I chose Film Studies as my elective in order to possess a broader horizon on the making and analytical perpective of films.  Through the course of my elective i hope to gain a sound knowledge of film and will use this in the classroom where necessary.

I feel film and relevant clips can be used to an advantage through teaching as it can be a visual tool to engage the class prior to the lesson. It is a chance to settle the class and allow them to engage with the lesson to follow.  Short clips can also be used to back up evidence or teaching points throughout the lesson. The clip can be used for higher order questions where the pupils can follow the clip thoroughly and take notes on the important points.  Furthermore, leading to discussion points and class debates where pupils can use their thinking skills.  It can also be a helpful tool for visual learners as they are able to visualise the learning.

Film Studies is a broad topic and one in which i find fascinating.  As a class, pupils are able to learn about the sound, position and lighting, to the genre, themes and editing.  Post watching films or clips can also lead to active learning through role play.  Pupils can get into small groups or partners and reinact a chosen scene in order to link into Expressive Arts through Drama.  They can also create comic strips on the scene or clip they watched further linking into Art and Design.  This allows the teacher to have an overview of how well the class listened and how well they understood the clip whilst being a cross-curricular link.

A critical skill used throughout highschool in language is critically analysing books, clips and poems.  Therefore using short clips and introducing an analytical aspect to the activity has the ability to help with smoother transitions into the language department from primary to secondary.  This is an activity for the upper stages, mainly primary 7, where they can learn how to spot different techniques and provide relevant feedback.

As my elective progresses i hope to add to this short article and provide further comments on future learning and development.