Movie Clips
WHIPLASH
This clip from the movie Whiplash contains excellent examples of obvious manipulation and abusive teaching. While watching this clip, one might wonder, how is this legal? Fletcher, the teacher and person in charge, uses this power to create a hierarchy in the classroom. While clearly using language and actions that are inappropriate in a teaching setting, he creates an environment that, even if there was the ability to learn, it would be from fear. This kind of abuse, while may be comical in a movie, is something that real people have to put up with in their respective learning environments. This makes me think about the privilege I have experienced as a student in a first-world country. Obviously, this is a very problematic clip that outlines an abusive teacher/mentor choosing one student and preying on their insecurities and humiliating them in front of the larger group of his peers. I chose this clip to illustrate an extreme that is (hopefully) rarely seen in a real classroom or learning environment.
SCHOOL OF ROCK
This clip from the movie School of Rock (Especially, 0:00-4:42) clearly illustrates an example of teaching in a classroom with mindfulness of each individual students strengths and weaknesses. While in the larger context of the movie, this teacher is really manipulating these students in order to get something for himself, which of course is problematic. However, if we look at just this clip, Mr. Schneebly seems like a teacher who takes note of the children in his class, sees their strengths, weaknesses and likes and uses them to get the students engaged in their learning. I notice that, referencing the Rose and Countryman article, if he uses music that appeals to his students, they will get more out of the lesson. He uses their language and ways that will excite them to learn instead of applying it the same way to each student. In my eyes, this is an incredible and intuitive way to get students actively listening and learning. If I were taught in this fun and exciting, hands on way, I believe that I would’ve enjoyed learning music in elementary school more. However, I do note that this wouldn’t work for every student. Not every student would enjoy this way of communicating with their teacher or their peers and this could also be problematic.