Showing movies in the classroom receives mixed reactions from students and teachers. While some argue that watching films is beneficial to the learning process, others simply believe that it is a waste of both the students’ and teachers’ time.

Whether to reinforce a topic or appeal to visual learners, movies shown in class can be  a refreshing change when utilized correctly. Film can be a great tool to facilitate student learning. They can also provide students and teachers with a nice break as they sit, watch, and ponder the film.

“I think showing movies is a good idea. The ones I show, for instance, have very well-written scripts, and they…relate to each lesson,” said English teacher Ms. Jan Mordenski. “[When] you see a film you can really visualize the main point the teacher would make.”

Movies present language in a way that is often more natural than that found in textbooks, and they can help students understand a topic better.  “I love watching movies,” said junior Katie Urbin. “I think it helps by giving another perspective since it’s not always easy to understand the teacher’s perspective.  I like having the same information presented in another creative way.”

Yet others feel that if movies are shown too often or don’t have clear relevance to a lesson, they are simply a waste of time.

“I think that showing the class movies to suck [up] time is lazy,” said Ms. Abigail Youngerman, English teacher. “They are useful only if they encase valuable content that’s definitely related.”