I am a huge fan of using film to enhance the learning process. I thought to share my review of an upcoming book, a portion of which will appear on the jacket cover. You might also enjoy an earlier article I wrote, "Using Cameras to Inspire Learning."
Through dogged reporting and captivating research, Michael Schoohmaker’s
Unlocking the Moviemaking Mind masterfully conveys how and why video production can and should be utilized in the K-12 classroom. It’s a giant feat, accomplished in a fascinating, easy-to-read narrative—filled with not only intricate case studies, but also heartfelt messages about how effective use of technology (in this case, cameras) greatly assists digital natives in seeing the relevance of what and how they learn.
“Will teachers put in the effort to engage with a generation of learners with very different learning styles?” Schoonmaker writes. “And if teachers are willing to do this, they must be prepared to learn as much as they teach. In the end, digital natives are not just born and raised on digital media and technology; they are born and raised on learning from it. They are learning natives as much as they are digital natives.”
I teach history and journalism to juniors and seniors, and Schoonmaker’s words resonate with me on a profound level. Whenever useful and appropriate, I make effective use of technology to enhance the learning experience. In so doing, I am comfortable deferring to students more knowledgeable than I am. Last year, I encouraged several seniors to explore a new video editing software to produce a mock-presidential debate. From them, I learned how to use this technology.
Schoonmaker discredits a massively popular misconception, that teachers must possess advanced video editing skills to introduce film making in the classroom.
“The key to successful filmmaking has more to do with a filmmaker having ‘something to say’ than in the filmmaker possessing technical filmmaking skills,” he writes.
Schoonmaker, who serves as chair of the Television-Radio-Film Department at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, builds solidly upon his previous work,
Cameras in the Classroom. This time around, he relies heavily on a three-year study, “The Smart Kids Visual Stories Project,” in which he investigates the role visual media play in helping students express themselves, as well as pursuing their own learning.
In this respect, I was fascinated by Schoonmaker’s findings at Robert Bingham School, “a magnet for kids who were not wanted or accepted at other schools.” Schoonmaker doubled-down to see if through video making, troubled students at this floundering school, which closed after his research there, could convey their thoughts about urban education, “and, in particular, their knowledge and perceptions about school through their own stories.” Helping them through the grieving process, Schoonmaker also worked with 90-plus students in grades 4-6 to create a video time capsule.
“Along with the passage of time, the time capsule activity helped soothe the students and convert what might have been negative energy into positive and hopeful energy in the form of their video time capsule,” he writes.
Through passionate and empathic storytelling, Schoonmaker gently guides readers to a logical conclusion—film making works best when students take ownership of the process. From videos such as “What a Good Teacher Looks Like” to “A Day in My Life,” the latter of which deals with racism in the classroom, the author shows how film provides an effective conduit for individuals to express their hopes, dreams, and fears.
For all of this book’s merits, though, I most appreciate how Schoonmaker illuminates a staggering deficiency. “By the time children arrive in kindergarten, they possess, without any formal visual reading training, a strong aptitude for the reading of visual media,” Schoonmaker writes. “The same cannot be said about their encoding skills, or their ability to effectively communicate to others using visual media, thus giving way to an encoding deficit.”
For that exact reason, I’m passionate about taking the time to teach basic video making in all of my courses. In today’s digital world, teachers need to rethink what encompasses “literacy.” Reading and writing will always remain fundamental to education, but learning to create visual content must become equally important—especially for today’s digital generation.
To his credit, Schoonmaker goes to great lengths to make plain that while more schools should embrace student film making, it is not a panacea to correct all of America’s K-12 education problems. Film production is an instrument, as Schoonmaker makes clear by wisely citing from legendary CBS anchor Edward R. Murrow’s 1958 “Wires and Lights in a Box” speech: “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box.”
Unlocking the Moviemaking Mind is essential reading for any teacher, parent, or coach seeking to inspire and make learning relevant to today’s digital natives.
* If you would like to speak to Prof. Schoonmaker, just let me know. I would be thrilled to connect you. He's a great guy, and he's always looking to speak with teachers.