Film as (quasi-)authentic linguistic and cultural input –

challenges and chances in the secondary language classroom

Isabella Seeger

Bielefeld University

TEACHING THROUGH FILM:CASE STUDIES AND STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE LEARNING

FLAME Research Centre,Manchester Metropolitan University

26 July 2014

CONTENTS

1 Film as (quasi-)authentic input in the EFL classroom

2 Curricular input for lower secondary education

3 A holistic approach to teaching with film

References

1.1 Towards a definition of "classroom authenticity"

1.2 Some merits of using film in the EFL classroom

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3.1 Focus

3.2 Classroom methodology

3.3 Teacher's responsibilities

3.4 Assessment

1 FILM AS (QUASI-)AUTHENTIC INPUT IN THE EFL CLASSROOM 1.1 Towards a definition of "classroom authenticity"

Limited view of authentic language & culture

Authentic input

Film - produced for the information or entertainment of an English-speaking audience

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"CLASSROOM AUTHENTICITY"

• C-R and discovery learning• Genuinely communicative

activities• Autonomous learning

Authentic output

Authentic materials

- Produced by and for native speakers- Not produced for language teaching- Characteristics of real-life discourse(Nunan, 1989; Nuttall, 2005; Gilmore, 2007)

Learning situation

- Use of materials in meaningful context- Authentic use of language- Meaningful outcome(Breen, 1985; Taylor, 1994; Mishan, 2005)

Non-fictional content

Representation of language & culture

Quasi-authentic input

Fictional content

1 FILM AS (QUASI-)AUTHENTIC INPUT IN LANGUAGE LEARNING 1.2 Some merits of using film in the EFL classroom

FILM

Film can widely supplement the input from coursebooks or teachers

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"Films are such valuable and rich resources for teaching for they present colloquial English in real-life contexts rather than artificial situations; an opportunity of being exposed to different native speaker voices, slang, reduced speeches, stress, accents, and dialects."

(King, 2002: 2)

Meaningful, context-related situations

(Lonergan, 1984; King, 2002)

Motivation, engagement with L2

(Sommer, 2001; King, 2002; MacGregor, 2007)

Natural, real-life discourse

(Katchen,2002; Gilmore,2007)

Correlation of speaking and listening skills (Kusumarasdyati, 2004; Istanto, 2009)

Visual support (Kusumarasdyati, 2004)

Language variation (Sherman, 2003; King, 2002)

The German EFL curriculum endorses CEFR goals and suggestions regarding communicative-ness and meaningfulness

2 CURRICULAR INPUT FOR LOWER SECONDARY EDUCATION

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Frequent output:

"Abiturspeak"(Mukherjee, 2004: 247)

EFL curriculum for lower secondary education• Prescribed input:

Scripted materials (coursebook & audio/video materials, graded readers)MSW (2014)

• Standardised assessment• Non-native speaker teachers

Unfamiliar withlanguage variation (Conrad, 2004)

Inauthentic content and language(Sheldon, 1988; Mauranen, 2004; Römer, 2004, 2006, 2007; Rühlemann, 2008)

Desired output:

Appropriate in context

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)• Suggested possible input:

Different texts from all kinds of media, including TV & cinema films

Council of Europe (2001: 94)

3 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO TEACHING WITH FILM 3.1 Focus

Focusing on content and culture rather than on language

Primary focus: non-linguistic features• Supplement or contrast to

coursebook information• Diverts attention from L2• Meaningful language

production

"...the best input is so interesting and relevant that the acquirer may even ‘forget’ that the message is encoded in a foreign language."

(Krashen, 2009: 66)

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! Crucial: lowered expectations

Learners:• Comprehension of language &

content

Teacher:• Language comprehension vs

language production• Learners' ability to simplify• Learners' enthusiasm about film

Secondary focus: language• Language variation• Action-related registers

(Gibbons, 2001)

• Discovery of social & discourse functions

• Unconscious acquisition of chunks(Nunan, 1999; Krashen, 2009)

3 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO TEACHING WITH FILM 3.2 Classroom methodology

Raising interest, reducing anxiety, facilitating comprehension

Pre-viewing

• Introducing the topic(film trailer, summary/speculation, protagonists)

• Relieving language difficulty(key vocabulary; optional: subtitles)

• Creating a cinematic atmosphere

While-/after-viewing

• Drawing attention to culture & language• Research on background info• Focus on chosen aspects

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Younger or low-ability learners:

• Short films or extracts• Simple guided discovery tasks• Guided presentation

Teenage or intermediate learners:

• Full-length films or extracts; book extracts & film adaptations

• Semi-autonomous research projects • Semi-autonomous

presentation

Encouraging autonomous learning and language production

For activities, see Stempleski & Tomalin, 2001; Sherman, 2003, Thaler, 2014, etc.

3 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO TEACHING WITH FILM 3.3 Teacher's responsibilites

Learners' enjoyment = teacher's frustration?

Teachers' shifting responsibilities

Challenges:

• Specific design/adaptation of teaching materials • Acceptance of "untidy" language (input & output) • Difficulty of measuring unconscious language

acquisition

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No...

...grammatical accuracy & rule adherence

...learning of isolated words

...learning of correct spelling

...language production moulded on template phrases

Rewards:

• Relief of responsibility as language expert & role model

• Relaxation of constant classroom control • Personal enrichment & motivation

Possible foci in assessment :

Short- & long-term:• Comprehension of content• Cultural knowledge• Appropriate use of vocabulary in context• Written/oral language production • Ability to deal with related authentic materials

Long-term:•Ability to relate knowledge from the film to real-world situations•Fluency and appropriateness in language use

3 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO TEACHING WITH FILM 3.4 Assessment

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Assessing learners' engagement with content, culture and language

Case study:

• Coursebook units & film units

• Comparative long-term assessment

• Film enhanced retention of content, cultural aspects & vocabulary

(Seeger, 2011)

"...it can often be the case that these messy, layered and overlapping types of learning are not enhanced in the orderly progression of 'covering the material' in the test-based classroom."

(Costigan, 2008: 159)

REFERENCES

Breen, M.P. (1985) 'Authenticity in the language classroom.' Applied Linguistics 6/1: 60-70

Conrad, S. (2004) 'Corpus linguistics, language variation, and language teaching.' In Sinclair, J. (ed.) How to Use Corpora in Language Teaching. Amsterdam: Benjamins: 67-85

Costigan, A.T. (2008) Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era. Abingdon/New York: Routledge

Council of Europe (ed.) (2001) Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Gibbons, P. (2001) 'Learning a New Register in a Second Language.' In Candlin, C. N. and Mercer, N. (eds.) English Language Teaching in its Social Context. Abingdon/New York: Routledge: 258-270

Gilmore, A. (2007) 'Authentic materials and authenticity in foreign language learning.' Language Teacher 40: 97-118

Istanto, J.W. (2009) 'The Use of Film as an Innovative Way to Enhance Language Learning and Cultural Understanding.' Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching 6, Suppl. 1: 278-290

Katchen, J.E. (2002) 'Video in ELT – Theoretical and Practical Foundations. Proceedings of the 2002 KATE International Conference.' The Korea Association of Teachers of English: 256-259

King, J. (2002) 'Using DVD feature films in the classroom.' ELT Newsletter, Article 88/Feb 2002

Krashen, S. (2009) Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. (1st Internet ed.) Available at http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/principles_and_practice.pdf (Accessed 13 July 2014)

Kusumarasdyati (2004) 'Listening, Viewing and Imagination: Movies in EFL Classes.' 2nd International Conference on Imagination and Education, Vancouver, Canada, July 14-17, 2004. Clayton: Monash University

Lonergan, J. (1984) Video in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

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REFERENCES

MacGregor, L. (2007) 'Looking at cultural differences in movie trailers.' In Bradford-Watts, K. (ed.) JALT 2006 Conference Proceedings. Tokyo: JALT

Mauranen, A. (2004) 'Spoken corpus for an ordinary learner.' In Sinclair, J. (ed.) How to Use Corpora in Language Teaching. Amsterdam: Benjamins: 89-105

Mishan, F. (2005) Designing Authenticity into Language Learning Materials. Bristol: Intellect Books

MSW (Ministerium für Schule und Weiterbildung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen) (ed.) (2014) Zulasung von Lernmitteln in NRW [Approved teaching materials for NRW; my translation]. Available at http://www.schulministerium.nrw.de/docs/Schulsystem/Medien /Lernmittel/index.html (Accessed 14 July 2014)

Mukherjee, J. (2004) 'Bridging the Gap between Applied Corpus Linguistics and the Reality of English Language Teaching in Germany.' In Connor, U. and Upton, T.A. (eds.) Applied Corpus Linguistics. A Multi-dimensional Perspective. Amsterdam: Rodopi: 239-250

Nunan, D. (1989) Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Nunan, D. (1999) Second Language Teaching and Learning. Boston: Heinle & Heinle

Römer, U. (2004) 'A corpus-driven approach to modal auxiliaries and their didactics.' In Sinclair, J. (ed.) How to Use Corpora in Language Teaching. Amsterdam: Benjamins: 89-105

Römer, U. (2006) 'Pedagogical Applications of Corpora: Some Reflections on the Current Scope and a Wish List for Future Developments.' Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik 54/2: 121-134

Römer, U. (2007) 'Learner Language and the Norms in Native Corpora and EFL Teaching Materials: A Case Study of English Conditionals.' In Volk-Birke, S. and Lippert, J. (eds.) Anglistentag 2006 Halle. Proceedings. Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier: 355-363

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REFERENCES

Rühlemann, C. (2008) 'A Register Approach to Teaching Conversation: Farewell to Standard English?' Applied Linguistics 29/4: 672-693

Seeger, I. (2011) Exploring film as EFL coursebook supplements and motivational stimulus: A German secondary school case study. Master's dissertation. Birmingham: University of Birmingham. Available at http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-artslaw/cels/essays/matefltesldissertations/ExploringfilmascoursebooksupplementsISeeger.pdf (Accessed 18 July 2014)

Sheldon, L.E. (1988) 'Evaluating ELT textbooks and materials.' ELT Journal 42/4: 237-246

Sherman, J. (2003) Using Authentic Video in the Language Classroom. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press

Sommer, P. (2001) 'Using film in the English classroom: Why and how.' Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 44/5: 485-487

Stempleski, S. and Tomalin, B. (2001) Film. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Taylor, D. (1994) 'Inauthentic Authenticity or Authentic Inauthenticity?' TESL-EJ 1/2: 1-12

Thaler, E. (2014) Teaching English with Films. Paderborn: Schöningh

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Film:

Cantet, Laurent (2008) Entre les murs [The Class]. France: Haut et court et al.

Chadha, Ghurinder (2002) Bend it like Beckham. UK: Kintop Pictures et al.

Daldry, Stephen (2000) Billy Elliot. UK: BBC Films et al.

Egoyan, Atom (1999) Felicia's Journey. UK: Alliance Atlantis Communications et al.

Hill, Tom (2006) Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (aka Garfield 2). USA: Twentieth Century Fox et al.

Jennings, G. (2007) Son of Rambow. UK: Hammer & Tongs et al.

Kaye, Tony (1998) American History X. USA: New Line Cinema et al.

Van Sant, Gus (2007) Paranoid Park. USA: MK2 Productions et al.

Other:

Autonomous students: http://tesolatrennertnyc.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/students20talking20in20class.jpeg

Coathangers (1): http://cdn3.micasa.ch/medias/sys_master/large/d/f/4/3/id_9115088355358_large.jpg

Coathangers (2): http://www.dannielledishes.com/dannielle-dishes-1/?offset=1301670996000

Media signpost: http://bookpublicityservices.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Media.jpg

Speaking-Listening: http://jackson-consulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/listening.jpg

They'll figure it out: http://transitionculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/LaurelAndHardy-TheyThinkOfSomething.jpg

IMAGES THANKS TO

THANK YOU

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