Teaching with Cinema
How can I use cinema in my teaching?
Learning which takes place beyond the classroom walls plays an important role in students' social and cultural education. By providing free film screenings, along with a rich programme of educational events and a wealth of high quality, curriculum-based online resources to support learning, National Schools Film Week ensures these opportunities are available to students of all backgrounds. Learners at any level can gain immensely from the cinema experience whether they are an A Level Film Studies student or a Year 1 child seeing their first-ever big screen film.
The experience of film goes far beyond the cinema. Before a screening, teachers can involve their whole class in preparing for the event, for example, by researching the history of the local cinema, investigating current films' releases or exploring the issues that feature in their chosen film. Back in the classroom, Film Education’s curriculum–focused teaching materials make it easy to incorporate film across a sequence of lessons or even a whole term, whether exploring issues presented onscreen or developing an understanding of the language of film. Whatever your focus, film can provide a valuable, accessible and engaging mode of delivery to learners. For further advice or guidance, see our website or contact one of our education team.
Patrick Reilly, Teacher, St Michael's Junior School
"It's a great treat for the whole school. We have a 'Film Week Theme' every year and this year it was 'Alice in Wonderland'. The students produced lots of very interesting Art and Literacy."