Affordances of Film for Literacy Instruction

Book excerpt: Within the past decade, the role of film and media in K-12 classrooms has grown from entertainment-based activities to an active literacy-centered textual practice. A multitude of approaches in instruction are required for literacy education, including a vast knowledge of a range of texts and awareness of key steps in activating knowledge according to the affordances contained within a text. Affordances of Film for Literacy Instruction explores the educational affordances of using film as text. It further discusses the use of digital technology and visual texts in literacy education and the need to focus on textual work closely with students as technology and ways of reading proliferate. Covering topics such as cultural representation, filmic language, and online learning, this book is an essential resource for educators of K-12 and higher education, pre-service teachers, students of higher education, government officials, faculty and administration of education, researchers, and academicians.