Story Shorts: Using films to teach literacy

Some current thinking...

Recent research in this area (Marshall, 1997; Robinson, 1997; Browne, 1999; Parker, 1999; Oldham, 1999; Sefton-Green & Parker, 2000) has suggested that moving image media may have an important role to play in augmenting existing literacy teaching programmes. Robinson has shown how the concept of narrative is a key bridge spanning cognitive processes associated with print and visual media. Her notion of language, culture and the mind coalescing around powerful visual narratives, in much the same way the mainstream policymakers have – perhaps erroneously – seen curriculum subject areas revolving around literacy, is an important contribution to the debate. Equally, Browne has shown how television and video are key components in the toolkit children use on their journey towards decoding the abstractedness of written language. Collaborative research from King's College, London and the BFI (Parker, 1999; Oldham, 1999) has not only corroborated work such as Robinson's and Browne's, it has also suggested that a virtuous cycle of learning outcomes is possible when using moving image media whereby both print literacy and cineliteracy (FEWG, 1999) are fostered simultaneously. The dimension of ICT compounds these claims by showing how new child-centred software packages are attempting to locate editing within a language-based paradigm (Sefton-Green & Parker, 2000).

What has the BFI done to explore the relationship between the moving image and literacy?

The BFI has responded to this early research by developing a resource called Story Shorts. Effectively, this project situates short films – complete narratives rather than clips – within the context of the primary school's literacy hour. Each film lasts between five and 15 minutes, an ideal duration for the whole-class phase of the literacy hour.