CLIL in the classroom – the filmmakers approach.

Language learning as a platform for skill sharing and integrated learning – Tokyo, Japan 2020.

If we think about a memorable learning experience, we often recall a humorous moment or a moment when we were involved in the process of learning. “Learning by doing” is at the core of our curiosity. Using CLIL methodologies we were able to look at language through the lens of a filmmaker and tell the stories of a group of high school students in Tokyo.

What is CLIL?

(CLIL) Methodology – Content and Language Integrated Learning

In an article about his approach to teaching Greek to students; Achilleas Kostoulas writes “CLIL involves the concurrent teaching of a second or foreign language and a subject matter (such as mathematics or science) in such a way that content and language teaching aims are integrated.” Using the CLIL method; the content was “film making” and the language teaching aims were to discuss cross-cultural miscommunications. At the end of the project students gained a set of skills that could be applied across varying situations outside the classroom and broadened the context in which they used their acquired language.

The Challenge

To develop a 5 minute short film about cross-cultural miscommunication using their acquired language (English) and native language (Japanese). The project would be featured at the school’s annual Culture Festival 文化祭.

Objectives

Filmmaker and Educator Luke Golden writes, “the trick to engagement is giving the students a tangible objective within a clearly defined timeline.”

The timeline had been set, the culture festival was about 4 weeks away, we had 2 hour long sessions once a week to write, film, edit and produce our stories. For the final showcase each club’s presentation had to correspond to the club’s core function.

1. Activities must have an element of audience participation.
2. Must demonstrate language exchange (Japanese and English)
3. Must showcase knowledge/expertise in the area.

Using a survey students were asked to choose their areas of interest as it relates to film making. They were grouped in teams according to their areas of interest, distributing roles among each team member.

Fig. 1 Pie Chart showing the areas of interest expressed by students of the Language Club as it relates to “making movies.”

Cultural Misunderstanding as a Theme

The theme of each film was centred around “cross-cultural miscommunications” taken from the students’ personal experiences in their home country and during their study-abroad semesters. In teams they discussed using their native language and the stories were written and illustrated in english; using storyboard templates. The students were given an introduction to storyboarding using familiar content like manga; to visualize story sequencing.

Image 1. Story sequence examples showing visuals and notes.

Production

With their storyboards completed, each team gave a short presentation in english about their film, getting feedback from their classmates. CLIL can “set a sustainable learning environment in current classroom settings” by allowing educators to build outwards, coupling different interest areas while using the target language. Each week the students would learn about a different aspect of the film making process and work towards the final product.

• Session 1 – Storyboarding , scriptwriting and feedback.
• Session 2 – Location scouting, practicing script (pronunciation, memorization and intonation), filming.
• Session 3 – Filming completed and an introduction to editing software.
• Session 4 – Group editing (adding treatments, effects, subtitles) and preparing for the screening.

The Showcase

In keeping with the objectives; the students’ films were screened at the culture festival. Audience members were able to speak with the actors and filmmakers about the process and inspiration for their films. They showed behind the scenes interviews and did short Q+A’s with audience members in English and Japanese.

Poster for one of the films about the pronunciation of “dessert” and “desert” (2020)

Feedback and Reflection

Using CLIL methods; students were able to learn the basics of film making, breathe life into their stories and encourage each other through collective participation, all while using English. CLIL according to Laura Castex “provides participants with a comprehensive method to improve their linguistic and interpersonal skills…” making it an approach with benefits that ripple far beyond the walls of a classroom.

On the final day of the screening students were given time to reflect on the assignment and this is what they said:

“I didn’t think I would learn so much about movies in english. I enjoyed acting the most even though it was the first time for me.” – Komori

“I felt proud to show my movie to my fellow students. It was great to see their reaction to our films and understand some of the miscommunications that happen when we speak english.” – Ebisawa

Using the CLIL methodology we, as educators; can challenge traditional methods and encourage a more active approach to learning. Let’s ask ourselves, should we “teach english” or rather “teach in english” ?

Materials and Resources:

• iPads with iMovie software
• Voice recorders/Voice recorder apps.
• Screen/projector for presentations
• Storyboard sheets
• Script sheets (For more on scriptwirting: “How I write a script” by Seth Myers)
• Review/Feedback worksheet

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