For this assignment, watch a film that features a school or classroom setting. Write a 5-page review and analysis of the film using the Paulo Freire and John Dewey readings on the Banking Method and traditional/progressive education to frame and inform your essay (use at least three quotations from the readings, and explain their meaning and significance).
Is the education depicted more traditional/banking or progressive/problem-posing? Is the learning more teacher-centered or student-centered? Think about how the students and teacher(s) are depicted. Is there a teacher protagonist? How are the teacher, school and/or school system characterized? Are they portrayed through a particular lens, worldview, or belief system? You might discuss topics such as promoting freedom, strengthening democracy, enforcing discipline, social control, acculturation, assimilation, and/or transforming society.
Whatever issues you choose to discuss, be sure to group them into main themes (e.g., content/curriculum, methods/pedagogy, discipline/ classroom management) for which you provide evidence from both the film and the Freire/Dewey text/s.
Make sure to include an introductory paragraph, in which you present your thesis and outline the paper. In the next paragraph, outline Freire’s theory of the “Banking Method” and/or Dewey’s theory of traditional and progressive education in your own words, referencing the text. In the body paragraphs, highlight at least three different ways the film connects to the texts. Make explicit the connections between the film and the text, explaining the meaning and significance of excerpts as if your reader has not participated in our class discussions. When referencing the reading, introduce the quotation and its context, state its significance in your own words, and relate it to a moment from the film. Examine whether issues and assertions presented in the reading reflect or contradict aspects of the film. Do not summarize/synopsize the film. Only detail the moments that relate to the texts and to your paper’s argument.
Finally, referencing the Anyon text, describe the social class context of the students and the school depicted in 1-2 paragraphs. How do you think the socioeconomic background of the school and its students relate to the kind of education depicted (i.e., traditional and/or progressive)? Would you consider the school to be “Executive Elite,” “Affluent Professional,” “Middle Class” or “Working Class,” according to Anyon’s descriiptions?
Films: School of Rock or Matilda