critical analysis of educational film pdf

“Taare Zamin Par” – A critical analysis

By Reshma Parveen

The film “Taare Zameen Par” by Amir Khan has undoubtedly attracted the attention of educationists, teachers, parents, administrators and others interested in education. It is almost the first film, especially in Urdu/ Hindi speaking context, which may contribute to the educational theory and practice tremendously. A film can change the thinking, attitudes, behaviours, and practice of people much faster than any other technique.

The film gives some very important messages for parents and teachers alike. The role of the parents shown in the film is a typical role existing in our society, may be in a different form. For instance most fathers believe that they are responsible for earning money and therefore the internal responsibility of the house including child development is of the wife. This is a very dangerous notion, because the children may develop an indifferent attitude towards their fathers.

The film also shows a blaming attitude of the mother towards the child when she mentions that she has left her job because of him——here the child feels as if all the wrong happenings are because of him/her. Parents should be very careful and try not to make the child realize as if he/she is a burden on them, this affects the self-esteem of the child. A mother being with their children all the time is not necessarily giving quality time rather a mother who even spends less time but is of quality is much more important. One very important and critical situation which is presented in the film is comparison of the two brothers——a reality existing in our society. Many of the parents as well as teachers I have come across depend on this notion of comparison in order to either check students progress or to see who is more able. Children are very different from each other, even twins have got different abilities which needs to be tackled differently. Praising one child infront of the other and stating that the other is so duffer, creates many psychological problem for the child as it stops the personality development, affects the self-esteem which many lead to failure in life.

The role of the traditional teachers shown is an eye opener to our society. We should move away with it but on the other hand the role of the modern teacher played is also of a very ideal state. Can we imagine this role of the teacher in our schools? Nevertheless, the modern role of the teacher has so many messages embedded in it. Firstly, catering for individual differences is an important aspect of teaching and learning. We generally believe that all students have same ability in a class and teaching one students is same for all therefore whatever one student learns in the class should be learnt by all equally well—–is this a right belief? Even I have heard teachers blaming students “so and so stands first in the class and learns all material I give, do I teach him/her differently?” Each child needs are different and treating them all equal is ineffective teaching. Secondly, the teachers’ attitude with the students is friendly and unthreatening, therefore the students are able to follow the instruction and share their problems through different means. Thirdly, each child has got his/her potentialities and they only need opportunities and guidance to bring them out. In the traditional class the teachers was to decide what to draw and paint but in the modern class the teacher gave them a freedom to draw whatever they want. This gave an honour to their work and thus raised the self-esteem of the children.

At one place when the teacher was asking some questions regarding the names of some scientists, contradicts with some psychological aspects of teaching. For instance this class was of 9/10-years old students and the concepts which he was asking were very abstract. Piaget (a psychologist) argues that at this age children cannot understand abstract thinking and thus it develops rote leaning. The questioning style and not giving time to think is another contradicting point.

Some of the points which we should examine in our context are:

• The context of the film is very different from ours—-they being in an urban situation and we in a rural context—–therefore coping things straightaway might be dangerous.
• The class which the teacher (Amir Khan) teaches is a specific class of “Art” it may not be generalized in all subjects and disciplines
• It is also possible that the film affects the children/students watching it, negatively, because children idealize such situations—–the teacher, the way he behaves, the school, the facilities—–and when they do not find it in reality in their context may affect them. My own 3-years old son one day comes from school and asks me “mama! Why my teacher does not sing ‘bum bum boolay…’” and I was stuck, how to answer to this little boy. Therefore we should be very careful about the audience if we want to show it. Thus the film is more focused for parents and teachers rather than students.

Anyhow it is a very interesting and intensively researched movie and a person related to a film industry may bring more changes in understanding and practices of teaching than educators. It is a good contribution towards teacher education and parental education.  I recommend to watch the film and enjoy it but with a critical eye.

The contributor is currently pursuing M Ed. degree from Nortre Dame Institute of Education, Karachi.

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Thanks Reshma for an in-depth and critical analysis of the film Taare Zameen Par. I hope this article will help the readers and motivate all individuals to think about and not take everything for granted without analytical and critical analysis.

I appreciate your contribution for writing a thought provoking article. I know it is not an easy job for a student of M.Ed class, which is a time demanding and rigorous process. Good wishes for your successful completion of M.Ed class and future endeavor.

Well done and Keep it up

Thanks and regards Sharif Khan

Miss Reshma, A very good article and multidimensional in its effect. Indeed an educationist can betterly understand the various dimensions of movies like Tare Zameen Par but I think we can relate the various segments of the movie to those that are also very much common in our society and teaching culture.Apart from the resemblance factor we can also acquire something noval that can really trigger many minds towards something constructive. It all depends on the mind set but there are some things that are common for everybody and are based on realities. Regards Aslam Ghalib Lahore

Rashma has rightly taken the point. I was wondering of the comments and appreciations with out looking it analytically. It is important being on media to critically analyze and comment. News item or initiatives are fine and encouraging.

Thanks to PT for bringing this at school level and thanks to Rashema for critical contribution

Salmanyddin

Really inspiring critical analysis by Ms Rashma, I am sure as she said, most of the students especially our rural folk will get this an excuse for hardworking in their studies, and the parents will consider their children’s apathy toward education as inherited bio-physiological disorder.

being a student of Education Planing & Managment i have found it FABOLOUS….congrate for writing such an informative artical from the education poit of view keep on doing batter….

Didar Karim Bari NUML university islamabad

the following comments of Mr Ahmad Jami Sakhi were received by email. —————————————– The comments made by Ms. Reshma (a devoted educationist) about the Hindi Film “Tarey Zameen Par”, was very enlightening and inspiring one. It is true that the modern developments in field of education require an inclusive approach towards imparting knowledge to our future generation. It is high time both for parents and teachers alike to learn and equip our selves with latest concepts and researches on the Early Childhood Development & Education (ECED). By giving proper care and attention to the education of our new generation, we can ensure the smooth transition of our society from agro-based traditions to a knowledge-based advanced society with a global world view. I hope that other educationists will follow the footprints of Reshma by shedding light on similar developments in other parts of the world.

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A critical analysis of the use of educational motion pictures by two methods

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Critical approaches - Film analysis

Considering ways and means for bringing film into classrooms, and how to talk about them with children and young people; and how to begin some simple film analysis.

Introduction

Here we have two of the ‘3 Cs’ in its sights: watching and talking about film (part of the ‘Cultural’ spehere of film education), and ‘analysing film’ (part of the ‘Critical’ dimension). The section on FIlm Analysis was written by our colleagues in the Danish FIlm Institute, and features a brilliant one-minute film from South Korea. So we have a film from beyond the viewing experience of many young people (part of the ‘Cultural’ sphere), as well as using it to model approaches to film analysis. We emphasise as always the importance of combining the Cs together: so that watching a wide range of film is always done critically; and that film analysis should always range across different types of film forms and genres, periods, and locations.

Educational perspectives: film analysis

In this section we will be looking at a specific approach to teaching film analysis devised by colleagues at the Danish Film Institute. The approach is based on three fundamentals of visual storytelling: themes, style (aesthetics) and film form.

We will introduce you to some hands-on exercises supporting learners’ film analysis skills around a film called ' Edge of Seventeen ', a one-minute short South Korean horror film. Then, we will also ask you to choose a different short film example and propose some analysis activity of your own.

A note on short film

Throughout this course, we typically propose approaches to watching, making, and analysing short films, rather than feature films. This is for a number of reasons:

• Short films are complete narratives in their own right, but can be watched many times in a lesson or session;
• Young people are much less likely to have seen the short films we propose - and much more likely to have seen feature films;
• shorts are more easily cleared for copyright;
• and while taking clips from feature films is sometimes useful for illustration, if you want to teach about whole narratives, then short films are most efficient.

In later steps, you will be looking at ways in which to plan student presentations and feedback from student to student, and finally, you will see an example of film analytical teaching materials, made by the Danish Film Institute. The latter is included to inspire educators to plan their own film analytical tasks after the course. Each step asks you to read a text and/or watch the short film ' Edge of Seventeen ' as part of the step task. We encourage you to share your thoughts and notes with the other participants.

Why analyse film? And how to do it?

Analyzing film has a positive effect on learners’ critical awareness. Film analysis is a powerful way of improving their ability to decode and analyze, and film analytical tools are invaluable in a visually dominated culture with different visual media.

Film analysis motivates a variety of collaborative tasks, from pair work to teamwork and discussions in class. A critical approach to film provokes conversation, which is essential for learning. In school, film analysis can often focus on ‘themes’ - the purpose being to find out what the film is telling us in relation to its underlying theme. However, a film-specific approach will help the students to become aware that both film form and style (aesthetics) contribute to the shaping of the film’s content and the ways in which we, as members of an audience, receive and understand what we see.

It is important to know that a film’s ‘messages and values’ are expressed in a close and dynamic interaction between what (the content) and how (film form and aesthetics). When film form, style and theme(s) interact well, it strengthens the viewer’s personal, emotional, creative and cultural experience of the film’s narrative and message. The approach we take in this section to film analysis is only one among many different approaches. However, the focus on both themes, aesthetics and film form is essential for critical awareness, and the method is suitable across educational groups and ages in school. Teaching this approach to film analysis is a matter of preparation and organization.

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Postmodern Metanarratives pp 38–49 Cite as

Literature and Film: A Brief Overview of Theory and Criticism

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The close relationship between literature and film has existed since the advent of cinema due to the strong visual characteristics of both media. D. W. Griffith wanted to film in the same way as Charles Dickens wrote novels. Similarly, Tolstoy wanted to write like a camera films (Paech, 1988, pp. 122–3). George Bluestone, in establishing the limits of both the novel and the film, argues that novelist and film director meet in the attempt “to make you see”, the former through the mind; the latter through the eye. For him, the root difference between the two media “lies between the percept of the visual image and the concept of the mental image” (1957, p. 137). He considers the end products of novel and film as representing different aesthetic genera, since each is autonomous and each is characterized by unique and specific properties (p. 139). Bluestone states that “a film is not thought; it is perceived” (p. 141). Therefore, film cannot have direct access to the power of discursive forms because it is a presentational medium (except for its use of dialogues). Whereas “the novel discourses, the film must picture” (p. 140).

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Cruz, D.T. (2014). Literature and Film: A Brief Overview of Theory and Criticism. In: Postmodern Metanarratives. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137439734_3

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Popular Film as an Instructional Strategy in Qualitative Research Methods Courses

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