Strategies
There are three content standards for Language Arts in the state of New Mexico, and they are as follows: students will apply strategies and skills to comprehend information that is read, heard, and viewed. Students will communicate effectively through speaking and writing. Students will use literature and the media to develop an understanding of people, society, and the self. My Yale unit attends to each of these in detail, the third standard pre-eminent, as exhibited in my lesson plans. The study of media, especially film, is generally lacking in most Language Arts classrooms across the country. Professional development in the area of cinema is virtually non-existent in Santa Fe for my colleagues at the secondary level. I propose to change that by introducing this unit. It focuses on African film and storytelling, but the pedagogy relates to every genre of cinema. My lesson plans will include extensive writing, viewing, and listening activities. My forte is grammar, and I insist on my students' mastering sentence diagramming each year. This, plus vocabulary, journal and essay writing, editing, and presenting, will be highly applicable to the African film unit.
Alameda Middle School adopted a full-inclusion program last year; all special education students remain in the mainstream classes. This has been an amazing challenge and learning experience. This year, I taught the following student conditions within my core classes: autism, epilepsy, ADD, ADHD, emotionally disturbed, and a myriad of learning disabilities which preclude the student's performance at grade level. I also teach many students for whom English is their second language. All of the above have achieved success in levels of improvement beyond my fondest dreams. Differentiation of instruction is the key here, and it is time-consuming to plan. Working in small, flexible groups, one on one, or as a class, the teacher much seek out the appropriate learning materials which will enhance self-esteem and, of course, test scores. As the full-inclusion model is spreading across the country, it will be addressed in my lesson plans. As well, the over-achievers need challenge, and this is where pre-AP classes play an essential role.
I do believe that I know my classroom best, and that my empowerment can come from a superior professional development experience such as the Yale Teachers' Initiative. It has done that for me, and it emphasizes a point which I have considered as very important in my classroom but only for the last couple of years. That is the arts. I have brought into my class art objects and art transparencies which we have discussed and written about. Now there is the exciting addition of film which espouses a new approach in delivering the established curriculum. As I adapt to the state standards, I recognize that all students can learn and show achievement through this medium. Now, the elements of a classical education can be combined with an artistic experience, such as the use of figurative language and the exercise of imagination. Correlating to the third New Mexico state standard for Language Arts as previously outlined, my unit on the oral traditions of Africa through film embody and share the rich diversity of human experience. As a middle school team leader, I must originate four interdisciplinary units per year which my team will teach as a whole. I envision my Yale unit as a prolific starting point for cross-disciplinary study. Students' positive academic performance as assessed by standardized tests has already showed an increase for those students who included the arts in their school work throughout high school. This unit will serve as a jump-start for those entering high school next year. It can easily incorporate the core subjects of science, social studies, and mathematics.
Films lend their unique qualities to the full- inclusion classroom which most print materials fail to do. I picture students in small heterogeneous groups analyzing film scenes using some general knowledge of problem solving, individual decision making, and group decision making, to arrive at a conclusion that they can present to the class. Film scenes will be used before and after discussing the African film's themes, and they will be repeated for more emphasis. Showing certain African film scenes before discussion will give my students a visual image to which they can compare the topics under discussion. This approach allows students of all levels to quickly reference the examples they've viewed, setting a tone and frame of reference for cultural concepts. Vigorous discussions will ensue. I will be anxious to repeat scenes; this presents a new methodology by which all students can gain an understanding of complex topics in his or her particular way.
Community resources play an essential role when planning strategies for a unit such as the Oral Traditions and Memory in African Film unit. The unit encompasses such breadth and depth, dealing with Africa's ancient traditions and its modernity, fitting the essential layers of African storytelling into the relatively new medium of cinema. The two films which are studied, Keita, and Wend Kuuni, are challenging to find for classroom use in a small city such as mine. Obviously, as they are both in my possession for classroom use now, this is not impossible. I would suggest that the teacher look early for these two films; they can be found in eclectic video shops, in the film libraries of universities, through Amazon.com or California Newsreel.com. It may require some creative financing, but we have been used to that since the first day we entered a classroom. Both the African and African American people living in our cities and small towns provide a resource which may be untapped until you talk with them. Santa Fe has a handful of African/African American residents. One is a drummer of ancient stories from Nigeria. True, I found him through my daughter, but these links are everywhere; we must seek them out and pay them well to inspire our students. My district, perhaps like yours, has no funding for such special guests; we therefore must seek funds through grants, gifts from community foundations, etc. We must find a way. Look to your museums. At the moment, they may not be featuring African arts, but they can certainly link you to traveling exhibits and presenters who may travel to your school. Outreach is paramount to the majority of American museums and universities. I find that making a few phone calls sets up amazing experiences for students, and they are cognitively very important.
Lastly, it aids immensely to have a local filmmaker, or a college teacher of filmmaking, visit your classroom. Having a film crew member or actor attend the class for an informal question and answer session can greatly aid student attention and, therefore, learning. The visitor would love viewing Keita and Wend Kuuni, as they and the students call out all the film techniques they see being used.
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