The Benefits of Moving Image Education

Moving Image Education (MIE) involves watching and listening to a range of short film texts, discussing and analysing them; generating discursive and creative written work, storyboards and scripts; making a range of moving image artefacts, re-purposing 'found' material, digital storytelling (not necessarily large scale filmmaking projects); exploring genres and types of texts that might be less familiar, eg short films, archive film, foreign language film; and re-examining familiar texts.

MIE is more than just a literacy programme. It is a rich context for learning that allows children to develop across the curriculum. The concept of dialogue and discussion is central to the philosophy of the Moving Image Education programme. These practices also provide uniquely valuable means to realise the aspirations of Scotland's new curriculum, a Curriculum for Excellence.

There are many advantages to Moving Image Education (MIE), both as an aid to discussion and as a focus for creative or documentary activities.

While many young people have only read a few books before they start school, they will have already watched thousands of hours of audio-visual narratives and are therefore walking around with huge audio-visual libraries in their heads. The problem is that most students have not been taught how to close-read and analyse these rich narratives and therefore these librariers are not tapped to their full potential.

The close study of films is fun to do and can have dramatic effects on how young people think and feel, and on their understanding of themselves and their place in the world.

Improved literacy (visual and textual)
Enhanced understanding of how to construct a narrative which is useful across the curriculum
Greater sense of relevance to education
Better understanding of our media
Enhanced discussion skills
Improved self-esteem and self-confidence
Greater appreciation of culture and democratic society
Increased sense of enfranchisement and citizenship.

Likewise the making of moving image essays and other films in groups has been shown in numerous academic studies to help young people with all the following skills:

Research
Analysis
Team-working
Planning
Organisation
Flexible thinking and multi-tasking
Problem-solving
Personal motivation
Computing, communication and technology skills
Criticism and self-criticism (including peer-reviewing skills)
Social awareness
Moral responsibility
Presentation (both personal and project-related).

Feel free to look through this introductory guide to Moving Image Education. For a more detailed overview please visit our sister site at www.movingimageeducation.org

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