Lost Voices: The Stoning of Soraya M.

Posted on May 13, 2013 by labragirlfilmproject under Uncategorized, Film Analysis, Critical Thinking, Classroom Discussion, Guest Blogger

Welcome to the Labragirl Film Project’s weekly film literacy discussion. Every Monday morning Labragirl provides a resource, activity, or methodological discussion to help incorporate film analysis into your classroom.

Last week we discussed cultural memory and the role moving images playing in shaping our collective understanding of the past.

This week we are joining a conversation from our sister company – Labragirl Pictures‘ blog. This discussion about the film The Stoning of Soraya M. combines film analysis with two of the Labragirl Film Project’s goals:

Fostering a global perspective
Addressing racial and gender inequalities

Please comment below or discuss with us on

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Classroom Discussion Synopsis:

This week’s Moving Images-Moving Forward conversation explores the film The Stoning of Soraya M.

Grade Level: High School & College

Educational Goals:

Help students apply film analysis and film reading skills to larger global discussions
Foster a global perspective and understanding of the world
Help students think critically about their interactions with moving images
Encourage students to navigate critical thinking discussions about moving images & historical images

The Stoning of Soraya M., 2008

{Warning: This blog post contains movie spoilers.}

Based on a true story, The Stoning of Soraya M. was adapted from the book La femme lapidé by Iranian—French journalist Freidoune Sahebjam. Sahebjam’s book was also published in English as: The Stoning of Soraya M.: A Story of Injustice in Iran.

: {Click on image for source info.}

Have you seen The Stoning of Soraya M.?

What do you think about it?

This film tells the story of an Iranian woman who was unjustly stoned to death in 1986. This movie provides an intimate look into a small, remote Iranian village – exploring customs, morals, and social norms. Additionally, visual life and sound are given to the women in this town—women who have been otherwise silenced.

The Stoning of Soraya M. Official Trailer

Perhaps most disturbing in this movie is the 20+ minute stoning scene. It’s real, brutal, and visually intense. What makes this sequence so disturbing is also what seems to give the story and the characters in this film stronger voices. If the filmmakers had chosen to allude to the stoning, rather than recreate the execution, then maybe the story wouldn’t be as shocking.

: A still from the film’s stoning scene. {Source: http://dianiko.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/the-stoning-of-soraya-m/}

If the stoning scene were shorter then maybe the slow and painful process of stoning would not seem as violent or tragic. Or, maybe if the stoning was filmed from a distance rather than with a series of close-up images, the reality of the situation wouldn’t be as powerful.

What do you think about these images?

Would this movie had been the same without such a prolonged and unapologetic stoning scene?

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Did you use any of these discussions or activities in your classroom? How did it go?

Do you teach film reading and film analysis?

What are some exercises you use?

We’d love to hear from you.

Please comment below or discuss with us on .

*Disclaimer: All movie clips are suggestions for class use, only. All instructors should screen clips to determine if they are appropriate to use in their classrooms.

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UP NEXT 5/20: Talking Film II

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Bring Labragirl into your classroom. Contact us at info@labragirlfilmproject.org or fill out our Interest & Inquiry Form.

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Previous Blog Entries

Film & Cultural Memory I

Film Education

Relevance – the 4th ‘R’

Making Film I

Talking Film I

Downton Abbey in Your Class #1 – Roll Sound!

Reading Film

Fictional Projections of History

Think Globally Using Film

Our Relationship with Movies

Moving Past Historical Accuracy

Images Telling Stories

Film Shaping History

Think Film Images

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Film & Cultural Memory I

Posted on May 6, 2013 by labragirlfilmproject under American History, Classroom Discussion, Critical Thinking, Film Analysis, History, Pedagogy/Methodology, Uncategorized

Last week we recommended Film Education and their materials for helping teachers incorporate film into both primary and secondary education.

This week we discuss cultural memory and the role moving images playing in shaping our collective understanding of the past.

Please comment below or discuss with us on

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Classroom Discussion Synopsis:

This week’s Moving Images-Moving Forward conversation explores the idea of cultural memory and how moving images shape the way we understand the past.

Grade Level: High School & College

Educational Goals:

Help students apply classroom skills to the real world and vice versa
Incorporate film analysis into popular culture discussions
Help students think critically about their interactions with moving images
Enable students to participate in discussions about the fluidity of history
Encourage students to navigate critical thinking discussions about moving images & historical images

Exercise Philosophy:

The main goal of this exercise is to help bridge the gap between the classroom and the ‘real world.’ Oftentimes, film is left out of history classrooms because movies are fictional accounts of the past. Although this approach is valid, keeping film out of history discussions altogether leaves students without the critical analysis and film reading skills to understand how films shape the way we understand the past—collectively speaking.

Although Labragirl does not advocate the use of historical films to teach historical “facts” or “truth,” we do believe that it is necessary for students to be able to dissect, analyze, and discuss how historical films shape our popular culture understanding and view of the past.

Exercise Activity & Process:

1. Discuss the idea of cultural memory and collective memory.

Although we can clearly get into very complex and detailed conversations about cultural memory and collective memory, for this introductory conversation simply discuss with students the idea that there is a common and collective understanding of our past. Also, I suggest engaging in a discussion about how this collective understanding of the past is shaped, in large part, by moving images.

2. Why is it important to understand cultural memory and collective memory?

Certainly the history classroom is a place to examine primary sources to learn about what happened in the past, however we here at Labragirl believe that it’s also important to help students navigate the abstract terrain that is our popular culture understanding of the past.

We believe that it is important to understand how our collective memory is created because we make individual and collective decisions based on our understanding of the past.

Film Literacy Resource Suggestion: Film Education

Posted on April 29, 2013 by labragirlfilmproject under Critical Thinking, Film Analysis, Resource, Uncategorized

Our last post was a guest blog by media literacy professional Greg Williams from the Relevant Classroom. Greg started an important conversation about the relevance of media literacy and learning.

This week we are suggesting Film Education, an organization out of the UK that promotes film literacy and film education.

Please comment below or discuss with us on

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Classroom Resource Suggestion:

This week the Labragirl Film Project recommends the educational organization Film Education.

About Film Education:

Film Education is an organization in the UK that is supported by the UK Film Industry. Their mission is to “promote and support the use of film within the curriculum.”

Film Education provides screenings, resources, and training. Although you do have to be in the UK to take advantage of some of their programming, Film Education has much to offer educators here in the States.

Why Film Education?

The UK educational system has a very developed and integrated plan for film and its educational curriculum. As a result, there are a number of organizations dedicated to helping educators and administrators incorporate film analysis into their classrooms.

Film Education has a number of free downloads and training guides to help K-12 teachers with film literacy. We here at the Labragirl Film Project admire Film Education’s mission and believe that they produce solid materials.

Check out Film Education!

A sampling of their topics include:

To access Film Education’s materials on using film in secondary education click here.

Film Education also offers guidance for introducing film into primary education.

A sampling of their topics include:

To access Film Education’s materials on using film in primary education click here.

Do you teach film reading and film analysis?

What are some exercises you use?

Have you used Film Education’s materials in your classroom?

We’d love to hear from you.

Please comment below or discuss with us on .

*Disclaimer: All movie clips are suggestions for class use, only. All instructors should screen clips to determine if they are appropriate to use in their classrooms.

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UP NEXT 5/6: Film & Cultural Memory

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Bring Labragirl into your classroom. Contact us at info@labragirlfilmproject.org or fill out our Interest & Inquiry Form.

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Previous Blog Entries

Relevance – the 4th ‘R’

Making Film I

Talking Film I

Downton Abbey in Your Class #1 – Roll Sound!

Reading Film

Fictional Projections of History

Think Globally Using Film

Our Relationship with Movies

Moving Past Historical Accuracy

Images Telling Stories

Film Shaping History

Think Film Images

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Relevance – the 4th ‘R’

Posted on April 15, 2013 by labragirlfilmproject under Classroom Discussion, Critical Thinking, Guest Blogger, Pedagogy/Methodology, Uncategorized

Last week we combined beginning film production skills with beginning film literacy skills.

This week we are grateful to have media literacy professional Greg Williams as a guest blogger.

Greg is graduating from Brigham Young University this month with a BA in Media Arts Studies (film) and a minor in English. Post graduation plans include going to Tulsa, OK to work in a k-12 school with Teach For America, blogging and writing about media literacy, and learning how to be a good father. He is leading a team of innovators on a project to create a website where teachers and educators can share and find popular culture clips to use in their lesson plans. Greg loves creating and critiquing films, reading, hiking in Utah’s stunning national parks, and spending time with family.”

Greg’s blog, The Relevant Classroom can be found here: http://therelevantclassroom.blogspot.com/

You can also follow Greg on:

and

Please comment below or discuss with us on

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Relevance – the 4th ‘R’

Gregg Williams – A media literacy professional and author of the Relevant Classroom.

Relevance has and will continue to be an important quality to understand and promote in learning centers around the world. “Think of it as the fourth R”, encourages Daniel Pink in his bestseller Drive, “Reading, writing, arithmetic and . . . relevance.” We need to focus on the idea that students obtain more knowledge and retain further information when they actively participate in the learning process and when they can relate to what is being taught (Akey, 2006). Amongst all the hype and contention over issues such as high-stakes testing or teacher evaluations the necessity of relevance and the student experience itself is often left out.

Image by Andrew Langendorfer – Click on image for source info.

Indeed one reason students fail or are disinterested is because they don’t see the connection between today’s lesson and what they really want to do someday. The more we can close that gap – to illustrate classroom relevance to their world – the better we can engage students and keep their interest (Masters, 2009). Many different methods and pedagogies have developed from this need for relevance in education, including project and problem-based learning. Using movie clips and other aspects of media literacy, however, has largely gone untapped as an important paradigm that can greatly strengthen students’ yearning for relevance and meaning in the classroom.

Why Film?

Using film in the classroom effectively can increase relevance and student motivation in at least two ways. First, film and forms of pop culture can be connected to just about every subject there currently taught, and second, using media clips empowers students outside of formal learning environments.

1) Film can be used for a variety of subjects even when it gets it wrong.

Perhaps you are thinking that showing a clip from a film in your class will be a waste of time or will distract students from your lesson objectives. While this can be true in some circumstances, it really depends on you as the teacher. I still remember a lesson from my freshman year in high school where we learned about balancing equations in Pre-Algebra. Why do I remember it? My teacher showed us a clip from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and then led a constructive conversation about balance and its application to math. It became more relevant to me! Though I remember little about the rest of the curriculum for that year, the connection and motivation from that one clip is still with me.

In middle school we watched Pocahontas and my teacher helped us understand the historical inaccuracies and why the filmmakers may have presented the film in the way they did. The media doesn’t have to be correct for you to show it (indeed it rarely will be), but it is important for you to discuss with your students what they are seeing and where the connections are. Writer and former educator Mark Phillips explained, “Film can be used as a culminating experience to summarize a unit or lesson. It can be studied as an art form. Short films designed to teach a concept or skill, especially in a subject like physical education, can be very useful. Developing students’ critical consciousness of visual media should be a major part of every school’s curriculum.”

2) Using film and other popular culture resources in your classroom empowers students to learn outside of class.

I agree with teacher and researcher Renee Hobbes when she stated,

Teachers who have used popular works in the classroom know that such works can generate some remarkable, vigorous, and sophisticated reasoning, rich conversations, and dynamic writing from young people . . . It’s a transformative experience for a young person to discover that the same skills used to discuss The Tempest can be applied to an episode of “The Wonder Years.” Students who discover this in a powerful way chant a mantra that many teachers who employ media literacy have heard frequently: ‘I’ll never watch TV the same way again!” (Hobbes, 1998).

As you show and discuss clips, students will begin to see that the world around them – the very same world that they turn to for entertainment and “non-school stuff” –in a new light. As a nation do we really think we can nurture a new generation of STEM students by feeding them tests and banal worksheets? Not to mention other fields such as the humanities and business.

The Bottom Line

With education being at the center of many debates, there are multitudes of issues in the air. Though we may be unsure of vouchers or the role of public school, technology integration and classroom sizes, one thing everyone ought to understand and rally around is the idea that students need to understand the relevance of learning in their own lives. As we move toward using film and other multimedia effectively in the classroom we can increase student motivation in all subjects, and empower young people to learn outside of formal education.

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Citations

Akey, T. M. (2006, January). School context, student attitudes and behavior, and academic achievement: An exploratory analysis. New York: MDRC. Retrieved April 6, 2012, from http://www.mdrc.org/publications/419/full.pdf

Hobbs, Renée. “The Simpsons Meet Mark Twain: Analyzing Popular Media Texts in the Classroom.” The English Journal, 87.1 (1998), pp. 49-51. http://www.jstor.org/stable/822021

Masters, Andy. “4 Ways to Engage Today’s Generation of Students.” Techniques (AECT) 84.3 (2009): 8-9. Print.

We’d love to hear from you. Please comment below or discuss with us on .

*Disclaimer: All movie & television clips are suggestions for class use, only. All instructors should screen clips to determine if they are appropriate to use in their classrooms.

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UP NEXT 4/29: A Film literacy resource suggestion

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Bring Labragirl into your classroom. Contact us at info@labragirlfilmproject.org or fill out our Interest & Inquiry Form.

———————————————————————————————————————–

Previous Blog Entries

Making Film I

Talking Film I

Downton Abbey in Your Class #1 – Roll Sound!

Reading Film

Fictional Projections of History

Think Globally Using Film