“Using film as a tool for learning has enabled teachers to allow children to solve problems in different ways and it has contributed to learning across the curriculum, in particular writing. Children have shone….and shown us talents that had perhaps gone unnoticed before…”
Head teacher Gainsborough Benjamin Adlard Community School
(FILMMARK award winner 2010)
So what is FILMMARK?
FILMMARK is an accreditation – written and developed in Lincolnshire- which recognises good practice in integrating and embedding the moving image into the curriculum. The award was initially sponsored by Film: 21st Century Literacy (an associate body set up to promote the place of film in the curriculum and including such bodies as Film Education and the BFI) and the UK Film Council. Six schools in Lincolnshire, including one nursery school and one special school piloted the award over the academic year 2009-2010 examining the feasibility of the statements and making changes and additions where appropriate for specific age ranges and development needs. These schools were the first to receive the award and did so at the annual LAFTAs (Lincolnshire’s film awards for young people) ceremony in October 2010.
Why FILMMARK?
For the past five years Lincolnshire School Improvement Service has run a programme of support for primary schools focusing on moving image education. One of the aims of the programme has been to work with schools in developing an exciting, enriching and motivating curriculum through the integration of the moving image. Within the programme schools receive support in working with film across the curriculum – reading and analysing film, creating film and broadening children’s cultural awareness through film.
At the annual LAFTAS – (Lincolnshire’s film awards for young people) prizes are awarded within set categories for original films made by young people. The winners of the prestigious awards are justifiably proud and we celebrate the work involved in creating these films but within our project schools we were faced with a dilemma. Teachers and children were creating films as part of their learning journey or teaching sequence that were never intended to be entered for the LAFTAs but were none the less needy of recognition for the skills involved and the integration of film within the learning outcome. Film in these cases was seen as part of the learning ‘process’ not as a ‘product’. It was felt that there was no way of recognising or rewarding this approach to learning. The films demanded recognition but there was no language with which to do this. Schools that were beginning to use film for assessment, film to promote learning across the curriculum, film to involve parents and carers needed someway to have this work recognised. Hence FILMMARK was born – and as an accreditation, now forms an early step towards the realisation of this aim.- to recognize and reward schools where the moving image is integrated and embedded into the curriculum as part of the learning journey.
At present in Lincolnshire we are offering the chance to gain the award to all Primary, Nursery, Special and Secondary schools. The award is held for a period of three years after which time the school is re-assessed. Schools wishing to gain FILMMARK status self-assess from a set of criteria and then book a formal assessment with a trained assessor.
What does a FILMMARK school look like?
A FILMMARK school is a school where moving image education is firmly embedded within the curriculum. At present in order to gain the accreditationschools complete a self-review document which is divided into the following categories:
- Leadership and management
- Curriculum
- Impact of MIE
- Professional development
- Resources
- Assessment and evaluation
Each category has several statements against which schools self assess. The threshold is set at Level 1. but schools who gain the accreditation may still aspire to achieve more as the Gold Level demands that they take their best practice and disseminate it to their local or regional network of schools.
The following statements are taken from the self review documents of FILMMARK accredited schools
1. Leadership and management
- Strategic leadership for MIE is apparent and has SMT support. There is a clear vision for the continual development of MIE in the school with links for MIE in the SDP as well as tied in with targets for staff performance management. The school have a very encouraging literacy governor who enthusiastically supports the development of MIE in school. The governor is able to keep the full governing body informed about MIE developments and achievements following meetings with the relevant subject leaders and interviews with the pupils. (School E)
Parental involvement
- Parents have been informed of MIE and have had direct involvement using the Macs to create sound files. A higher than average turn out of parents came to a class assembly in which the children presented their skills and understanding and how they applied these when making their own film.(School C)
2. Curriculum
One of the questions asked during the pilot was whether FILMMARK would be relevant for Nursery children. The Nursery school took the criteria and developed it to meet the needs of Foundation Stage children. Some comments from their recent successful FILMMARK Assessment are included below:
- The school have produced an exemplar MIE policy document which clearly reflects the vision of the school for the regular use and development of MIE and new media technologies. They are using the FILMMARK I CAN statements and adapted the Beginner level to support progression and assessment across the school. The children have opportunities for using a range of digital cameras and devices across all curriculum areas. Interviews with pupils clearly identified their interest, enthusiasm and curiosity for MIE. They demonstrated emerging appropriate vocabulary and talked with confidence about their use of the still and moving image. Examples of children’s camera work seen in a selection of films they have made clearly demonstrated their understanding for Framing; it showed pupils Zooming, Tracking and Panning.”
Other schools are considering next steps strategically for MIE across the curriculum:
- MIE can be seen across the curriculum and our next move is to make subject leaders responsible for MIE in their own curriculum areas. (School A)
- Where appropriate, film is used to engage children with their learning. This is evidenced in teachers’ planning. The school is currently introducing a revised long term plan which heavily incorporates the three stages of film: reading film and animation, making film and animation and evaluating film and evaluation. (School C)
3. Impact of MIE
- Pupil interviews demonstrate that pupils are engaged and interested in MIE. Children are getting more pro-active in using film / digital media independently from Foundation Stage onwards. Children appear to be able to focus for a sustained period when using film making as a method of recording their understanding and collaborative working.(School A)
- There is a positive impact on pupils’ learning with MIE being part of everyday usage within school curriculum. The school has detailed evidence of measurable and non-measurable impact on children’s attainment, attendance and behaviour demonstrating how the use of MIE across the curriculum has helped to raise standards and at the same time engages and motivates the pupils with their learning.(School B)
- The children have demonstrated their ability to comment with critical analysis on appropriate music genre to accompany different film clips. (School D – Nursery School)
4. Professional development
- TAs have led training for other TA’s new to school for animation (2Animate). (School A)
- Film Experts (children) have been identified and trained as tutors, each with their own expertise, offering support when using both PC and Macs for animation, producing film and editing. The Film Experts are available to support both staff (including new members of staff) and children, responding to individual needs. (School C)
- To ensure sustainability within the school the MIE lead is being shadowed to ensure other school staff can take ownership of MIE and therefore continue to support the school moving forward. There is clear evidence that CPD for MIE is inclusive and ongoing for all staff and which has links to performance management targets for certain staff. In providing support for other schools and colleagues the school sees itself developing as a learning hub for MIE. (School E)
5. Assessment
We are beginning to see film being used as a tool for showing children’s understanding of concepts across the curriculum. In one school Y1 children were showing their understanding of materials in Science through film and a Y5 class were learning how to do a standing long jump in PE by viewing such a jump previously recorded by one group and edited in movie maker, slowing it down to show exactly how knees must bend and feet be placed.
- “Children appear to be able to focus for a sustained period when using film making as a method of recording their understanding and collaborative working.”(School A)
I can statements
During the course of the pilot schools told us that with the increased amount of film analysis and creation teachers needed to be able to assess children’s practice and know how to move them on and where to go next. These comments gave rise to the FILMMARK: I CAN statements which are now in use in our FILMMARK schools. One such school has already made use of them in order to plan provision for a group of children. This school was conducting pupil progress meetings. By using the I CAN statements it became clear that further support was needed to extend some children’s learning about editing. A Teaching assistant, who had had previous training on one of our MIE programmes, volunteered to take an Editing club after school. This is now running successfully and with positive impact on children’s learning. At whole school level the Head teacher writes on her self review document, “This use of I CAN statements has resulted in staff looking at film editing across the school. This is now being targeted in the form of an editing club in order to develop these skills at Year 3 and Year 4.” (School A)
As part of the process of assessing the impact of the pilot a number of teachers were interviewed. The following quotes are taken from the interviews:
School C – Y6 Teacher
Q: Why did you decide to go for FILMMARK?
A: At the time we were developing a creative curriculum and FILMMARK fitted in perfectly with what we were trying to achieve in inspiring and engaging children more and allowing them to take a lead in their own learning.
Q: What has been the impact for your school?
A: As a school we feel that film education has increased the pace of children’s learning and raised levels of attainment and self-esteem.
School B – Deputy Head / Literacy Subject Leader
Every child in my class last year felt that they could be good at Literacy and could be a writer. Moving Image education is now part of what we do at our school.
Conclusion
With any project the most sought after answer has to be to the question of sustainability. With five year’s of experience of seeking how to embed MIE within the curriculum here in Lincolnshire we believe that we may have made some progress towards an answer. That progress lies in the form of FILMMARK – an accreditation requiring a national seal of approval and a means by which schools from Nursery to Secondary, including Special, can apply for it. We look forward to seeing the future for FILMMARK and recognition at regional and national level for moving image education and its integration into the curriculum.
Chris Whitney
Senior School Improvement Consultant
christine.whitney@cfbt.com
May 2011
