1. INTRODUCTION
This work intends to be useful for those who teach English as a foreign language for initial series to high school.
Nowadays, the great challenge for these professionals is teach not only grammar and reading skills but also introduce the students to the culture from the countries that have English as mother language.
Media productions can help them overcome this challenge. There are many kinds of them that portray cultural aspects. As example we can mention some TV shows as: Friends, House, My wife and Kids, Freddie and Everybody Hates Chris.
In order to demonstrate how media production can be an important pedagogic tool for English teachers, I chose the last TV show of the list above to analyze the cultural aspects embedded in it.
2. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TV SHOW EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS
According to Wikipedia, Everybody Hates Chris is an American television production inspired in real life of Chris Rock during his adolescence and many aspects of the TV show are based on the reality as the main characters, the set, and the plot.
The TV show author, Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III, is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director that was born on February 7, 1965 and grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, where the series took place and it is often referred to in the show as Bed-Stuy.
Four of the main characters, Julius Rock, Drew Rock and Tonya Rock, beyond Chris were inspired on Chris Rock’s family, his father, Julius, two of his brothers, Andrew Rock (Drew) e Tony Rock (Tonya) and Chris Rock was inspired on Chris himself.
The series has eighty-four episodes divided by four seasons and revolves around Chris’s everyday life and his challenges. One of his big challenges is to attend an all-white school in Brooklyn Beach where he had to deal with a bully named Joey Caruso (In real life Chris Rock also suffered bullying at school because he was the only black boy at school). He has only a friend there, Greg that although being a white boy is considered a “nerd” and also suffers discrimination from Caruso. This is one of the characters that are not related with Chris’s real life because Chris Rock had no friends at school.
The final episode titled "Everybody Hates the G.E.D." also had direct relation with Chris Rock life. The episode focused on his decision in drop out school due to having to repeat the tenth grade for being late 30 times.
Still according to Wikipedia, the TV show was praised by critics and was selected as one of the best 10 television series of 2007 by The American Film Institute that stated that the show "provides a very real look at growing up in America — a challenge that demands a discussion of race and class often absent from television today."
The series was also nominated for fifty-four awards and has won six of them: Best Family Television Series (Comedy), Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series - Mark Doering-Powell for episode "Everybody Hates Funerals.", Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series - Tichina Arnold, Outstanding Comedy Series in 2006. Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series - Tyler James Williams in 2007. Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series - Ali LeRoi for episode "Everybody Hates Guidance Counselor" in 2008.
On May 21, 2009, the TV show was cancelled by the CW and Chris Rock announced that as the end of season 4 matched up with his own past (dropping out of high school to become a comedian) it was time to end the show.
Although the series had been canceled its episodes are still being rerun on TV (in Brazil all Sundays morning on Record TV) and we can learn and teach some cultural aspects American people by watching them.
3. DISCUSSION ABOUT RACISM PRESENT ON TV SHOW
As it was said, the main theme of the series is the everyday life of a teenager, his challenges and the way that he overcomes them. So its main audience is mainly teenagers, but this does not exclude the parents as viewer since all adventures lived by Chris involve his family context and the main characters are composed by him and the household. It is important to mention that this household is formed by black people that live in a black neighborhood.
Then it is possible to observe and discuss the behavior and challenges of black American people. The main of them is how the American society deals with black families. In fact the TV show gives to the audience the opportunity to reflect about the racial discrimination that occurred and even occurs, not only in American society but also in many others like Brazilian.
This segregation is showed in the TV show in many ways. One of them is through the set. All the episodes take place in Brooklyn, more specifically in Bedford-Stuyvesant (also shortly known as Bed-Stuy), a well know neighborhood of Brooklyn that became a popular landing ground for African-Americans, in the early-to-mid 20th Century, that moved to north in search of racial equality and freedoms and new industry, according to Wikipedia.
In the TV show the neighborhood is represented as a lawless land and in many episodes the others characters, as Chris’ teacher, Ms. Vivian Morello, refers to it as a very dangerous place and shows her prejudice all time insinuating that all people that live there are marginal, drunker or drugs addicted. Although, Chris’ family and many of the Bed-Stuy residents, be honest workers.
In Bed-Stuy lives also a white man, called Mr. Levine that appears in the episode “Everybody Hates Mr. Levine” and reinforces the idea of segregation that occurs in United States. This episode presents a white man, Mr. Lavine, who lives in Bed-Stuy, but keeps himself locked in his house all time, because does not feel safe in deals with the neighbors, specifically because he is a white man living in a black territory.
But not only, Ms. Morello and Mr. Levine classify Bed-Stuy as a dangerous place, the author himself represents it this way through some characters as: Jerome, an older teenager in the neighborhood who takes money from smaller kids by saying "Lemme hold a dollar”, Malvo, a criminal who robbed Chris at Doc's, was arrested and threatened to kill Chris when was free, and others. In others episodes Jerome is an unsuccessful thief who tries to take advantage of the absence of the owners of the house to try to steal it. The mainly difference, in my opinion, is that differently from the others characters, the author intends to show that these characters are not bad because they are black, but because there are bad people in all place. Jerome, in relation to Chris for example, is a kind of bully, similar to Joey Caruso that is a white boy and practices the same kind of violence against Chris.
As demonstrated in the previous paragraph, the characters are the other way used by the author to represent the racial prejudice in the TV show.
Ms. Vivian Morello is one the characters that frequently demonstrates prejudice against Chris and his family. She is Chris’ teacher and in many episodes says prejudiced phrases as the said in the episode “Everybody Hates Earth Day” that demonstrates the idea that black people have the same appearance. In this episode Ms. Morello said that apart from the fact that Chris can see he did not owe anything to Steve Wonder. The same idea is showed in the episode “Everybody Hates Mother’s Day”. In this episode Chris is taken to the manager's office accused of theft and the manager try to prove that Chris has already been there before by showing him a picture of Lionel Ritchie and states that it is Chris’ picture.
In the same episode the author makes clear the discrimination against black people by using the narrator’s speech in a scene of department store. In this episode the narrator describes the scene that shows that a black people in a department store will be followed by the security team. It does not matter if you are a baby using diapers, an elder using diapers or even part of the security team.
The black people suffer discrimination also from the police in the TV show. In the episode "Everybody Hates Gretzky". Chris’ mother, Rochelle Rock, asks to the police to help her look for the children and the first question she has to answer is: “Are they black or white?” When she replies that they are black the policeman says that she had phoned to the wrong place. In the second time she states that the children are white and before she turns the phone off the police had already arrived.
Other racial aspect that can be discussed by the TV show is the difference between black people that are considered well succeeded and those who have not successes, and what is the real success. In the episode “Everybody Hates PSATs" Chris’ mother tries to join her children in a society organization composed by black success families called Hansel and Gretel Society that is considered the top of black society. She aims to introduce them to “the right people”, but after much confusion she does not get be part of the society.
Issues about self-esteem related to the skin color and the financial condition can also be observed. Rochelle Rocks repeats many times through the episodes that her husband has two jobs then she has not “to endure this.” For this, she means abusiveness, normally related to a job situation.
In the episode “Everybody hates Picture Day” Chis convinces her mother to buy new clothes to him by using the argument that once he is the only black boy in whole school, if he uses the clothes that she suggested, that were Drew’s clothes, the people will thought he does not have neither a house where live in and it will reinforce the idea that he was delinquent due to his skin color
4. CONCLUSION
As it was said in the beginning, media can be an useful tool in order to teach foreign language, and the TV shows have a rich material to help those who want to innovate in his classes and teach not only grammar skills but also to introduce the students to the cultural aspects of the other countries.
In this paper we focused on racial aspect that is the main theme of the episodes of the TV show Everybody Hates Chris, but there are many others TV shows - some of them was mentioned in the introduction of this job - that can be used to teach many others cultural aspects. The particular goal of this job was arouse interest in using the media as a resource of the English classes, believing that it is worth investing in lessons that will reduce the resistance of students for the subjects of foreign languages, especially English language, and that this investment will result not only in good lessons for the students but also in a greater satisfaction of teachers who will see their efforts matched.
domingo, 22 de janeiro de 2012
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. THE BOOK AND THE MOVIE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In a globalized world the artistic productions can be a way of representing the real life. Douglas Kellner, in Media Culture, states that:
“A media culture has emerged in which images, sounds, and spectacles help produce
the fabric of everyday life, dominating leisure time, shaping political views and social behavior, and providing the materials out of which people forge their very identities”. (KELNNER, 1995)
So, by analyzing film productions, it is possible to discuss many aspects of the different societies from different epochs and it can be an important resource of teaching not only as a differential for the classes, but also as a way of introduce the students to cultural aspects represented by them.
In order to stimulate the use of this kind of media as a pedagogic tool, I chose “The Devil Wears Prada”, a 2006 comedy-drama film that was inspired in the novel with same title of Lauren Weisberger launched in 2003, to analyze some society representations showed by it.
2.0 THE PLOT OF THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
As it was said The Devil wears Prada is a novel written in 2003 by Lauren Weisberger that became a movie in 2006, according to information from Wikipedia. It talks about the challenges of a newly formed journalist, Andrea Sachs, who wishes to work in The New Yorker, a well conceptualized journal, where she dreams to work since was student of journalism. But as it real life, despite she is well prepared to the job, this would not be as easy as she thought.
She is selected by human resources of Elias Clarke Group to work as second assistant of Miranda Priestly, who is the powerful editor-in-chief of Runway, the most important fashion magazine of New York, where the story takes place.
Andrea decides to accept the job that “a million of girls would kill for” as a strategy to get the job in which she is really interested in - be a journalist of The New Yorker - because the people say that if she works to Miranda Priestly for one year, she will get any job she wants.
The problems begin when she realizes that to work to Miranda Priestly is really very difficult.
First, Andrea (Andy) was supposed to do activities that are totally absurd as: pick Miranda’s dog up at veterinary, look for new baby sitters, housekeepers, send her dirty clothes to the laundry, and other jobs that make Andrea feels as she was in the hell. Second, Miranda calls Andrea all time, asking her impossible things, as to get the new Harry Potter novel, which was not in the bookstores yet or to buy a dresser which she had seen in an antiquarian without the possibility to ask her: Which dresser? Which Antiquarian?
Things like that change Andrea’s life completely. She has to dedicate herself to the job 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and consequently the relationship with her family, boyfriend and best friend is affected.
Not only Andrea’s relationships change, but also her appearance. She suffers much pressure from her workmates in order to dress herself in a way that represents the Runway magazine, once she works at this fashion magazine. In the beginning she tries to keep her own style, but after three months, she decides to accept the Jeff’s help. Jeff is the supervisor of the “closet” of Runway, and fit herself in with the fashionable hallways of the Runway offices, thinking that this change would be a way of keep her job and to get a little respect from Miranda.
The novel continues describing all Andrea’s misadventures until the climax that occurs during a travel for Paris. In really who will travel to Paris would be Emily, the senior Miranda’s assistant, but because a mononucleosis she could not go and Andrea had to substitute her.
During the travel to Paris and near to reach her goal to work for one year in Runway, she receives the news that her best friend, Lilly, had an accident and she has to decide between her best friend and her job. At the beginning she has difficult in take a decision, but one day after, she notices that she is living a life in which she does not believe, in order to get that she really wanted and also, that the cost for reach her goals was being to abandon many of her convictions, friends and family. So she decides to go back to New York and as an answer to Miranda’s question about if she knew the consequences of her decision, Andrea told Miranda to fuck herself and goes to New York to see her best friend at the hospital.
3.0 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NOVEL AND THE FILM
In my opinion, the film adaptation keeps the principal ideas from the novel. There were some changes, as it occurs in all adaptations, but they did not interfere in the final result.
There are some changes that it can be highlighted. First one is Andrea’s boyfriend name and profession. In the novel he is a teacher called Alex and in the film he works in a restaurant and his name is Nate. The second is where Andrea lives in the plot of the novel and the film. In the first one, she lives, initially, with her parents and after with her best friend and in the second one she lives with her boyfriend.
The characters’ personality also suffered changes. Emily for example, in the novel helps Andrea sometimes while in the film she does not do it. Also Andrea has a different attitude, especially with Miranda. In the novel she is totally unsatisfied with her job and demonstrates her position all time. She does not tolerate Miranda’s posture, otherwise, in the film sometimes she always complains Miranda’s attitude. Miranda’s personality also suffered a little change from the novel to the film. In the film, in some scenes she looks like less indifferent, as when she talks to Andrea about her career and in the last scene when she sees Andrea after her demission.
The biggest difference on the characters is demonstrated, in my opinion, in Lilly's personality. This character is totally different in the novel and in the film. In the first one she relates herself with many different men, drinks a lot and incentives Andrea to have a relationship with Christian without guilt because of Alex, but in the film she is a serious and frump person that disapproves Andrea’s interest in Christian.
There are differences also in the plot, in the begging of the novel Miranda is on vacation when Andrea starts to work for Runway and in the end Andrea and Alex are no long lovers.
The others differences are: the place where Andrea meets Christian, the situation that involves Harry Potter novel, the relationship between Andrea and her family that in the film is very reduced, the travel to Paris and the main of them, the end of the story. The author concludes the cycle of the story in the novel. Andrea breaks abruptly with Miranda and uses the fashionable clothes she had won to make money for using while she is unemployed. In the film, Andrea’s dismissal is almost an agreement and she gives her fashionable clothes to Emily as compensation because she had traveled to Paris in her place.
4.0 THEMES TO DISCUSS ON THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
The main theme discussed in the novel is the fashion world and by this theme it is possible to discuss others as: consumerism, stereotypes and income distribution. All these are current topics mainly related to teenagers and young people and are very useful for help teachers enrich their classes. It is not necessary to say that we are living in a consumerist world and that this consumerism affects potentially teenagers and young people. So, these are relevant themes for discussion and reflection that cannot be absent of classes. As a suggestion to contextualize these themes even more, in Brazil, specifically in Bahia, there is a song called, Barroquinha, sung by Saiddy Bamba Group, which is well known of many teenagers, and can be used as a kind of counterpoint for these themes.
Other important theme discussed in this film is the relation between women and job market. The film shows through the characters Miranda and Andrea the difficulties faced by women in conciliate a career of success and a happy personal and familiar life. Miranda is well succeeding in her career but does not have the same success in her relationships. In the film her husband breaks with her and the people keep a relation of appearance with her because she has power to, in a certain way, control their lives. In order to manage her power Miranda becomes a sarcastic, intolerant, arrogant and totally inflexible person. She does not allow herself demonstrate any trace of fragility or sensibility. This behavior can be interpreted as a strategy of survival, or competition, in a market that is mainly dominated by men and these Miranda’s characteristics are more common in them.
The character Andrea emphasizes the difficult task of deciding how far you are willing, or that could be put aside, to achieve new dreams. In the film, Andrea faces different stages before to be able to decide what is more important for her. In the beginning she accepts the job thinking that she would be able not be contaminated neither by the fashion world nor by the job itself, but in the course of time she is totally absorbed by her tasks in a way she did not have time for her family, friend, neither her boyfriend. Then, she realized that even if that job was the way for reach her real goal it was not more important than her family.
One of the big problems of the modern women is that in theory they won more rights, but in really, they have to prove many times they are as competent as the men. In addition the society expects that they continue being the mainly responsible for the house activities and children education.
The movie, as well as the novel, is a good material for reflection and discussion about the modern women role in a modern society.
4.0 CONCLUSION
As teachers we have the challenge of deal with students that are denominated
Z generation, and whose mainly characteristic is to be connected all time with media technologies. So, the use of media in the classes is mandatory in order to get the attention and interest of these students. In this challenge, artistic productions can be important resources to make difference and stimulating classes.
In Median and Culture, Kelnner says that:
“Media culture provides the materials to create identities whereby individuals insert themselves into contemporary techno-capitalist societies and which is producing a new form of global culture. (KELNER, 1995)
So, since we are living in a world that has been considered as a global village and in consequence, teenagers are impacted all time by many different cultural aspects from these cultures, by the use of many kinds of media, especially communication media, teachers cannot ignore the importance of being a potential stimulator and leader of the use of artistic media productions.
REFERENCES
KELLNER, Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics between the Modern and the Postmodern. London: Routledge. 1995.
WEISBERGER, Lauren. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. London. Mary Glasgow Publications. 2008
In a globalized world the artistic productions can be a way of representing the real life. Douglas Kellner, in Media Culture, states that:
“A media culture has emerged in which images, sounds, and spectacles help produce
the fabric of everyday life, dominating leisure time, shaping political views and social behavior, and providing the materials out of which people forge their very identities”. (KELNNER, 1995)
So, by analyzing film productions, it is possible to discuss many aspects of the different societies from different epochs and it can be an important resource of teaching not only as a differential for the classes, but also as a way of introduce the students to cultural aspects represented by them.
In order to stimulate the use of this kind of media as a pedagogic tool, I chose “The Devil Wears Prada”, a 2006 comedy-drama film that was inspired in the novel with same title of Lauren Weisberger launched in 2003, to analyze some society representations showed by it.
2.0 THE PLOT OF THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
As it was said The Devil wears Prada is a novel written in 2003 by Lauren Weisberger that became a movie in 2006, according to information from Wikipedia. It talks about the challenges of a newly formed journalist, Andrea Sachs, who wishes to work in The New Yorker, a well conceptualized journal, where she dreams to work since was student of journalism. But as it real life, despite she is well prepared to the job, this would not be as easy as she thought.
She is selected by human resources of Elias Clarke Group to work as second assistant of Miranda Priestly, who is the powerful editor-in-chief of Runway, the most important fashion magazine of New York, where the story takes place.
Andrea decides to accept the job that “a million of girls would kill for” as a strategy to get the job in which she is really interested in - be a journalist of The New Yorker - because the people say that if she works to Miranda Priestly for one year, she will get any job she wants.
The problems begin when she realizes that to work to Miranda Priestly is really very difficult.
First, Andrea (Andy) was supposed to do activities that are totally absurd as: pick Miranda’s dog up at veterinary, look for new baby sitters, housekeepers, send her dirty clothes to the laundry, and other jobs that make Andrea feels as she was in the hell. Second, Miranda calls Andrea all time, asking her impossible things, as to get the new Harry Potter novel, which was not in the bookstores yet or to buy a dresser which she had seen in an antiquarian without the possibility to ask her: Which dresser? Which Antiquarian?
Things like that change Andrea’s life completely. She has to dedicate herself to the job 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and consequently the relationship with her family, boyfriend and best friend is affected.
Not only Andrea’s relationships change, but also her appearance. She suffers much pressure from her workmates in order to dress herself in a way that represents the Runway magazine, once she works at this fashion magazine. In the beginning she tries to keep her own style, but after three months, she decides to accept the Jeff’s help. Jeff is the supervisor of the “closet” of Runway, and fit herself in with the fashionable hallways of the Runway offices, thinking that this change would be a way of keep her job and to get a little respect from Miranda.
The novel continues describing all Andrea’s misadventures until the climax that occurs during a travel for Paris. In really who will travel to Paris would be Emily, the senior Miranda’s assistant, but because a mononucleosis she could not go and Andrea had to substitute her.
During the travel to Paris and near to reach her goal to work for one year in Runway, she receives the news that her best friend, Lilly, had an accident and she has to decide between her best friend and her job. At the beginning she has difficult in take a decision, but one day after, she notices that she is living a life in which she does not believe, in order to get that she really wanted and also, that the cost for reach her goals was being to abandon many of her convictions, friends and family. So she decides to go back to New York and as an answer to Miranda’s question about if she knew the consequences of her decision, Andrea told Miranda to fuck herself and goes to New York to see her best friend at the hospital.
3.0 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NOVEL AND THE FILM
In my opinion, the film adaptation keeps the principal ideas from the novel. There were some changes, as it occurs in all adaptations, but they did not interfere in the final result.
There are some changes that it can be highlighted. First one is Andrea’s boyfriend name and profession. In the novel he is a teacher called Alex and in the film he works in a restaurant and his name is Nate. The second is where Andrea lives in the plot of the novel and the film. In the first one, she lives, initially, with her parents and after with her best friend and in the second one she lives with her boyfriend.
The characters’ personality also suffered changes. Emily for example, in the novel helps Andrea sometimes while in the film she does not do it. Also Andrea has a different attitude, especially with Miranda. In the novel she is totally unsatisfied with her job and demonstrates her position all time. She does not tolerate Miranda’s posture, otherwise, in the film sometimes she always complains Miranda’s attitude. Miranda’s personality also suffered a little change from the novel to the film. In the film, in some scenes she looks like less indifferent, as when she talks to Andrea about her career and in the last scene when she sees Andrea after her demission.
The biggest difference on the characters is demonstrated, in my opinion, in Lilly's personality. This character is totally different in the novel and in the film. In the first one she relates herself with many different men, drinks a lot and incentives Andrea to have a relationship with Christian without guilt because of Alex, but in the film she is a serious and frump person that disapproves Andrea’s interest in Christian.
There are differences also in the plot, in the begging of the novel Miranda is on vacation when Andrea starts to work for Runway and in the end Andrea and Alex are no long lovers.
The others differences are: the place where Andrea meets Christian, the situation that involves Harry Potter novel, the relationship between Andrea and her family that in the film is very reduced, the travel to Paris and the main of them, the end of the story. The author concludes the cycle of the story in the novel. Andrea breaks abruptly with Miranda and uses the fashionable clothes she had won to make money for using while she is unemployed. In the film, Andrea’s dismissal is almost an agreement and she gives her fashionable clothes to Emily as compensation because she had traveled to Paris in her place.
4.0 THEMES TO DISCUSS ON THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
The main theme discussed in the novel is the fashion world and by this theme it is possible to discuss others as: consumerism, stereotypes and income distribution. All these are current topics mainly related to teenagers and young people and are very useful for help teachers enrich their classes. It is not necessary to say that we are living in a consumerist world and that this consumerism affects potentially teenagers and young people. So, these are relevant themes for discussion and reflection that cannot be absent of classes. As a suggestion to contextualize these themes even more, in Brazil, specifically in Bahia, there is a song called, Barroquinha, sung by Saiddy Bamba Group, which is well known of many teenagers, and can be used as a kind of counterpoint for these themes.
Other important theme discussed in this film is the relation between women and job market. The film shows through the characters Miranda and Andrea the difficulties faced by women in conciliate a career of success and a happy personal and familiar life. Miranda is well succeeding in her career but does not have the same success in her relationships. In the film her husband breaks with her and the people keep a relation of appearance with her because she has power to, in a certain way, control their lives. In order to manage her power Miranda becomes a sarcastic, intolerant, arrogant and totally inflexible person. She does not allow herself demonstrate any trace of fragility or sensibility. This behavior can be interpreted as a strategy of survival, or competition, in a market that is mainly dominated by men and these Miranda’s characteristics are more common in them.
The character Andrea emphasizes the difficult task of deciding how far you are willing, or that could be put aside, to achieve new dreams. In the film, Andrea faces different stages before to be able to decide what is more important for her. In the beginning she accepts the job thinking that she would be able not be contaminated neither by the fashion world nor by the job itself, but in the course of time she is totally absorbed by her tasks in a way she did not have time for her family, friend, neither her boyfriend. Then, she realized that even if that job was the way for reach her real goal it was not more important than her family.
One of the big problems of the modern women is that in theory they won more rights, but in really, they have to prove many times they are as competent as the men. In addition the society expects that they continue being the mainly responsible for the house activities and children education.
The movie, as well as the novel, is a good material for reflection and discussion about the modern women role in a modern society.
4.0 CONCLUSION
As teachers we have the challenge of deal with students that are denominated
Z generation, and whose mainly characteristic is to be connected all time with media technologies. So, the use of media in the classes is mandatory in order to get the attention and interest of these students. In this challenge, artistic productions can be important resources to make difference and stimulating classes.
In Median and Culture, Kelnner says that:
“Media culture provides the materials to create identities whereby individuals insert themselves into contemporary techno-capitalist societies and which is producing a new form of global culture. (KELNER, 1995)
So, since we are living in a world that has been considered as a global village and in consequence, teenagers are impacted all time by many different cultural aspects from these cultures, by the use of many kinds of media, especially communication media, teachers cannot ignore the importance of being a potential stimulator and leader of the use of artistic media productions.
REFERENCES
KELLNER, Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics between the Modern and the Postmodern. London: Routledge. 1995.
WEISBERGER, Lauren. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. London. Mary Glasgow Publications. 2008
domingo, 18 de dezembro de 2011
LUDICIDADE
Na última aula (quinta-feira) foi a apresentação do tema da minha equipe. Estava um pouco ansiosa, mas deu tudo certo.
Uma das coisas mais importantes que pude aprender com essa oficina foi que há uma diferença sutil entre lúdico e divertido, bem como seriedade e brincadeira.
De acordo com Luckesi, lúdica é toda atividade na qual você está participando plenamente. Isso poder ser uma leitura, uma escrita, uma dança, etc. Outra coisa importante é que o que é lúdico para você, pode não ser lúdico para mim.
Quanto ao que diz respeito à seriedade esta não precisa ser sinônimo de sisuda bem como a vrincadeira não significa leviandade. Precisamos saber equilibrar corretamente esta balança.
O professor Luckesi apóia seus estudos na Bisosíntese, que defende a totalidade do ser, o que segundo Luckesi está em harmonia com o propósito da ludicidade.
Com a apresentação de um modelo de aula lúdica, ficou clara a importância de os educadores se apossarem dessa técnica a fim de enriquecer o conhecimento dos alunos. A aula alías, na minha opinião, foi o ponto alto da apresentação da equipe. Parabéns a todos.
Uma das coisas mais importantes que pude aprender com essa oficina foi que há uma diferença sutil entre lúdico e divertido, bem como seriedade e brincadeira.
De acordo com Luckesi, lúdica é toda atividade na qual você está participando plenamente. Isso poder ser uma leitura, uma escrita, uma dança, etc. Outra coisa importante é que o que é lúdico para você, pode não ser lúdico para mim.
Quanto ao que diz respeito à seriedade esta não precisa ser sinônimo de sisuda bem como a vrincadeira não significa leviandade. Precisamos saber equilibrar corretamente esta balança.
O professor Luckesi apóia seus estudos na Bisosíntese, que defende a totalidade do ser, o que segundo Luckesi está em harmonia com o propósito da ludicidade.
Com a apresentação de um modelo de aula lúdica, ficou clara a importância de os educadores se apossarem dessa técnica a fim de enriquecer o conhecimento dos alunos. A aula alías, na minha opinião, foi o ponto alto da apresentação da equipe. Parabéns a todos.
quarta-feira, 14 de dezembro de 2011
PPP
O Plano político pedagógico é a identidade de uma escola. Das diversas coisas importantes que há na elaboração de PPP, gostaria de destacar as seguintes:
Como a maioria das coisas em que a burocracia está envolvida, o PPP é uma peça fundamental de uma engrenagem que não funciona com a fluidez necessária.
- Não há como haver o mesmo PPP para escolas diferentes.
- A elaboração do PPP envolve coordenadores, professores e comunidade.
- Deve se definir qual a tendência pedagógica a ser adotada pela escola.
- E haver um projeto de inclusão da comunidade.
- Sem o PPP a escola não pode funcionar.
- Esse plano deve ser atulizado anualmente, já que as circunstãcnias mudam.
Como a maioria das coisas em que a burocracia está envolvida, o PPP é uma peça fundamental de uma engrenagem que não funciona com a fluidez necessária.
PCN's X PCN LÍNGUA INGLESA
Os Parâmetro Curriculares Nacionais fazem uma análise do que deve se propor cada disciplina e de forma os seus objetivos devem ser alcançados.
Os parâmetros são divididos em objetivos gerais, objetivos gerias por área e por ciclo de aprendizagem.
É de suma importância que se conheça o que é requerido da disciplina que se pretende lecionar para que se possa alcançar um resultado satisfatório.
Com esse propósito nos foi requerido que analisassemos as caracterísitcas do PCN para a área de atuação de cada aluno da turma de Didática. Nomeu caso, Língua estrangeira: Inglês.
A inclusão de uma Língua estrangeira no curriculo é defendida pela PCN pelo seu valor social. Porém, esse valor é atribuído apenas à necessidade de leitura e compreensão, sob a alegação de falta de oportunidade de uso oral da língua na maior parte do país. O PCN leva em conta também a falta de estrutura das escolas no que diz respeito a número de alunos, carga horária e inclusive a falta de preparo dos professores no que diz respeito à oralidade.
Dentre os critérios para inclusão de uma língua estrangeira no curriculo se inlcuem: fatrores históricos, relativos à comunidade local e relativos à tradição.
Como professora de lingua inglesa, creio que se deveria pensar em alternativas para que o estudo das linguas estrangeiras no ensino fundamental e médio fossem mais eficientes e mais interessantes para os alunos.
Os parâmetros são divididos em objetivos gerais, objetivos gerias por área e por ciclo de aprendizagem.
É de suma importância que se conheça o que é requerido da disciplina que se pretende lecionar para que se possa alcançar um resultado satisfatório.
Com esse propósito nos foi requerido que analisassemos as caracterísitcas do PCN para a área de atuação de cada aluno da turma de Didática. Nomeu caso, Língua estrangeira: Inglês.
A inclusão de uma Língua estrangeira no curriculo é defendida pela PCN pelo seu valor social. Porém, esse valor é atribuído apenas à necessidade de leitura e compreensão, sob a alegação de falta de oportunidade de uso oral da língua na maior parte do país. O PCN leva em conta também a falta de estrutura das escolas no que diz respeito a número de alunos, carga horária e inclusive a falta de preparo dos professores no que diz respeito à oralidade.
Dentre os critérios para inclusão de uma língua estrangeira no curriculo se inlcuem: fatrores históricos, relativos à comunidade local e relativos à tradição.
Como professora de lingua inglesa, creio que se deveria pensar em alternativas para que o estudo das linguas estrangeiras no ensino fundamental e médio fossem mais eficientes e mais interessantes para os alunos.
OFICINA DIDÁTICA E TEORIAS DO CURRÍCULO
Nessa oficina foi discutida a elaboração do currículo, seus responsáveis e as diversas implicações da sua escolha.
Discutiu-se por exemplo de quem é a responsabilidade de elaborar um curriculo para um país continental como o Brasil e quais as consequências.
Falou-se da necessidade de aproximar o curriculo às realidades culturais e regionais dos alunos sem entretanto, interferir nos conhecimentos gerais exigidos pelos vestibulares, mercado de trabalho, etc.
Ficou claro, que esse não é um assunto fácil e que demanda muito estudo e comprometimento por parte de todos envolvidos no processo, independente da instância em que se encontram.
Discutiu-se por exemplo de quem é a responsabilidade de elaborar um curriculo para um país continental como o Brasil e quais as consequências.
Falou-se da necessidade de aproximar o curriculo às realidades culturais e regionais dos alunos sem entretanto, interferir nos conhecimentos gerais exigidos pelos vestibulares, mercado de trabalho, etc.
Ficou claro, que esse não é um assunto fácil e que demanda muito estudo e comprometimento por parte de todos envolvidos no processo, independente da instância em que se encontram.
DIDÁTICA E PESQUISA EM SALA DE AULA
Essa foi uma oficina surpreendente, não apenas pela forma de apresentação da equipe, mas também pelo aprendizado.
Pelo tema, tinha-se a impressão de já se saber tudo que se fazia necessário saber, entretanto, particularmente, aprendi coisas simples, mas extremamente relevantes com relação à aplicação da pesquisa em sala de aula.
Uma das mais surpreendentes, para mim, foi o fato de que a forma correta de solicitação e exposição da pesquisa que se está propondo ao aluno é muito semelhante a uma pesquisa científica. Deve-se apresentar aos alunos os objetivos, a metodologia, enfim todos os elementos para que eles tenham parâmetros para realizar a pesquisa e saiba de que forma será avaliado. Outro ponto importante, é a forma que se vai trabalhar com a pesquisa depois que essa estiver pronta. Se faz necessário, sempre, promover um forma para que o aluno "apresente" o resultado da sua pesquisa, de maneira que o trabalho feito seja valorizado.
Como dito no início, coisas simples, porém extremamente relevantes.
Pelo tema, tinha-se a impressão de já se saber tudo que se fazia necessário saber, entretanto, particularmente, aprendi coisas simples, mas extremamente relevantes com relação à aplicação da pesquisa em sala de aula.
Uma das mais surpreendentes, para mim, foi o fato de que a forma correta de solicitação e exposição da pesquisa que se está propondo ao aluno é muito semelhante a uma pesquisa científica. Deve-se apresentar aos alunos os objetivos, a metodologia, enfim todos os elementos para que eles tenham parâmetros para realizar a pesquisa e saiba de que forma será avaliado. Outro ponto importante, é a forma que se vai trabalhar com a pesquisa depois que essa estiver pronta. Se faz necessário, sempre, promover um forma para que o aluno "apresente" o resultado da sua pesquisa, de maneira que o trabalho feito seja valorizado.
Como dito no início, coisas simples, porém extremamente relevantes.
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