Integrating Media Studies in the ELA Classroom

Perhaps one of the most powerful ways to integrate media, particularly film into the classroom is to use it to study the rules and manifestations of genre. Many students struggle with being able to identify certain indications of a specific genre in a text. For example, a western can be recognized by a hero character, some sort of quest or journey, and conflicts between good and evil. In reading a text, students may struggle identifying some of these more abstract concepts. Film and other media studies can be a great way to scaffold students in understanding these concepts.

One particular lesson, continuing with the theme of a wester, may revolve around the reading of Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." This text would probably be taught to advanced, older high school students. The text describes a young boys journey across Mexico with a band of scalpers. It is not your typical western story, but exemplifies some of the constructions of a genre. Students may struggle understanding how it fits into the genre. Instead of simply showing a film adaptation of the novel, which I don't think even exists, film can be used in another way to augment student understanding. The teacher can show other film westerns, including stereotypical John Wayne westerns. In this way, students will be able to visually see qualities of westerns. They will then hopefully be able to apply this analysis to the novel in order to make more sense of the action as a western.

In this way, media can be an extremely useful supplement to student learning in the classroom. Learning theory tells us that students learn more effectively when they are able to dually code information. By presenting a text in both written and visual form, students will be able to code it into their schemata in a more meaningful way. This will not only help students that are struggling in class, but also all students. For these reasons, and myriad others, media should be an integral part of all ELA classes.