LEARNING BY DOING: USING THE FILMMAKING PROCESS AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL

In the interest of educational progress it is valuable to explore new ways of thinking and learning. As the use of technology in classrooms becomes increasingly common, it is now time to reconsider the use of film in the educational process. Currently, there are many studies available to illustrate how film viewing is an appropriate and beneficial learning tool in today’s classrooms, but very few say anything about how the process of making these films can be educational.

This paper explores the potential of the filmmaking process as an educational tool that can greatly enrich the learning of students, particularly those in primary and secondary schools. This paper will show that the process of making a film in and of itself has immense educational value, and that by incorporating filmmaking into regular school curriculum, teachers will not only enable their students to learn more effectively, they will also provide their students with a richer school experience. The paper will make the argument that students who work together to create a film will develop valuable abstract skills including critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork, as well as more concrete skills like research and creative writing.

Filmmaking will be placed in the context of other already well-established educational theories and methods of teaching and will be shown as a reasonable and purposeful use of classroom time. This study will examine some of the specific purposes and benefits for making films in the classroom, as well as the challenges of implementing filmmaking into regular curriculum. The paper will also highlight several issues facing schools in the United States, and will show how filmmaking is an appropriate response to the effects of societal changes on the current educational system.

The purpose of this paper is to establish a theoretical framework about the educational value and potential of making films so that more research and fieldwork can be done to test this theory in real-life classroom settings. The primary focus is on the American K-12 educational system, though some conclusions and theories may be more broadly applicable.

The overall conclusion of this study is that the process of filmmaking in schools is currently only theoretically valuable, and must be further examined in field-based study to validate its assertions. The paper indicates possible areas for future field-based research.