New Into Film CPD programme focuses on film to raise attainment

How can teachers best use film as a text to improve literacy?   What are the benefits of filmmaking for young people and how can it be incorporated simply and practically into teaching and learning?  Educators across the UK can now expand their skills by taking part in an innovative and flexible new CPD programme from Into Film, an education charity supported by the BFI with Lottery Funding.  The programme will provide a range of strategies to develop literacy, filmmaking and employability skills, and raise attainment in reading and writing using the engaging and thought-provoking medium of film.

Developed in collaboration with a range of partners including the BFI, the Bradford Media Literacy Project, NI Creative Learning Centres and a wide variety of subject associations and CPD practitioners, the programme consists of two key strands: Literacy CPD designed to improve literacy through the use of film as text, and Filmmaking CPD designed to enhance curricular learning through the use of filmmaking.  Training is available free for groups of 15 participants or more, with sessions ranging in length from 30 minutes to a full day and tailored to meet the needs of individual schools.

Into Film’s Literacy CPD demonstrates the benefits of using film as text to develop learners’ critical thinking, analytical and contextualisaton skills – skills equally applicable to and transferable between film and literary texts.   Educators are introduced to the key concepts of colour, character, camera, story, setting and sound – the 3Cs and 3Ss – and how learners can use these to analyse and decode film and other texts.  Activities – designed to suit different age-groups –   include games and activities to develop identification and analysis of different camera shots, learning how to construct a story and use character analysis in scriptwriting, analysing use of sound, expressing thoughts and opinions on a piece of film and exploring mise-en-scene.

The Filmmaking Programme emphasises film as a teaching tool to encourage deep and active learning across a range of subjects and facilitates young people taking control of their own learning processes.   With a firm focus on filmmaking without specialist equipment, sessions range from Record and Playback, ShoeBox Set Design and Introduction to Animation, to 5,4,3,2,1 – a framework for simple filmmaking using tablets, flip cameras or smartphones.

Teachers already working with film have welcomed its positive impact.  In a recent survey  96% said their students were more engaged with the curriculum, 86% said their students were more imaginative and creative, 76% said their students had improved speaking and listening skills, 74% said their students had improved critical thinking and enquiry skills and 72% said their students had improved literacy skills.

According to Colm Hackett of Hazelwood Integrated College, “Using film to teach improve literacy promotes a more democratic and inclusive method of teaching. We, as teachers, have to meet the challenge of engaging all children. As they are already a visually literate generation this is the best way I have found to do so.”

For full details of the Into Film CPD Programme visit: http://www.intofilm.org/schools-training-and-development

To book a free training session for 15 or more staff email CPD@intofilm.org or ask to speak to the CPD team on 020 7288 4520.