6 Key Benefits of Using Movies in Education

Movies are often misunderstood when it comes to education. Most parents believe that children are addicted to films, and thus they can only be harmful to their education. Using movies to teach is criticized because it is viewed as a leisure activity.

The stereotype of teachers having movies babysit the students while they grade papers in class is part of the problem. However, movies have some educational benefits when used as a teaching aid that parents should be aware of. In this text, we have identified some of these perks.

Deepens the Understanding of Students

Sometimes students take time to understand some of the things they are taught in class. For example, history can be quite challenging for some students when they have to read books alone. Combining movies with regular teaching can help students gain a deeper understanding.

Movies appeal to more of the tutees’ senses, making understanding and grasping the content easy. However, when using films to teach, be sure to identify any deviation from facts. It’s because movies sometimes exaggerate facts or even emit some information. It is your responsibility as the teacher to clear these up.

Movies Make Learning Fun

Regular classes sometimes take a toll on students and become monotonous. Consequently, the lessons become boring, and the students become dull. Incorporating movies in learning provides engagement and increases the motivation of students towards a particular subject.

More interest in a particular topic or subject will make it easier for them to understand the concepts and perform better in those subjects. So, teachers should consider having movie sessions occasionally to supplement their teaching.

Increases Students’ Memory Performance

Repetition is one way an educator can improve their memory of specific topics. However, for teachers, repeating a topic might be quite hectic and even sometimes boring for students. Here, a teacher can choose to have their students watch a movie related to something they have already taught.

It will provide the repetition that students need to improve their memory. It’s the same way an essay writer has to practice repetitively to get better at writing. Furthermore, it is easy for students to repeat movies and not get bored.

They Help Create Awareness on Certain Issues

Some movies are made to address many of the issues that exist in society. These can be issues relating to culture, economy, social life, or even religion. Some of these conversations will be difficult for teachers to have, and thus, movies create the awareness that learners need.

Students learn what is happening in their society and what people go through or even what they went through to get where they are. These movies help teach important values among learners. For example, movies about bullying can help students show more empathy.

Movies Inspire Students

Inspiration is good for students since It makes them want to be better and encourages them to do more with their lives. Movies often have plots, and a lot of these plots involve people overcoming challenges and being transformed into better people. These scenes make learners look at their lives and get inspired to improve them by adopting values such as hard work and respect.

Movies inspire students by showing them that one person can affect significant change and even become a hero. However, it’s important to have the right choice of movie for your learners, based on what you aim to teach them.

Dual Coding

Dual coding applies when students read about something and then watch a movie related to what they have read. It is a method that works very well in making students better understand what they’re being taught. A good example is having students read a book like the Great Gatsby and then exposing them to the film.

It will improve their understanding of the text. Furthermore, an educator can take that chance to challenge students to identify the differences between the book and the film. That creates a good discussion for class.

Final Thoughts

Movies have significant benefits to learning but need to be applied the right way. Students cannot learn from movies alone; teachers need to be actively involved in the session for the best result. Furthermore, using films to teach also has to be used sparingly.

Not all concepts can be taught through movies, and thus, they cannot replace everyday learning. Teachers should not excessively use films to teach in class; students will look down on standard classes. Movies require planning if a teacher wants to make the best out of them. But overall, when used well, movies are an essential part of learning.