Got Film? Is It a Readily Accessible Window to the Target Language and Culture for Your Students?

This article is a description of a graduate pedagogy course on using film in language courses at the university level; the principles and methods taught are adaptable to any level and any second (L2) or foreign language course. The focus is the methodology, or topics and themes covered by the course, and results of the implemented method: student reactions, based on course evaluations and correspondence received by the author. Students in the course were enthusiastic and receptive to the course, and their coursework became part of a repository for other teaching assistants at their university. Long‐range implications are further implementation of film‐based pedagogy in L2 courses, providing a contextualized methodology and opportunities for communication in the L2.

Section: Course Methodology and Themesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Film in the L2 Classroom: A Graduate Course in Film Pedagogy

Sturm¹

2012

“…In the absence of direct contact with the target culture, language instructors have utilized media produced for and/or about the culture to promote students' IS, including television series (Hammer & Swaffar, 2012), film (Abrams, Byrd, Boovy, & Möhring, 2008;Bueno, 2009), and Web sites (Abrams, 2002). For example, Hammer and Swaffar (2012) reported on 69 students in a fourth-semester German course who viewed four episodes of a German television series.…”

Section: Media and Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main benefit of the revised portfolio was that learners were exposed to information not usually introduced in textbooks. Bueno (2009) investigated the classroom application of film and the strategies and techniques that could be employed to promote translingual and transcultural competence in an advanced Spanish conversation and composition course. The selected film was delivered in segments via the course management system.…”

Section: Media and Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting intercultural thinking and reflection through U.S. history

Tocaimaza‐Hatch

Bloom

2019

Language textbooks present cultural content in a typically homogeneous fashion, thereby ignoring inherent diversity both within and between cultures and reinforcing monodimensional views. Consequently, instructors must find ways to facilitate students’ critical engagement with and reflection on cultural representations in order to provide them with the space to more critically examine cultural heterogeneity, which is essential for effective and appropriate interactions in real settings. The current study describes novel cultural modules built around the PBS documentary series Latino Americans to be integrated into a Spanish 1 course. The modules introduced students to historical events regarding the long‐standing Latino presence in the United States and Latinos’ points of view, perceptions, and values. To ascertain the effectiveness of the modules, students’ development of intercultural sensitivity was assessed via surveys and class observations. The analysis was framed using M. Bennett's model of intercultural development. Results demonstrated students’ shifts in both ethnocentric and ethnorelative perceptions of cultural difference. Regarding ethnorelative perspectives, results suggest discrete improvements particularly as seen in the prevalence of data that support a shift toward acceptance.

“…For an advanced Spanish class in an American university, Bueno () illustrated ways in which pop culture, particularly films, can be used to teach the target language and culture. According to her, two significant benefits of using films in foreign language classes include that foreign language students can develop (1) “media literacy skills” and (2) “trans‐lingual and trans‐cultural competence.” That is, while foreign language students comprehend and interpret a film through various in‐class activities, they are likely to develop important 21 st‐century skills, i.e., media literacy skills, which are often defined as the “ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create messages in a variety of forms” from print to video to the Internet (Livingstone, , p. 5).…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The Use and Role of Pop Culture in Heritage Language Learning: A Study of Advanced Learners of Korean

Choi

2012

Despite the important use of pop culture in many instructional settings, its use in the heritage language (HL) classroom remains largely unexplored. Thus, this article reports findings from classroom‐based qualitative research that examined the use and role of pop culture in advanced Korean HL learners’ literacy engagement and identity construction. Data analyses of the learners’ reading presentations and writing projects revealed that they extensively drew upon the heritage media and pop culture for their in‐class literacy practices. Pop culture served as a contact point for their literacy practice, helped reexamine or strengthen their ethnic identity from a global perspective, and provided a window to discuss social issues and explore them. Findings suggest pedagogical implications for using pop culture in HL and foreign language classrooms.