Megan Wereley (Education)
First Year Seminar, Fall 2003
(Course Description)

Assignment: Film Review

Over the course of the semester, we have viewed several films depicting the professional lives of notable teachers. In each case, the teacher been presented a seemingly difficult challenge and has worked with his or her students to overcome the odds in order to meet a goal. These teachers are often depicted as dedicated and deeply involved in their students’ lives. In some cases, the films also reflect innovative and/or non-traditional approaches to teaching children. At times, these approaches may be controversial and/or appear to be "extreme." These innovative approaches coupled with a charismatic teacher often equal rave film reviews and successful box office numbers.

The most common film reviews are written for the general, movie-going public. They often speak of the skills of the performers, the nature of the plot’s ability to grip an audience, as well as other cinematic qualities that make "going to the movies" a popular past time. A well-written "popular" film review of this nature will give the reader a good understanding of the quality of entertainment he or she should expect to have if they choose to view this film. You might find these types of reviews in local newspapers and popular magazines (among other resources).

Beyond the "popular" reviews, films of this nature often provoke a broader discussion of a more scholarly nature. While the films may be entertaining, they often reflect educational reform issues that are in the forefront of educational policy discussion. They call attention to problems for which educators continue struggle to find effective solutions (example- How do we raise the achievement scores of students from lower socioeconomic levels?). When a film is produced that proposes possible solutions (especially when they are unconventional), you will find not only popular reviews, but also film reviews that explore the film’s educational policy implications and reform issues from a much more academic and/or scholarly perspective. While some of these discussions may also appear in popular newspapers and magazines, you will also find these discussions and "reviews" of popular film in professional newspapers, academic journals, and even professional websites (among other resources) related to education.

You are asked to locate several existing film reviews about one film we have viewed in class. Please make an effort to locate at least one popular review and one scholarly review. As you read these reviews, please consider the following questions:

• What aspects of these reviews are similar and what are different?
• Is the focus different for each? How and why?
• What sort of critical analysis does each provide?
• How might each kind of review be useful to the reader?
• To what audience does each review appear to be written?
• For what purpose might you turn to the different forms of review?
• Which form of review do you find most useful? Which do you prefer reading?

In order to answer the above questions, please provide a 2-3 page summary of your observations related to the similarities and differences between popular and scholarly reviews of the film you have selected.

*Please be sure to note the citation information for each form of review.

In addition to your summary, you are asked to apply your research findings to your own writing. Please select a different film that we have viewed as a class or another film related to teaching (alternate film selections must be approved by the professor) for which you will write your own film review. You are asked to consider the value of each kind of review you have researched in order to develop a thoughtful analysis of the film. Your film review should be at least 2-3 pages long and provide insight as to the merits of this film for the general public as well as explore the implications of its underlying message related to images of the teacher and the roles that teachers play in the lives of their students. Are there any policy implications related to educational reform that might motivate scholarly discussion? What perspectives might emerge from such discussion?