Unlocking the Moviemaking Mind - by Michael Schoonmaker & John M Wolf (Paperback)

About the Book

Unlocking the Moviemaking Mind explores how our innate abilities as storytellers can be used in the K-12 classroom to stimulate new approaches to learning. Relying on data collected during a multi-year research project in a variety of school settings, this book relies on story...

Book Synopsis

Have you ever had an idea for a book, a movie, or a TV show? Chances are that you've had many. Today's students, who are coming of age in a world that is increasingly mediated by smartphones, pads, pods, apps, and the Internet, are even more likely to think of their lives and experiences in terms of stories. Unlocking the Moviemaking Mind explores how our innate abilities as storytellers can be used in the K-12 classroom to stimulate new approaches to learning. Relying on data collected during a multi-year research project in a variety of school settings, this book relies on story and synthesis to present tried and true methods of introducing media making practices in the classroom. Unlocking the Moviemaking Mind also offers strategies for overcoming individual and systematic barriers that educators and administrators are likely to encounter when incorporating storytelling into their curricula. Moreover, the book broaches topics that are especially germane to today's students, including literacy, motivation, and experiential learning.

Review Quotes

"Despite its title, this book is about more than using video as an educational tool. Each brief chapter should be read carefully for its insights into the educational system. Schoonmaker and Wolf were involved in a movie-making research project with K-12 students. Most of the work was done in a failing urban school that was scheduled to close at the end of the year. This was only one of many challenges, but as the authors rightfully observe, education is messy. The children and mentors learned by doing, including making mistakes. Contemporary children come to schools with a media literacy that their teachers often lack. Providing them with cameras in which to tell their stories is a powerful learning experience. Even very young children respond to the opportunity the video camera offers. In impoverished schools, the authors observe, educators often see children 'as the source of the problem rather than the source of the solution.' Listening to children may upset the balance of power that often exists between teachers and students, particularly when it involves adults recognizing media literacy as a legitimate aspect of learning in a digital age. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels." --Choice Reviews

"Through dogged reporting and captivating research Unlocking the Moviemaking Mind masterfully conveys how and why video production can and should be utilized in the K-12 classroom. It's a giant feat, accomplished in a fascinating, easy-to-read narrative--filled with not only intricate case studies, but also heartfelt messages about how effective use of technology (in this case, cameras) greatly assists digital natives in seeing the relevance of what and how they learn. Unlocking the Moviemaking Mind is essential reading for any teacher, parent, or coach seeking to inspire and make learning relevant to today's digital natives." --David Cutler, founder and executive editor, Spin Education

"Schoonmaker and Wolf take us inside classrooms where readers discover how and why video production experiences help build communication skills and lift the imagination of learners of all ages." --Renee Hobbs, Harrington School of Communication and Media, University of Rhode Island

About the Author

Michael Schoonmaker is the long-time Chairman of the Television-Radio-Film Department at Syracuse University's Newhouse School, and author of the book Camera in the Classroom: Educating the Post-TV Generation, a guide for K-12 teachers who wish to integrate film and video into their curricula. His professional credits include production management roles at MTV and NBC Olympic Unit's Emmy Award-winning coverage of the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.

John Wolf (Ph.D., Syracuse University) teaches in the Science, Technology, and Society Program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. His research focuses on digital culture, deviance, and social change.