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

Abstract

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.

Films for Efl: Exploring the Perceptions of a High School Teacher

“…Leaving aside a small number of isolated pioneering studies such as, for example, Travis (1947), the benefits of the application of audio-visual resources to FL started being contemplated as a viable option during the early 1980s with the emergence of communicative language teaching (CLT) and the development of audiovisual technology (Jurkovič & Mertelj, 2015). CLT emphasized the importance of meaning and interaction among students to learn an L2 and audiovisual material was held to be a great teaching aid in this respect (Sturm, 2012). However, the intersection between CLT and audiovisual materials did not come without clear challenges.…”

“…Many studies devoted to examining EFL teaching (Seferoğlu, 2008;Stevenson, 2013;Sturm, 2012;Yunus et al, 2013) have suggested that authentic audio-visual resources provide L2 learners with countless opportunities to learn about culture and enhance their intercultural awareness, as discussed below. Authentic videos such as a film or a soap opera show students L2 speakers' lifestyle, which teachers cannot illustrate just orally.…”

“…Authentic videos such as a film or a soap opera show students L2 speakers' lifestyle, which teachers cannot illustrate just orally. Thus, students learn about everyday situations, including how English people coexist, their day-to-day routines and their workplaces (Allan, 1985;Pisarenko, 2017;Salas, 2002;Seferoğlu, 2008;Sturm, 2012;Tomalin, 1986;Yunus et al, 2013). Besides, according to Bueno (2009), a film can even reflect the values and the ideological system of the period in which it is set.…”

“…Thus, more empirical evidence is needed to prove or disprove the theoretically defined advantages of authentic audio-visual resources (Canning-Wilson, 2000;. More specifically, concerning the use of films for EFL, the scarce empirical research available has focused on examining student perceptions and performance in university contexts (Charlebois, 2008;Seferoğlu, Copyright © 2021, authors, e-ISSN: 2502-6747, p-ISSN: 2301-9468 2008; Sturm, 2012), failing to contemplate, therefore, other educational contexts such as compulsory secondary education, where attention to this matter has been minimal and inconclusive since only a very limited number of the advantages of using films for EFL lessons have been tested-Ruey and Kun (2014), for example, devoted their study to analyzing merely secondary school English students' improvement in speaking.…”

Yabancılara Türkçe Öğretiminde Filmlerin Kullanımı (Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım Filmi Örneği)

“…Bahsettiğimiz bu çalışmalardan bir tanesinde ortaya çıkan sonuç, şu şekilde ifade edilmektedir: "Üniversite düzeyinde dil derslerinde film kullanımı üzerine yapılan bu araştırmada, öğrencilerin derse karşı açık ve istekli olduğu belirlenmiştir." (Sturm, 2012).…”