USING TECHNOLOGY
Globalizing the learner:
teaching language,
culture, and critical
thinking through film
Richard R.P. Gabbrielli describes the benefits of using this medium in class.
S eeing a film is only half the fun.
(Butler, 2005: 162)
Using film (films/movies) in the
classroom can be very rewarding.
For learners it represents a window on
how and why people communicate
around the world and how they live their
lives. Specifically, Roell (2010) suggests
that film can be used successfully
in various ways within education
and ELT in order to help learners
develop language skills, interpersonal
communication skills and intercultural
awareness. She points out that:
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nn Films combine pleasure and learning
by telling a story in a way that captures
and holds the viewer’s interest.
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nn Films simultaneously address different
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senses and cognitive channels.
For example, spoken language
is supported by visual elements
that make it easier for students to
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understand the dialogues and plot.
nn Students are exposed to the way
people actually speak.
nn Films involve the viewers, appeal
to their feelings, and help them
empathize with the protagonists.
nn DVDs usually come with subtitles
in English, which facilitates
understanding and improves
reading skills.
n Volume 26 n Issue 3 www.modernenglishteacher.com 69
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Develops English
an 9. A study of genres.
ing
language skills and 10. Regulation of the film industry by
communication skills means of censorship and anti-trust
in the classroom
laws.
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As used in the classroom, film can
Using Film
in the therefore be understood and placed
classroom within its sociocultural contexts (as
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in number 6 above) and applied to
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Develops Develops education and ELT where the emphasis
intercultural critical is on helping learners to develop critical
awareness thinking skills and analytical skills, teaching culture and
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language, and preparing them to become
global citizens.
Approaches to studying
and using film It is generally agreed that culture is
Film (cinema) has been studied from broadly defined as a common set or
numerous perspectives. According system of values, customs, traditions,
to Buckland (2010: 2), the main customs, rules, language(s) that give
considerations are: people a sense of belonging to a group
or community (Hall, 1981). Within the
1. A technological history. sphere of education, Cortazzi & Jin (1993)
argue that teaching culture can be tricky
2. A study of techniques.
and that it is vitally important to frame
3. A study of personalities. language and classroom interaction
in relation to the cultural dimension
4. A study of the relation between film
of individualism (a tendency in the
and the other arts, usually theatre or
West) and collectivism (a tendency
the novel.
in the East), which perceive attitudes,
5. A chronological history of classical values and behaviour in different ways.
or important films. Therefore, using a medium such as film
to foster intercultural awareness offers
6. Film in relation to society.
learners a golden opportunity to gain a
7. A history of Hollywood studios. global perspective on culture by making
comparisons between their own culture
8. A study of directors.
and the target culture(s).
 USING TECHNOLOGY
Kramsch (1995) also makes the point that
intercultural content in film can reveal
how people from different backgrounds
think and interact by focusing on
(controversial and non-controversial)
areas such as immigration, racism
and discrimination, ethnocentrism,
acculturation, biculturalism, intercultural
misunderstandings, etc. Consequently,
using film has the potential to not only
raise greater awareness of cultural
differences (and similarities) but also
serves to engender a feeling of empathy
in learners (in particular with members
of minority groups in society).
According to Roell (2010), film can
successfully focus on the following
thought-provoking cultural issues for the
benefit of learners:
nn Empathy with people from different
backgrounds.
nn Intercultural conflict.
nn Cultural ambiguity.
nn Racism.
nn Stereotypes.
nn Traditions and intergenerational
conflict.
nn Paraverbal and nonverbal
communication.
nn Monochronic and polychromic
perceptions of time.
nn Individualism and collectivism.
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nn High vs. low context styles.
nn Formal and informal communication.
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Teaching English language
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and British culture through
film
… I believe movies can be an excellent
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vehicle to be used in second-language
learning classes for reflecting on
values and themes while learning and
appropriating critical thinking skills …
(O’Connor, 2015: 51)
An English-through-film course at
university-level in Japan invariably
involves a focus on all four language
skills as well as grammar, vocabulary and
pronunciation. Some courses use a range
70 www.modernenglishteacher.com n Volume 26
of films to teach particular language
items or cultural content. However, in
the case where only one film is selected,
it can provide the following benefits
to learners, especially those with a low
proficiency in the English language:
nn A film can be divided into
manageable segments (of 10–15
minutes) and played a number of
times in the same class.Teachers can
decide how many times a film should
be watched with and without subtitles
(English and/or native language)
depending on the English ability of
the learners.
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nn Watching the same segment a
number of times enables learners to
consolidate understanding and focus
on the cultural content as well as the
an
language.
nn As an awareness-raising exercise,
learners can be asked, through several
ing
viewings of the same segment, to
‘notice’ the cultural patterns (values,
beliefs, customs and social rules)
sh
that are similar or dissimilar to their
own. If learners write their ideas
and observations down, they can be
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encouraged to discuss the segment
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just watched in pairs or groups.
Thoughts, opinions and comments
can then be elicited by the teacher
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as part of an open forum to create a
shared experience (community). A
sample worksheet provided by the
teacher could include the following
questions for learners to think about
(taken from my own materials):
1. What happened in this part of the
movie? Write a simple summary.
By writing a summary, learners
are encouraged to think critically
about the segment and condense
the narrative into a short, succinct
written text.
2. What did you think about this part of
the movie? How did you feel?
By expressing their thoughts and
feelings, learners are given the
opportunity to respond to the
film segment in their own words
by expressing themselves openly
and freely about the story and the
characters.
3. What do you think will happen next
in the film?
Prediction from context allows
learners to think critically and
creatively about how the narrative
in the film will or should evolve. If
learners are given the opportunity
to share and discuss their ideas, this
can lead to a very dynamic and lively
interactive session.
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4. What words/expressions did you
learn? What did you learn about
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British culture?
This section allows learners to think
about the language and culture in
the film segment. Teachers could
help low ability learners by freeze-
framing the parts of the segment and
guiding learners to specific language
items or cultural patterns.
5. Which character(s) did you like best/
least? Please give your reasons. If
you could choose to be one of the
characters for a day, which one
would you choose and why?
This section encourages learners
to think holistically about the
film segment and to focus on the
characterisation. To what extent
can learners empathise with the
characters? Would the actions
of the characters be considered
socioculturally appropriate in the
learners’ culture(s)?
nn This can be followed up with a
checklist provided by the teacher
detailing the language and cultural
patterns in the segment of specific
interest. Some of these examples
may not have been spotted by the
learners in their notes.This can lead
to additional fruitful discussions
afterwards.
nn In following classes, before the new
segment is shown, the previous
week’s segment can be shown again.
This allows learners to refresh their
memory of the story. Also, learners who
were absent the previous week are
able to follow the evolving story and
are not left behind or penalised by
having missed the segment before.
nn In the final class, questions asking
learners to reflect critically on the
n Issue 3
 USING TECHNOLOGY

Figure 1: Notting Hill (Day 1) Figure 2: Notting Hill (Day 3) Figure 3: Notting Hill (Day 8)

Notting Hill (Day 1) Notting Hill (Day 3) Notting Hill (Day 8)

(Viewing Time: 21:23 – 32:52) (Viewing Time: 1:29:38 – 1:39:43)
(Viewing Time: 10:00 minutes –
until Anna leaves the bookshop)
nn “Classic.” (Same use as in Day 1) nn “Blimey” = oh my God!
nn “Notting Hill, my favourite bit of nn “Take a seat” nn “Cardi” = cardigan
London”
nn “I’ll just fire away then” nn “Crap” = bad
nn “Buying millions of antiques.”
nn “Excellent!” nn “Bloke” = man/guy
nn “Half-life”
nn “Black Beauty” (1877 novel by nn “Groovy” = wonderful

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nn “Lodger” Anna Sewell. It has sold over
50,000,000 copies worldwide. nn “Down in the mouth” = not happy
nn “Classic”

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It teaches us about the fair nn “Turned a corner” – to turn a
nn “Sorry, can you just give me a treatment of horses in Victorian corner = to put something bad
second?” England and about how to behind you and start anew (again)

nn “I saw you put a book down your
trousers” (American English:
Pants)
nn “Can I have your autograph?”
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treat people with kindness and
respect. The TV series in the nn “Horribly drunk” = very/really
1970s was called The Adventures
nn “Cloud-cuckoo-land” = fantasy
of Black Beauty). world/believing in something
impossible or unrealistic

an
nn “It’s a classic” nn Reception desk at Ritz – Enquiries nn “Arse” = bottom (American
nn Pink Loot newspaper English: Ass)
nn “I’ll throw in one of those for free”
nn Central heating radiators nn “Chap” = man/guy
nn “Thanks!”
ing
nn Old double-decker buses – nn “Cooking the books” = doing
nn “Pleasure!”
standing on deck something illegal. Also used as
a joke
nn Taxi cab (typical London black cab)
sh

nn Cars driving on left nn Cars driving on left nn Sitting on sales counter in

nn Open market nn People having afternoon tea bookshop
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nn Door opens inwards and not nn (Lift: British English – Elevator: nn Braces (suspenders in American
English)
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outwards American English)

nn Letterbox on door nn Trafalgar Suite – Battle of nn Hampstead Heath
Trafalgar (21 October, 1805. Hampstead Heath (locally known
nn Bicycle in house as "the Heath") is a public, large,
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Admiral Lord Nelson defeated

the French and Spanish navies in
nn Pictures and photos on the walls
Cape Trafalgar off the Southwest
nn Baked beans coast of Spain. He is one of
Britain’s greatest war heroes.)
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ancient park in London, covering
320 hectares (790 acres).
It includes the 17th century
Kenwood House (stately home)

nn Washing machine and its grounds.

nn Toaster nn Horse and carriage
nn Tea/coffee mug 3. What words/expressions did you
learn? What did you learn about used on courses teaching British culture.
v

nn Carpet on stairs
British culture? I chose this film for the 15-week course
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nn Brick buildings because it is suitable viewing for female

4. What did you think of the whole film?
students at a private women’s university
What parts did you like most? Which
nn Classic = Something good (also in Japan. The story is uncomplicated and
humorous or sarcastic)/ well character(s) did you like best/least?
©

easy to follow, the dialogue is rich but not

known/high quality (novel)/
simple, traditional (suit)/ typical
entire film can be included with a
final writing task asking learners to
summarise the story of the whole film.
1. What happened in this final part of
the movie? Write a simple summary.
2. What did you think about this final
part of the movie? How did you feel?
Please give your reasons.
A semester course on
teaching English Language
and British culture through
the Film Notting Hill
Everything I learned I learned from the
movies. (Audrey Hepburn)
Notting Hill is a much-loved romantic
comedy released in 1999. It is commonly
complex, the characters speak at a slow,
clear pace, and there are also ample
examples of British culture to illustrate
daily life in the UK. Except for a few (two
or three) contextualised examples of
mildly strong language (commonly used
expletives) for comedic purposes, it is
basically devoid of lewd scenes and the
overuse of strong, explicit language that
learners and teachers may find offensive,
shocking and embarrassing (I would

n Volume 26 n Issue 3 www.modernenglishteacher.com 71

USING TECHNOLOGY
Figure 4: Notting Hill (Day 10)
Notting Hill (Day 10)
(Viewing Time: 1:49:12 – end )
nn “Oh, sod that!” = no way!
nn “Brilliant!” = great/wonderful/
fantastic
nn “Bloody hell!” = Oh God/oh my
God
nn “Hang on!” = wait!
nn Elegant town houses
nn (Former) Japanese embassy in
Piccadilly
nn London taxi
nn Flower basket on lamppost
nn National Gallery
nn The Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel
in central London. It opened on 6
August 1889. The Savoy was the
first luxury hotel in Britain.
nn Chandelier
nn Garden party – marquee (large
tent)
nn Formal hats
advise teachers to watch it through first
to assess its suitability).
Although similar-type courses tend
to use several films, I chose only one
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film on my course as it is open to
students from all departments with
various abilities in English. Therefore,
the choice of one film has proven
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to be successful in that repeated
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viewings of segments allow for a more
comprehensive understanding of the
language and culture and reduces
the possibility of confusion and
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demotivation.
Each week, students are presented with
a generic worksheet with questions
(mentioned earlier). The objective of
the course is to encourage them to focus
on a short segment each week which is
shown repeatedly (three times). They
are guided to look for examples of
cultural patterns (examples of everyday
life that are different to their own
72 www.modernenglishteacher.com n Volume 26
Japanese cultural patterns) and to write
down what they notice. Similarly, they
are also encouraged to pay attention
to the language (and British slang) and
specific words and phrases that they do
not know, find interesting, surprising or
shocking, etc.
Figures 1 to 4 illustrate some samples
from my set of worksheets which
students receive each class after they
have completed their blank worksheet
with their own ideas, discussed these
ideas in pairs, groups, and in an open
floor session with the whole class
and the teacher. The first half of each
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worksheet deals with language items
and the bottom half with cultural points.
I usually go through my list of points
and expand on each one by providing
some cultural or linguistic explanations.
an
Following this, I show the segment one
more time and comment further on the
points on my list.
ing
Conclusion
Story and narrative are common to all
sh
human cultures, and always encode a
way of making sense of our experience
li
through their structure and form.
(Bignell, 2003: 195)
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As discussed in this article, film
can be used in various ways and in
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different educational contexts to
stimulate learners to reflect critically
on cultural issues and to help them
develop language skills and effective
communication skills in the classroom
(and beyond). Methodologically
speaking, learners are presented with
learning opportunities that enable them
to reflect critically on the intercultural
implications of the narratives, to offer
opinions for lively and stimulating
in-class discussions, to develop
intercultural understanding, and to
appreciate the idea of global citizenship.
In-class and post-course feedback reveal
that students really enjoy watching
the film, that they like the story, and
that they can engage actively with the
open and interactive structure of the
class. Students state that they prefer
watching one film carefully and slowly
over a semester in segments to rushing
through several films and not being
able to notice the on-screen action and
digest the language and cultural aspects
effectively. Students also mentioned
that the worksheets offer them many
opportunities to engage with the film,
to think critically and to communicate
with others actively in the class.
Finally, in the words of the film director,
Martin Scorsese: ‘Cinema is a matter
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of what’s in the frame and what’s out.’
Food for thought! I hope this article
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inspires teachers to think about different
ways of optimisng this dynamic medium
in their classes.
References
Bignell J (2003) Media Semiotics: An
Introduction. Manchester: Manchester
University Press.
Buckland W (2010) Understand Film Studies.
Oxford: Hodder Headline.
Butler AM (2005) Film Studies. Harpenden:
Pocket Essentials.
Cortazzi M & Jin L (1993) Cultural orientation
and academic use. In D Graddol, L Thompson
& M Byram (Eds) Language and Culture
(84–97). Clevedon: BAAL and Multilingual
Matters.
Hall ET (1981) The Silent Language. London:
Anchor Books.
Kramsch C (1998) Language and Culture.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kramsch C (1995) The cultural component
of language teaching. Language, Culture and
Curriculum 8 (2) 82–92.
Notting Hill (1999) Universal Studios.
O’Connor S ( 2015) Using online short films
in English language courses. Modern English
Teacher (MET) 24 (2) 51–52.
Roell C (2010) Intercultural training with films.
English Teaching Forum 2 2–15.
Richard Gabbrielli (PhD) teaches in the
Department of International Tourism and
Business at Yasuda Women’s University
in Hiroshima, Japan. He is particularly
interested in semiotics, communication
theory, cultural studies, and their
application to ELT.
n Issue 3