Description
Intercultural education is a concept that offers a dynamic perspective of cultures in contact, by generating shared cultural expressions through mutual respect and dialogue on the local, regional, national or international level. Today, intercultural education is regarded as a proper response to globalization, increase in global contacts, internationalization of education and growing convergence of different cultural behaviors and ways of thinking. It goes beyond the mere recognition of other cultures towards development of a sustainable way of living together through the understanding of, respect for and dialogue between various cultural groups.Intercultural education can be linked with film literacy, the concept that is about understanding the different aspects of film (history, language), having the ability to critically analyse film and its messages, and participating in creative film production. Intercultural education would enable film literacy students to exchange knowledge and experiences of their own film industries and cultures, to introduce new ideas and to present film as an international multifaceted phenomenon that transgresses any borders.
The censorship, cultural customs, religion, economic, and social norms influence the way people produce, consume, exhibit, and interpret the films, which make intercultural education significant for teaching film. Additionally, it can also fight misinformation, offensive stereotypes, and prejudices by critically examining films’ messages and broadening one’s knowledge of another culture through open dialogue.
Although previous research has linked intercultural education and film literacy, there has been only a small number of studies offering teachers perspective on that. The current paper contributes to the ongoing discussion, by investigating how Finnish school teachers adopt intercultural education and film literacy in their professional careers and how they see it developing in the future. Thus, this study offers a pedagogical perspective on intercultural film literacy education in modern Finnish schools.
The research data includes seven interviews with film, media and art teachers that work in international school environments in Finland. The teachers were selected with a focus on age, gender, language, and geographical diversity. The short interviews, lasting no longer than 30-40 minutes, were conducted online during the span of two months, and analysed using a qualitative thematic approach. The research findings describe individual experiences of intercultural film education, including the duties the teachers perform and the challenges they face.
The results of this study shed light on teachers’ experiences with intercultural education and film literacy in international Finnish schools, allowing us to see how these concepts are interpreted on an individual level. Additionally, the research describes how the teachers see the future of intercultural film literacy education. These insights are valuable for developing a website that features strategies, resources and learning materials based on an intercultural film literacy education framework. Developing such a website is the next step for the researcher.
| Period | 29 Sept 2021 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Media Education Conference |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Rovaniemi, FinlandShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |