Amber Rutan

Artifact Commentary Four: TE 838 Final Reflection (TE 838)

Goals: 1, 2
Standards: 1, 2, 4, 5

Over the summer of 2013, I was enrolled in three different classes, including TE 838: Childrens
Literature in Film. This was probably the most challenging class I had to take for many reasons
including the accelerated syllabus and the new subject matter (childrens film and childrens literature).
At the end of the semester we were required to write an 8-10 page reflection that would synthesize all of
the learning modules from the semester, as well discuss possible applications of what we would apply in
our own classrooms. To ensure we were fully synthesizing each unit, we had to mention all of the
literaturebooks and filmthat we reviewed within the reflection, which meant six different books and
ten different movie adaptations. While this reflection was for my TE 838 class over the summer, it would
later inspire me for the fall and spring with my own high school English classrooms.

This artifact reveals a moment of new and creative thinking for me which was different than anything
I had learned before. Many of my classes were focused on the integration of technology, but this class
helped me move back towards how to better integrate literaturespecifically 21
st
century literature like
films. As I went through this class, I realized that movies were a big part of a 21
st
century students life,
and I wanted to capitalize more on my students capacity to learn, and their development as whole
persons (Standard 1) when it came to their literacy, no matter if that literacy was from a book,
newspaper, computer, or film. This new kind of literacy is something I have a strong commitment
towards for students learning because I know their strengths (Goal 2) include more and more visual
media. This paper pushed me to reconsider what curriculum I was teaching and how I could provide
different pathways for students to access and engage in subject matter (Standard 2) which I got to
explore in the applications section of this reflection. While I had some experience with film analysis
before this class, it was basic at best and this class pushed me to systematically inquire into my own
beliefs (Standard 4) and the analyze the complex matters from different perspectives (Goal 1) about
showing films in the classroom. I appreciated that this reflection helped me evaluate information
(Standard 5) over every learning module to really internalize all of the information I learned in such a
short amount of time. This reflection was a challenge, but in a way that made me a stronger, more
dynamic and thoughtful teacher when it comes to new literacy such as film analysis.
While the lessons considering technology have been the main focus in my MATC program, this class
helped me see that the skills for the 21
st
century learner shouldnt be pigeonholed to just technology like
using the internet or computers. This class helped me see that 21
st
century students also need to learn 21
st

century literacy, which includes visual media, especially movies. So many students in my past have told
me they would rather watch the movie, than read the book. Writing this reflection has helped me find a
way to help students understand that they need to read the book and watch the movie because both are a
meaningful literary experience. Since taking this class, my entire mindset for showing films in my
classroom has completely changed and I feel more confident in justifying why integrating movies are
another crucial part of my curriculum.