1. Multi-media has the potential to be a great educational tool
1.1. Students will always be drawn to multimedia texts no matter how hard a teacher tries to engage them with printed texts
2. Using Film as Film to Teach Literary Theory
2.1. Teachers can use film to illustrate literary theories that may be too abstract for students to comprehend through printed texts alone
2.2. Teachers can select scenes appropriate to the particular literary theory being studied
2.2.1. By selecting short clips teachers can also devote time for discussion
2.3. Instead of reading lengthy excerpts from novels with difficult vocabulary and context, students can see exactly what is happening in the film
3. The Future of Film in the English Classroom
3.1. Though film as film cannot replace reading, writing, and the study of printed literature, it has the potential to bridge students' interests in multimedia with the critical thinking skills that are at the heart of the English classroom.
3.2. No matter what type of media is being viewed, each text has been specifically shaped to influence the viewer in one way or another
4. Film in the English Classroom
4.1. Methods That Ignore Film as a Unique Moving Medium
4.1.1. Treating Films as Literature
4.1.2. Comparing Films and Written Text
4.2. Advantages of Teaching Films as Literature
4.2.1. Helps Level the Playing Field: Most students are inexperienced with film analysis, so they are at equal skill levels
4.2.2. Students with low motivation are more willing to think, talk, and write about films than books
4.2.3. Incorporates elements of language and literature in ways students are more willing to engage with
4.3. Disadvantages of Teaching Films as Literature
4.3.1. Students struggling with literature may also struggle with film
4.3.2. The film-as-literature approach ignores that a director has created a film text to shape the viewers reactions
4.3.2.1. Teachers must not only consider how viewer/reader response shapes the text but also how the text is created to shape our reaction
4.3.3. Falls short in challenging all levels of students
4.4. English teachers often lack the training to treat film as anything other than literature.
4.4.1. English teachers need an elementary understanding of film techniques
5. Studying Cinematic Techniques
5.1. Can help students decide biases of the director, and what point they are trying to convey
5.2. Students can learn to see film as a cultural artifact
5.3. Students can develop critical thinking skills
5.3.1. These will be useful throughout their lives because they will constantly come in contact with this form of media