Using iMovie to Help Students More Deeply Engage With a Text

by Elizabeth Kuehne

I’ve been teaching a long time. I remember the days when I was the young teacher bringing technology to the classroom, but now I’m the old coot in the corner with her arms crossed. That is, until my young colleagues demonstrated an iMovie sample they made after attending a conference. It was fun, edgy, easy, and it was inspiring. I could see how it would resonate with the students in any English course.

Teaching Shakespeare is always a bit of a challenge. The students usually believe the text is outdated, unnecessary, and uncool. I disagree. Hamlet teaches them everything they need to know about being a young person in society today. I tell them, “sometimes you’ll hear a rumor and you’ll act on it, and sometimes, people will do things to disappoint you. What you do in response is what matters.” Hamlet didn’t make the best choices all the time, but he did act on his principles, which I also believe is an important element of learning in an English classroom. Getting to that lesson requires taking time with the text and keeping the students engaged. Sometimes, Hamlet just takes so long to get through, and even though I have the authority to say, “Well, you just have to do it,” that doesn’t necessarily mean they will do it.

Research shows that students learn more when they move out of their comfort zones. For many students, acting, public speaking, and scriptwriting are foreign and uncomfortable. Using a phone is not. In a group of twelve people, twelve iPhones are in 12 pockets. Even if the numbers were fewer, groups can be created using a variety of digital technology. An iPhone is an easy model with easy technology to use.

Moving out of my own comfort zone isn’t always the most fun for me. I can remember many times in my career when I’ve been poked and prodded. Of course, I’ve done my fair share of that to others, as well. I have grown by immeasurable degrees in most instances.

The same holds true for students and technology. Some will find it fun, and some will find it a chore. They won’t make time to do a group project outside of class. The students who are working to pay their way will insist that their jobs are taking up all of the time they have to do their classwork. Even non-traditional students who are, in most cases, a bit more time-organized, will use this as an excuse. However, using technology and moving out of one’s comfort zone should be about engaging with a text on a deeper level. By examining Hamlet through acting, the play becomes more than just a story and can become something bigger.

iMovie was a great way to engage each student to dig into the text. Improv wasn’t working, but iMovie was. We only had a few glitches: one student was responsible for saving her groups’ work, and her phone updated before she had saved to iCloud and everything was lost. They had to refilm their entire skit. Another group didn’t adequately prepare their script in the time they had, and then when they had time to film, one of their peers did not show up. They knew her personality, so this shouldn’t have been a surprise, but they hadn’t made allowances for it. Keep in mind that you might have to make similar allowances and modifications as the instructor. Be prepared for strange eventualities.

To prepare:

1. Backwards plan. What do you want them to prove they have ownership of in terms of engagement and understanding?

2. What are your goals for having them film this? Is it just because you want it to be fun? Trust me on this, you’ll be shaking your head halfway through because some joker will take it the wrong way.

3. How long do you want to watch this video? 1.5 minutes is perhaps too short in most instances, but maybe too long in others. Appropriately match the time length with what your other goals are.

4. Will you assess the students, or will they assess themselves? Will they assess each other? Make sure you prepare appropriate assessment models and participation rubrics in advance. Let them see what they will be scored on. Again, go back to your backwards planning and goals.

5. Most of the students we teach these days already know how to use these tools, but you can do a quick tutorial, or find one online to share with the students as part of the preparatory process. Do your research in advance so you don’t wind up winging it on the backside.

6. Will you use this project for multiple assessments or texts? If you write it well the first time, you can probably pretty easily substitute it for a variety of learning assessments.

Here is a sample instructor rubric: