No information is negative information or useless. In some way or the other it helps us gain knowledge or a lesson that can be applied in life. And the world is filled with information. Everybody or everything has something to our levels of knowledge. People’s lives and experience are a source of information. They have a lot of stories to tell.
If you look at history as to how people have passed on information they have been in the form of stories. Epics, plays songs, sonnets and other stories have been how people have learnt about cultures, traditions, practices and even science.
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As children we all would have gone through the phase where we had to learn moral studies. In school and outside of it the only way we were told to be good. Times have changed and stories have too. Today we have a beautiful medium that enthrals, entertains and educates us. Not just about itself but of life, science, history and may even predict the future. It has been celebrated as a wonderful medium of learning and people share and everyday relationship with it. It is the lovely medium of cinema that exists as an example of education and fun.
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Cinema has become an everyday topic for people. There has not gone a day where people have not spoken about cinema. Not only are movies cinema, but serials, sitcoms, documentaries and even tv shows are a part of it. They are made with great effort and research at times. And if watched and followed right it can be a huge source of learning, especially for students. Not only can they learn about cinema, they can also learn from it. It can act as a huge source of information on various subjects that will help them to their education.
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The use of films as an educational tool will not only be limited to one subject alone. Teachers of various subjects can collaborate with other teachers from different subjects and they may choose films that comprise common issues, making the collaboration happens interdisciplinary. Besides, in accordance with this approach, students can be encouraged to conduct interdisciplinary projects. Therefore, it could be possible for students comprehend the relations between different subject areas in a holistic manner just as the life itself.
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For example, let us take a film and see what it can impart. Take the film The Secret. It is a self-help film on the Law of Attraction and positive thinking.The Secret took the world by storm when it was released and has been featured on Oprah, The Ellen Show, Larry King, among countless other mainstream media. It’s more of a documentary, not a fictional film.
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The Law of Attraction refers to the idea that both your conscious and subconscious thoughts affect your outcomes in life. The concept of manifesting destiny, which is based upon on the Law of Attraction, is the phenomenon that if one invests positive energy and belief in in what they desire, then the desired outcome will allow a person to bring the outcome to fruition. In other words, you have the power to acquire what one desires by simply believing in it. This can be inspiring and elevating to students if they watch it. They can be encouraged by such a film to learn about self help and inspiration. And not only that, students also learn about the power of the human psyche and the psychology of thinking.
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Similarly, Primer a science fiction film on time travel can be a great way to teach students on the effects of relativity, time travel and displacement. It has time lines within time lines. There have been many studies made about the movie that because of the complexity of the topics it deals with. Although it will need to be watched a few times to be understood it will reveal new perspectives on questions of theoretical physics.
Films can enhance a lesson and excite a young mind with their powerful and thought provoking subject matter. It plays a vital role in the education of societies. It acts as a form of learning by doing. In general, the film can teach physical, economical, intellectual, social, cultural and virtual education if used the right way.