a teacher, even now, these many years after the dismal diatribes that the old Mrs. Daughrty of 70 years wacked my hands at five years old and considered that I was White Trash not worthy of attention and scared me so much that I peed my pants.

You are a wonder, kind and gentle with a spirit that shines forth.

Love,
Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
alj
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySat Dec 27, 2008 6:14 pm

You're far too kind, Betty.

Dick really does have a point. The Mrs. Daughrty's are still around, and often they are the ones showing movies so they won't have to teach. It's so much easier to brand some students as unteachable than it is to find a way to reach them.

But I'm really not kind and gentle. I get my dander up when somebody tells me I can't do something, or that there's only one right way to do it, like the district consultant who divided the students into categories and laid out a plan for teaching each group, well, except for the lowest group. She said they were the counselor's problem, and we shouldn't take up class time trying to reach them. She showed us the statistics for that group and we told her she was talking about 80% of our students and asked her if we were going to get more counselors. She told our principal that we were not being cooperative.
Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? 77176



Dick, until recently, I would have agreed with you completely about Forrest Gump, but I'm reading a book right now called Healing the Fisher King, by Shelley Durrell. She says Forrest is Percival, the fool who stumbles upon the Grail and ends up saving the community.
jocolor
I would have to rewatch it to be sure; I've forgotten most of it, but if I were still teaching mythology in the classroom, I might be tempted.


Ann
Back to top Go down
http://www.annjoiner.com
Tory Lynn
Three Star Member
Three Star Member
Tory Lynn


Number of posts : 149
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Age : 60
Location : Auburn Washington

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySat Dec 27, 2008 6:40 pm

When I worked as an aide in a place where troubled teens were sent to
live and go to school, I was astounded at the turn over of teachers we
had. Very few stayed. The ones that did stay really cared about the
kids and were there for a long period of time, some are still there.
The yahoos that thought they were there to get a paycheck just tried to
show movies. One teacher had a plan of showing the old sci-fi movies,
to teach science. Being the aide he thought I would go along with it.
He was not that lucky. I hated it when they thought they could just
write off our teens as people who would were screw ups and weren't
worth the time. Thankfully those teachers did not last long.

Betty, my nightmare teacher was Mrs. Reese. I wonder if they were related.

Ann, I would have loved having you as a teacher.

Dick great subject.

Vickie
Back to top Go down
http://www.torylynn.webs.com/torylynn
Phil Whitley
Four Star Member
Four Star Member
Phil Whitley


Number of posts : 907
Registration date : 2008-04-01
Age : 81
Location : Riverdale, GA

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySat Dec 27, 2008 8:22 pm

I am surprided that no one has mentioned Blackboard Jungle.Now THAT would be a fine teaching lesson!

To the best of my recollection I was never shown a movie in grammar or
high school. If I was, it would have been one of those
government-sponsored propaganda flicks like Sammy the Sperm or Killer Weed.

I must have been fortunate growing up in a small rural community
where the teachers knew our parents, were neighbors and members of the
church. There were a few who taught because that was all they could do
to make a living, but for the most part they taught bacause they loved
teaching. Lord knows it wasn't for the money. But even among these
there were a few who stand out in my memory. They were the ones who
lived for that "AHA" moment in a child's eyes that meant they finally
"got it". They would have never given up class time by showing a
movie as long as they thought there was a chance that today may be the day I get through that thick skull.
Back to top Go down
http://www.philwhitley.com
Dick Stodghill
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Dick Stodghill


Number of posts : 3795
Registration date : 2008-05-04
Age : 98
Location : Akron, Ohio

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 6:17 am

In my opinion the most worthless movies ever inflicted upon captive aufiences were the seven or so in the "Why We Fight" series shown to World War II servicemen. They could just as well been titled "Why We Sleep" except for the sergeants who roamed around hitting men on the head if they dozed off. As I was with infantrymen headed for battle, a couple in the series could have been called "How Did I Ever Get Into This Mess?"

I can think of only one teacher who really inspired me to do more than show up for class. Miss Woodard, who taught sixth grade in a school of deprived children in a rough neighborhood, made everything interesting for even the ruffians determined to disrupt every situation. Her class was the one bright spot in my ten years of formal schooling. She made even the most worthless among us feel worthwhile, including me.
Then came Mrs. Canfield in seventh grade and Miss Morrow in eighth and we all reverted back to our natural state of rebelliousness. Too bad it was that way. The raw material was good but in great need of refining and guidance.
Back to top Go down
http://www.dickstodghill.com
Tory Lynn
Three Star Member
Three Star Member
Tory Lynn


Number of posts : 149
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Age : 60
Location : Auburn Washington

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 6:36 am

I was one of those kids that would have slipped through the cracks, but Mrs. Shay Thoelke was like an angel. She entered my life in the llth grade and was there till I graduated high school. I will never forget her.

The only movies I remember seeing in school, were 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'The Big Red Balloon'. I remember seeing a movie in health class in the sixth grade, but can't remember the title. It has something to do with relationships when they started with sex ed.

Vickie
Back to top Go down
http://www.torylynn.webs.com/torylynn
alj
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 7:20 am

I just wrote the most magnificent and erudite message of my writing career, only, when I tried to enter it, it disappeared. I'll try to recreate it, but it won't be nearly as well written.
Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? 733985

Dick, many of my students were used to thinking of movie days as free days, and expected to be able to nap through them. I soon started handing out a list of questions and terms at the beginning of the videos, and let them know that they would not only be graded, but that the films all contained test material. (Most asked question of students to teachers in education today: "Is this going to be on the test?")

Evil or Very Mad

An example of the way the movie material might be, "Show how the events in Luke Skywalker's life fulfilled the elements of the mythological hero's life pattern.

Check out my webpage below to see that pattern:
http://www.annjoiner.com/theherosjourney.htm

In defense of teachers, I have to note that the problem isn't confined to what or how the teachers are teaching. We also need to look at how our students are learning, how and what yhey learn, and how willing they are to do the work of learning. Many of them spend their time watching TV and playing video games. Getting them interested in reading, whether textbooks or novels, is much harder than it was a few decades ago.
Ann Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? 77176
Back to top Go down
http://www.annjoiner.com
Carol Troestler
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Carol Troestler


Number of posts : 3827
Registration date : 2008-06-07
Age : 86
Location : Wisconsin

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 7:39 am

Many, many years ago, when I was in college, I took a course regarding methods for teaching biology. I majored in biology and psychology, and to justify my getting a liberal arts education in the late 1950s, I decided I needed to take some courses that could procure a job, so I took some education courses and this biology course and then I could get certified as a biology teacher.

During the semester, we each had to do a presentation. I decided to use the classroom skeleton and explain the bones and joints. Somehow the big toe bone got stuck in the knee bone and I could not get it unstuck during the presentation. So several students and the professor got the toe bone unconnected from the knee bone. I was very embarrassed. Afterwards one student said, "This just makes me wonder what is going to happen when she talks to her class about reproduction."

I said, "No problem. I'll just show a movie."

I never was a biology teacher, but did teach English for a semester and did work at a school for five years where all those education credits got me a job as a school social worker. We had a movie that I must have shown at least 25 times. I got to know all the lines and what everyone in the movie was wearing. There was discussion afterwards.

Carol
Back to top Go down
http://www.authorsden.com/ctroestler
Rhymer
Four Star Member
Four Star Member
Rhymer


Number of posts : 278
Registration date : 2008-12-24
Age : 33
Location : usa

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 7:50 am

Teachers and movies. Like another post I do not remember ever being shown a movie except as a driving aid. Unfortunately most of the teachers I came in contact with had their personal paddles hung on the wall like a trophy. They loved to drill holes in the board so blisters could be raised. Was on the wrong end of those beatings to many times. I believe it was their way of dealing with Attention Deficit Hyper-Active children.
Back to top Go down
http://www.freewebs.com/abcedit
dtpollard
Four Star Member
Four Star Member
dtpollard


Number of posts : 636
Registration date : 2008-06-08

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 8:01 am

Showing movies is just another bleed in of pop culture into schools. Movies are useless unless they are actual footage of events.
Back to top Go down
Carol Troestler
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Carol Troestler


Number of posts : 3827
Registration date : 2008-06-07
Age : 86
Location : Wisconsin

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 8:58 am

I remember a beautiful movie I saw in college done by Life Magazine regarding evolution versus creationism. The movie spoke of the fact that God's time was different than ours, and seven days could have been much longer and the Bible also says something to that effect. To me it showed that one didn't need to decide between the two, but that they were really one. It was a gorgeous movie with great music that I have remembered all these decades.

I remember when the Audio Visual staff had to bring in the projector for movies. I went to an excellent school system and liked the movies we saw which were very educational. I also remember when one would go to the movies in the theater that the news reels showed us what was going on in the world, giving us a little education with the entertainment.

Carol
Back to top Go down
http://www.authorsden.com/ctroestler
Tory Lynn
Three Star Member
Three Star Member
Tory Lynn


Number of posts : 149
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Age : 60
Location : Auburn Washington

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 9:19 am

The kinds of shows, from television I never opposed was shown to our teens were the ones that were on the Discovery Chanel. The ones about insects, and animal behaviors. The teacher I worked with always had questions that went with the show.

What I liked about the special education teachers that were good at my place of work with the teens was the fact that each actively tried to find the way the teen learned the best. I ran across teens that had never gone to school, and they were already 16 and 17 years old. It was amazing on how much some of them really tried once they got passed being ashamed of themselves. To us it didn't matter where they were, if they wanted to learn we spent the time teaching.

Vickie
Back to top Go down
http://www.torylynn.webs.com/torylynn
Carol Troestler
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Carol Troestler


Number of posts : 3827
Registration date : 2008-06-07
Age : 86
Location : Wisconsin

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 10:31 am

Vickie,

My seventeen-year-old autistic grandson has not been in school since first grade. He can read a couple of books a day and remembers everything he reads. He has learned the meaning of words by reading them in context, and he loves movies. He asked us to take him to Valkryie and wewill do so tomorrow. He will not only remember the whole movie but also who the actors were. He did not fit in with the regular school system, but has learned. He doesn't do math however.

Carol
Back to top Go down
http://www.authorsden.com/ctroestler
Tory Lynn
Three Star Member
Three Star Member
Tory Lynn


Number of posts : 149
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Age : 60
Location : Auburn Washington

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 10:52 am

Carol,

Finding a way that each person learns is important. The trick is caring enough to let them do it, instead of saying, 'you can't do that, because that is not the way it is done.' Kids who are special needs are very fun to work with, there is no can't when it comes to learning, everyone is different. Those kids end up teaching me. The problem is there is no place that these kids can go where people really care or will take the time with them especially as they get older. Your grandson is lucky to have your family Carol, you guys have blessed each other.

Another thing is, not everyone's mind will learn everything. Math has always been a struggle for me as well. Also, I don't know how many people I have met that have no social skills, but are very adept in books and knowledge of things around them.

Vickie
Back to top Go down
http://www.torylynn.webs.com/torylynn
Carol Troestler
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Carol Troestler


Number of posts : 3827
Registration date : 2008-06-07
Age : 86
Location : Wisconsin

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 11:03 am

Vickie,

I agree about learning from these special needs kids. Those around these kids need to establish a balance between encouraging the young person to come out in the world, and accepting they are not like other students. That balance is difficult to determine. My son and daughter-in-law have done a good job, although at times we have wanted them to do things different. But they live with Mitchell and we have seen progress with their gentle encouragement. Sometimes when we go out to eat, and Mitchell decides to take a book along, or jumps up and down as he walks, people stare at him, but we just look regular and are smiling and they look at us and seem to decide the whole situation is all right.

Carol
Back to top Go down
http://www.authorsden.com/ctroestler
Tory Lynn
Three Star Member
Three Star Member
Tory Lynn


Number of posts : 149
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Age : 60
Location : Auburn Washington

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 11:21 am

I work with adult males with disabilities. They are quite a handful and I have been in many unimaginable circumstances with them at the place I work at and in the public. Not one time have I been embarrassed by them or felt the need to explain away their actions. Treat them normal and they appreciate it. They definitely know the difference in how people treat them.

Vickie
Back to top Go down
http://www.torylynn.webs.com/torylynn
alj
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 11:38 am

Quote :
To us it didn't matter where they were, if they wanted to learn we spent the time teaching.

Vickie

Vickie. That's what I liked about self-paced teaching. We took the students where they were, and brought them forward on their learning schedule. Some picked it up quickly and ran with it. Others took longer, but generally, they eventually learned. I have a student at Sylvan who has been coming longer than I have been teaching there (coming up on three years) I hate to admit it, but when she first appeared at my table, I wondered if it was ethical of us to take her parents money. But today, she knows so much more than I had expected. What I admire the most about her is that she's taken charge of her own learning. She no longer tries to get us to do the difficult tasks for her, she takes pride in figuring them out for herself. She's a hard task master. She makes sure we are doing our jobs. "Write my grade down," she says, pointing to her activity log. "If you forget, I might have to do it again."

Ann
Back to top Go down
http://www.annjoiner.com
Dick Stodghill
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Dick Stodghill


Number of posts : 3795
Registration date : 2008-05-04
Age : 98
Location : Akron, Ohio

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 11:47 am

I'm still laughing about Carol's skeleton getting its big toe bone caught on its knee bone. Glad that can't happen in real life. If it could, I'd find a way.

Reading these posts reminds me of a problem at the school I mentioned. It was OK for girls to learn, but if a boy admitted he had learned a thing or even tried to learn he was in big trouble with his peers. That's true in many schools today. How do you overcome that problem?
Back to top Go down
http://www.dickstodghill.com
zadaconnaway
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
zadaconnaway


Number of posts : 4017
Registration date : 2008-01-16
Age : 76
Location : Washington, USA

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 12:41 pm

I remember visiting my folks after I had married and moved far away. As a youngster, I was reading before I went to school, and was not allowed to read 'trash'. No comic books or modern romance magazines. When I arrived, to my surprise, my 14 year old brother was reading comic books. When I approached my mother about it, she just said 'Hush, at least he's reading'. He was dyslexic and she encouraged him to read anything she could get him interested in. Now he actually reads books. Not many, but at least he tries. So, perhaps movies presented as Ann does it serve a valuable purpose. Maybe a little knowledge will make them hungry for more.
Back to top Go down
http://www.zadaconnaway.com
Tory Lynn
Three Star Member
Three Star Member
Tory Lynn


Number of posts : 149
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Age : 60
Location : Auburn Washington

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 12:42 pm

Peer pressure has always been a problem. I wish there was an easy answer. Everyone wants to feel that they fit in. Knowing they fit in with a certain group can either help a person grow or it can just as easily limit them. Admitting to learning something, or even admitting you like country music in school is automatically a strike against you. lol Being able to step away from the mold is difficult. Many don't learn to be themselves until they are an adult, especially when the friends they thought they had are no longer there to influence them.

Vickie
Back to top Go down
http://www.torylynn.webs.com/torylynn
Abe F. March
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Abe F. March


Number of posts : 10768
Registration date : 2008-01-26
Age : 85
Location : Germany

Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? EmptySun Dec 28, 2008 10:02 pm

Fortunately, teaching methods did improve. It most always had to do with the teacher.
I'll never forget my history teacher in junior high. He was Mr. Smith. His thing was to teach famous sayings. He would walk around the classroom asking: Who said, "Don't give up the ship, blow it up?" Who said, "I have but one life to give for my country?" Who said, "Damm the torpedos, full speed ahead?"
I remember those questions but not necessarily why they said what they said. If he had asked what the circumstances were when these statements were made, perhaps we would have learned more about history.
Back to top Go down
Sponsored content





Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?   Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid? Empty

Back to top Go down
 
Are Movies a Legitimate Teaching Aid?
Back to top 
Page 1 of 2Go to page : 1, 2  Next
 Similar topics
-
» Vanity vs Legitimate
» Teaching English in China
» The hardest part of teaching
» The Premiere Free, Legitimate POD Book Review Site
» MOVIES I MISSED

Permissions in this forum:You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Published Authors :: General :: Stodghill Says So-
Jump to: