Exploring Films as a Pedagogical Strategy

Abstract

The exploration of cinematographic works as a pedagogical strategy is a practice that is mentioned in the current educational literature. During the last decades, this strategy has been used in our teaching practice in the undergraduate courses at the Higher School of Education in the Viana do Castelo Polytechnic. We know that the use of films as pedagogical tools can be carried out in different ways and to achieve different educational goals. In our practice, we have selected and made use of some films that have been screened for general public but that address, in a more or less fictionalized manner, subjects that are coincident or close to the main aims of the course units we teach. The use of this strategy follows certain procedures that have been improving due to experiments carried out by the teachers, in previous years, and according to the characteristics of the participant students and to the aims of our syllabuses. A critical approach has been used when we discuss the themes and concepts related to social and cultural diversity in school and society, citizenship, human and social rights, social and intergenerational relations, pedagogical practice, innovation, artistic production and education in general. The critical analysis of films has allowed for a privileged reflection about all these topics. This paper presents a brief description of our experiences related to the use of films as a pedagogical resource in our teaching-learning practices and reflects on some their strengths and weaknesses.