Educational Films against Critical Pedagogy

Abstract

Teachers committed to practicing critical pedagogy often must do so in spite of the curriculum materials available to them. This paper analyzes the conventions of form and style that typify traditional educational film. The argument is made that while teachers and students are active producers and negotiators of meaning, the aesthetic conventions of most educational films negate this classroom reality. The paper analyzes a sample of films produced between 1940 and 1960 to determine the norms that were set in place during the time when the dominant style of educational films became fully established. It then compares these norms to the forms and styles of two contemporary educational films that deal with social issues. It suggests that while some conventions have changed across time, they continue to be employed in ways that actively work against critical thinking and liberatory education.