Expand our worldview through films

Have you got time?

Have you been in the situation that you would like to show a film to enhance students’ understanding of specific content or a topic, but there is not enough time to do that at school? Are you sometimes looking for a film to show students in the last few days before the school semester ends? Do you feel that your children might have watched too much TV at home and those TV shows are not always of good quality? 

During the school closure due to COVID-19, what if we can recommend some good films to students and their families? When watching a movie together, we often build emotions together and share ideas and opinions afterwards. Through films, we can also get inspired, feel motivated, and expand our worldview. If we think ahead, teachers can select specific films that link to the curriculum for students to watch during the school closure and then build upon their knowledge after we return to school. 

Instead of suggesting a bunch of activities for students to do, I think I am going to think inside the box a bit and make some movie recommendations to our students. The purpose is for students and their families to get inspired, expand their worldview and have a conversation through film-watching together. I have enjoyed doing this with my own children and it has been wonderful to share laughter and emotions. So far, we have watched The Gods Must Be Crazy, Hugo, The Call of the Wild, and The Boy Harnessed the Wind. My favorite movie is The Gods Must Be Crazy so far and it was amazing to see how my children discovered another part of the world with a completely different culture. What’s been illustrated in the film is still so true in our modern society. There is lots of food for thought in this film.    

I am grateful that we have access to these movies via the good internet and it was also a blessing that we can enjoy the time together as a family. In case these movie recommendations can benefit you, here is the movie list. Lastly, thank you for the wonderful educators who shared the movies they used in classrooms.   

Movie List

Movie list: https://bit.ly/3sBhCqK