HSNC University Mumbai
Bombay Teachers’ Training College
Re-accredited 'A' Grade By NAAC.
Our Vision: To Emerge as a Centre of Excellence in Teacher Education
We live in a world, which is heavily influenced by mass media. Popular culture such as films, television, drama, music lyrics and books often present educational themes in fascinating ways.
The LENS Series was introduced in 2007-08, with the intention of drawing lessons from popular culture while making learning a joyful experience for the student teacher. The analysis of popular culture through the lens of the educationist was conceived of as a great way of introducing multiple perspectives about discourses that surround teachers and teaching.
The practice also intended to provide opportunities for student teachers to focus on novel strategies. The series marked a shift from traditional lecture based teaching to experience-based learning. An added feature was getting student teachers comfortable with the use of multimedia and technology.
The practice was also conceptualized to encourage reflective practice among teachers, while aiming at high interest levels. The practice involves the process of integrating elements of popular culture with the learning process. Learning is intended to take place through team teaching as well as greater involvement of students. An attempt is made to correlate topics from different papers.
Reflecting on personal experience and engagement of students in discussion is also an important component of this practice. The outcome of the practice has thus far been very encouraging in terms of the response we have received from the students.
The practice encourages reflection, new perspectives, discussion and healthy debate. Communication skills are developed and students actively participate and put forward their points of view.
We live in a world, which is heavily influenced by mass media. Popular culture such as films, television, drama, music lyrics and books often present educational themes in fascinating ways.
The LENS Series was introduced in 2007-08, with the intention of drawing lessons from popular culture while making learning a joyful experience for the student teacher. The analysis of popular culture through the lens of the educationist was conceived of as a great way of introducing multiple perspectives about discourses that surround teachers and teaching. The practice also intended to provide opportunities for student teachers to focus on novel strategies. The series marked a shift from traditional lecture based teaching to experience-based learning.
An added feature was getting student teachers comfortable with the use of multimedia and technology. The practice was also conceptualized to encourage reflective practice among teachers, while aiming at high interest levels.
The practice involves the process of integrating popular culture with the learning process. Everything from films, documentaries, plays, books, and music to a range of other media constitute popular culture. Thus, the practice involves introducing the students to elements from popular culture and integrating educational issues and discussions with it. The practice also attempted a departure from the focus on the individual to the team. Learning is intended to take place through team teaching as well as greater involvement of students. An attempt was made to correlate topics from different papers. Reflecting on personal experience and engagement of students in discussion is also an important component of this practice.
Films that relate to environmental issues such as “Ice Age” and “An Inconvenient Truth” were screened and discussed. A reading of a play “Educating Fronnie” about different educational philosophies was used to lead to discussion about educational philosophy. The film “Freedom Writers” was used to discuss issues about multiculturalism and equity. During the academic year 2007-08 the students were taken to a screening of the critically acclaimed film “Taare Zameen Par” after which learning disabilities and other issues were discussed.
We faced a few obstacles while implementing the LENS Series, and were able to overcome many of them. A few of the students were sometimes reluctant to participate actively especially in the initial stages. This was resolved as the academic year progressed and the students gradually shed their inhibitions. Motivation and the general enthusiasm of the class also helped in this regard. Sometimes during the discussions there was a tendency to stray from the originally defined objectives and topic. Some of the students also felt that the experience would not help them in the examinations. Allocating time for the practice was also a major issue.
The outcome of the practice has thus far been very encouraging in terms of the response we have received from the students. It has helped to bridge the generation gap between teacher educators and student teachers.
The theoretical aspect of the B.Ed. curriculum has often come under criticism by student teachers and other stakeholders. Feedback received from the schools reveals that there is a general perception that fresher teachers are ill-equipped to operate in changing school environments. The B.Ed. curriculum is often perceived as not relevant and out of tune with changing trends. The LENS series has made it possible to harness the amazing power of popular culture, mass media and ICT for educational purposes.
Brainstorming and discussion are often conducted after the viewing of the film or the experience of the book reading. Interest and motivation levels are raised as students can connect easily with the issues which are in focus. It has led to an improvement of the climate of the classroom. The practice encourages reflection as often the representation of contrasting views of discourses surrounds teaching, learning and the life of teachers. New perspectives are encouraged and discussion and healthy debate are the outcome of these sessions. Communication skills are developed and students actively participate and put forward their points of view.
The practice has facilitated both the teacher educators and the student teachers to find meaning in popular culture and assimilate it in their teaching–learning processes.
The resources required for implementing the LENS Series were acquired over a period for maximizing the effectiveness and outcomes of the practice. A good sound system was imperative as sound quality was crucial. An LCD projector, television, computer, Internet, DVDs of films and documentaries, books, newspapers and other resources were utilized for this practice.