One of the
biggest challenges of teaching in an EFL classroom, is getting students to use
English. An activity to encourage English speaking, is watching a movie and
comment all about it. Here is some food for thought and discussion.
“The chorus” / “Les
choristes” - [2004]
It is a 2004 German-Swiss-French drama film directed by Christophe Barratier.
“Le maître qui
laissait les enfants rêver” [2006]
A great
film about Celestin Freinet ‘s life and pedagogy.
“Dead Poets Society” [1989]
It is a 1989 American drama film directed
by Peter
Weir, written by Tom Schulman, and starring Robin
Williams. Set in 1959 at the fictional elite conservative Vermont boarding
school Welton Academy, it
tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his
teaching of poetry.
The film
received critical acclaim and was a box office success. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, and César Award and David di Donatello Award for
Best Foreign Film. Schulman received an Academy Award for Best
Original Screenplay for his work.
“The class” / “Entre le murs” [2008]
It is a
2008 French drama film directed by Laurent
Cantet, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by François Bégaudeau. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account
of Bégaudeau's experiences as a French
language and literature teacher
in a middle school in the 20th arrondissement of Paris,
particularly illuminating his struggles with "problem children":
Esmerelda (Esmeralda Ouertani), Khoumba (Rachel Regulier), and Souleymane
(Franck Keïta). The film stars Bégaudeau himself in the role of the teacher.
Good Will Hunting
It is a 1997 American drama film,
directed by Gus Van Sant, and starring Robin
Williams, Matt Damon, Ben
Affleck, Minnie Driver and Stellan Skarsgård. Written by Affleck and Damon
(and with Damon in the title role), the film follows 20-year-old South
Boston laborer Will Hunting, an unrecognized genius who, as part of
a deferred prosecution agreement after
assaulting a police officer, becomes a client of a therapist and studies
advanced mathematics with a renowned professor. Through his therapy sessions,
Will re-evaluates his relationships with his best friend, his girlfriend and
himself, facing the significant task of confronting his past and thinking about
his future.
