5 Ways to Use Popular Movies
for English Language Teaching
A commonly available
resource of authentic English language is movies. Movies, in their entirety or
in selected clips, are highly practical for English language teaching. Hardly
any learner would complain about having a movie or video clip to watch as part
of an English language class. But just how do you go about exploiting films and
clips? What are good aspects of using movies for English language teaching?
Here are five ways you can use popular movies with your learners for English
language practice and acquisition.
1. Varieties of
English can be demonstrated
Want to know what
British English is like? Australian English? How about the Englishes of India
or the West Indies? Then movies are your salvation. Films produced in these
regions can give you needed first-hand insight into connected speech elements,
Rhotic or Non-rhotic pronunciation, idioms, expressions and other aspects of
regional Englishes.
2. Slices of culture
can be demonstrated
An essential element
of language learning is culture. So why not incorporate both into your language
lessons at the same time? While viewing a film in British, American, Australian
or West Indian English you can see cultural aspects included in the plot to
illustrate social customs from table manners to weddings and funerals,
holidays, celebrations and language idiosyncrasies. Don't forget the use of
"Classic" films either, as they can be a marvelous resource for the
ELT class room.
3. Historical change
can be easily demonstrated
What were conditions,
clothing, food and the English language like 100 years ago? During the 1700s or
even before? I've actually found the pre-tenth-century epic poem-saga
"Beowulf" on DVD. Learning about or comparing historical changes can
be enhanced by viewing period pieces, that is, films set in specific historical
periods and locations. For example; Gone With the Wind, Humphrey Bogart's
stable of classics, in addition to great literature of classic writers which
have been converted into screen plays, film documentaries or epic dramas (i.e.,
Dr. Zhivago, Wuthering Heights, A Tale of Two Cities, War and Peace, Moby Dick,
etc.).
4. Using Audio -
Visual elements aids learning
As repeatedly
demonstrated in research by H. Gardner (1984) and D. Lazear (1992), an audio -
visual approach is highly effective in both lowering learner affective filters
(Krashen-Terrell, 1984) and in language acquisition and learning. Visual -
Spatial, Musical - Rhythmic, Inter-personal, Intra-personal and Verbal -
Linguistic intelligence learners receive, process and acquire
communicatively-based language elements quite readily from movies. Virtually
every type of learning style can benefit from language elements acquired from
watching movies, films and videos.
5. Movies are great
fun to watch
Finally, no one, not
the most dedicated English language learner, not even the teacher, wants a
course consisting of only class room rhetoric, typical class room practice,
grammar and drills. Movies can offer a welcome respite to "normal"
class room activity while still continuing to promote English language skills
acquisition and practice. A thoughtfully chosen film (or clip thereof) can
breathe new life into a class of the most reluctant learners.
They're simply great fun to watch. After all, they were produced for entertainment, right?
They're simply great fun to watch. After all, they were produced for entertainment, right?
As progressive
professionals in our continual search for additional resources, approaches,
techniques and methods for expanding our repertoire of English language
teaching tools, movies, clips and videos can offer us an easily accessible,
dynamic resource to enrich and expand our English language teaching. The aspects
mentioned here contain only a few of the many benefits we and our learners can
experience. So, pullout your favorite flick, select a dramatic or emotional
scene, plan a few activities around it and watch the learners minds turn on.
A Final Note: In the
companion to this article entitled, "5 Reasons to Use Popular Movies for
English Language Teaching", some justifications for the use of movies in
English are reviewed.
Prof. Larry M. Lynch
is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university
professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find
romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free.
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on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a
Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost PDF Ebook, "If You Want to
Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know", immediate delivery
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