Having coordinated the Into Film Club within our school for seven years, I was invited to be an Education Ambassador just over a year ago. It has been a wonderful opportunity to meet with fellow teachers and members from the Into Film team to share valuable experiences and ideas.
My advice to other teachers would be to not use film as an ‘add on' activity or treat at the end of term, but begin to consider how you could integrate some aspects into your teaching.
Education Ambassador, Sharon Walker
Into Film offer an excellent variety of programmes and activities to actively support learning in the classroom. As an ambassador, we are often asked to give feedback on various aspects of their programme, which enables them to tailor their resources and ensure they link closely with the curriculum.
In 2020 our little film club was nominated for Into Film Club of the Year: 11 and Under at the Into Film Awards. Given that The Drelincourt School caters for only P1-P3 (age range 4-7), this was a massive achievement for our very young children who organise and run their own film club. Having a film crew come to school to take video footage for our nomination trailer was also an amazing experience for both staff and pupils! Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, the ceremony had to be cancelled but it was later rescheduled in the form of an excellent virtual ceremony.
As an Education Ambassador, I have taken part in various interviews to discuss our unique little club and how we use film as a teaching tool within the classroom . We have had articles published in the UTU magazine, as well as in local and national papers. I have also had the privilege of taking part in a Podcast organised by TES, the theme being ‘harnessing the power of film in the classroom'. In October 2019, we had an exciting visit from the BBC radio presenter, John Toal, who recorded a feature about our film club for his Saturday morning programme.
My role as an ambassador allows me to share good practice with others whilst embracing new strategies and activities myself. Film can so easily be used as a cross curricular tool in the classroom and is now included in our school planning for each topic. For example, we are following the Disney Kindness Quest activities as part of our Personal Development and Mutual Understanding (PDMU) focus, and having films to hand through the Into Film+ streaming service is a great bonus.
My advice to other teachers would be to not use film as an ‘add on' activity or treat at the end of term, but begin to consider how you could integrate some aspects into your teaching; a good starting point may be to write or draw a film review. The Into Film team offer excellent support and advice as well as training video sessions on their website to get you started.