Why Popular Media?

Students are more likely to pay attention to material that resonates with them on a personal level. Students watch TV shows at home, go out to the movies with their friends, and post links to scenes on social media. When students can see aspects of their lives mirrored in the classroom, their interest piques, and there is a greater inclination for them to be part of the discussion. As a result, the overall classroom experience will improve, and their impression of the teacher may improve as well, which are both important factors in improving engagement.

We can all admit it: visualizing a concept after reading about it in a textbook can be difficult. Instead of using diagrams to teach Sigmund Freud’s theory of the ego, id, and superego, why not play a clip from Donald's Better Self? Television and movie clips help bring to life the concepts that students are learning in class. Students will feel more connected to the material, as it is culturally-relevant and conveyed through a familiar medium. In the Donald's Better Self example, students can relate Donald’s experience to a time in their lives when they had trouble waking up in the morning.

While watching a clip, students can associate a familiar image, such as a movie character, actor, or scene with the concept that they are learning. A student is more likely to remember Patrick's negotiation in SpongeBob SquarePants than a simulated negotiation made by a company. As a result, students will better retain the information from popular media examples.

In addition, because the primary purpose of TV shows and movies is to entertain, the clips will often be funny and straightforward. Using clips is a fun and easy way to incorporate humor into the classroom, which has been shown to boost retention. Educational references in TV shows and movies are purposely made easy to understand; otherwise, they will not appeal to their audience.

Even if your class doesn't focus on media literacy, students learn it through popular media. While watching a movie at home, we often come across educational references but may not notice them because the entertainment aspect of the work is overpowering. By exposing your students to more TV and movie clips, you train them to analyze clips and pick up on educational moments in them. As a result, they will become more aware of educational content when watching a movie or television show at their leisure, and thus learning will extend outside of the classroom.

Movie clips are versatile learning materials. This clip from The Simpsons can be used to teach concepts in Science, Language Arts, Business Operations, and many other topics. Therefore, by using popular media, we don't teach students only about a particular subject; we teach them how to think critically and analyze the videos they consume on a regular basis. And thus begs the question: What other lessons can students learn from a given clip that aren't quite so obvious?