Movies & music in leadershipTechnology and Activities Tap into teenagers‘ interest in movies and music to stimulate discussion, provide inspiration, and encourage creativity in leadership class. Students today live in a media-filled world. They have grown up with MTV, VH1, movie channels, payper-view, and glitzy commercials using popular music in mainstream TV. They watch endless award shows celebrating the artists and actors with whom they identify. In fact, adolescents border on media dependency. How can we tap into this interest and use music and movies to promote leadership in the school and classroom? Movies and music that are carefully chosen for class use stimulate student interest, provide inspiration, and encourage creativity. Using Music Most of my leadership classes begin with a song of the day. The music begins playing when the bell rings. Students know that if the music is playing they are tardy to class. The song also signals that it‘s time to work. Notebooks and pens need to be out ready to fill in information on their weekly sheet. The music allows for a comfortable transition into leadership. The selection of the song of the day reflects the daily lesson, thus providing mental set for what will occur later in the class. For example, I use "The Name Game" by Shirley Bassey or "Getting to Know You" by James Taylor as a prelim to a One Minute Autobiographies lesson, and "Taking Care of Business" by BTO before we talk about the class expectations, grading policies, and notebook format. As the song plays, each student writes a personal response to the music‘s message. This develops the ability to listen and forces written communication. The ensuing discussion is a collaborative effort, which builds capacity for personal reflection. Some songs are quite literal and involve little follow-up discussion. However, songs such as "Superman" by Five for Fighting, Neil Diamond‘s "I Am, I Said," or "The River" by Garth Brooks can be interpreted in many ways and require more class time for the dialogue. Make sure the song remains a teaser and doesn‘t overpower the lesson. The discussion goal is for students to use their minds well and to develop higherorder thinking skills through a reciprocal learning process. Direct instruction on song response and interpretation is a must. Garth Brook‘s "The Change" is an excellent teaching tool. Most students in our area have never heard this song. As a result, the first time they listen to it elicits a cold response. During discussion, students can often do little more than repeat some of the lyrics. After the initial discussion subsides, I distribute the lyrics and tell the students that the subject of the song is the Oklahoma City bombing. With this basic background knowledge the students listen to the song a second time. During the subsequent discussion, most commonly the students‘ reactions are altered. Finally, the music video is shown and images of the aftermath flash before them. We discuss how video enhances the message and how video producers can influence our thinking. Students never forget this song or the bias with which they listened to it the first time. The whole instructional process is a reminder that meaningful messages can be delivered in many ways. These particular adolescents grow to be open to a variety of genres and tempos and realize taste doesn‘t presuppose value. (Please be aware that in light of our national tragedy of September 11, individual educators should determine what is in the best interest of their particular class, school, and community and use discretion when using this lesson idea.) A word of warning: you must thoroughly research any media piece you are considering for inclusion. An MTV video might send an entirely different message than you intend. The lyrics to Chumbawamba‘s song "Tub Thumping‘ might sound like perseverance, ("I get knocked down, but I get up again...") but in Europe, "tub thumping" refers to excessive drinking. In fact, the video shows a person so drunk he keeps falling down. Songs from live albums and heavy rock songs are often hard to understand. If the song‘s instructional value outweighs its comprehension difficulty then distribute the lyrics before the song is played. It is helpful to keep a notebook of all of the lyrics for each song of the day. The notebook can be used to support ESL students and aid in their language acquisition. Written lyrics are also a necessary resource for the hearing-impaired as well as students with additional identified auditory deficiencies. Finally, a lyrics notebook supports the visual learner. Using Movies Film is another powerful teaching tool. Films provide multiple discussion points and cover virtually all areas and topics you might want to address. Some moves can appropriately be shown in their entirety. However, since class time is at a premium, one full-length movie in a semester is sufficient. Rudy is rich in leadership lessons. Remember the Titans, is another multifaceted choice. The Wizard of Oz was rated by The American Film institute as the sixth best film ever made. It is also littered with powerful messages, so much so that Roger Connors wrote The Oz Principle touting the richness of The Wizard of Oz as a management/eadership tool. Your choice of viewing an entire movie rests on the goal upon which you are working. Video clips also are impressive ways to get your point across. |
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来自： 申时义 > 《leadership》
