What: “Docs in the Classroom: Activate Critical Thinking Through Documentary Film”
When: Thursday, November 2, 2017, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm ET
Where: Free online webinar live streamed via the Full Frame YouTube Channel (the webinar will be recorded and made available at the conclusion of the session)
Who: Led by Full Frame education coordinator Ashley Solesbee, in partnership with PBS’ POV
On Thursday, November 2, 2017, at 4 p.m. ET, join educators from across the country for a live streamed training session from the distinguished Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and PBS’ POV series, television’s longest-running showcase for independent nonfiction films. Full Frame education coordinator and Durham public school teacher Ashley Solesbee will feature the proven instructional approach from Full Frame’s Teach the Teachers program using POV’s in-depth educator resources. The award-winning documentary Brooklyn Castle by Katie Dellamaggiore will be used as a model for applying these methods, and the accompanying POV materials will provide valuable assets for teachers to use in the classroom.
Teach the Teachers, a free program for public school educators, applies principles from John Golden’s Reading in the Reel World: Teaching Documentaries and Other Nonfiction Texts. Solesbee is a former participant in the program. In the webinar, she will draw from her personal experiences as a teacher, illustrating how the use of documentary film in the classroom transformed her practice as an educator.
“We are honored to build upon a longstanding relationship with POV in this endeavor,” said Deirde Haj, Full Frame’s director. “Bringing together Full Frame’s eminent educational initiatives and POV’s in-depth resources for educators and nontraditional learners, this powerful presentation will provide practical tools for teachers, and speaks to the power of film to nurture conversation in a classroom setting.”
“Integrating documentary film into my classroom transformed my practice as an educator. Documentary film builds bridges to literacy and critical thinking skills for students in ways standard text-based materials just can’t do. As teachers, if we change our perspective to see documentary film as a sort of ‘live text’ rather than just “watching a movie in class,” we get to engage students in new ways of thinking about the world around them. I look forward to sharing my passion for this powerful teaching tool with educators on November 2nd.” – Ashley Solesbee, Full Frame education coordinator
“Teach the Teachers gives educators and students valuable methods for thinking critically about what they are seeing and hearing. In the early years of Full Frame, we found that teachers were among the most appreciative audiences. Once they experienced the magic of interacting with filmmakers or seeing film subjects answer questions in real time, they wanted to know how they could move beyond “just press play” in their classrooms. The idea was born to bring teachers to the festival and provide them with ways to use documentary film as an effective teaching tool.” —Alan Teasley, Teach the Teachers founding instructor
“At POV, we’ve long believed that documentary film can be a powerful classroom tool to provoke critical thinking, informed discussion and dialogue. We’re excited to partner with the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival to provide teachers with a framework for using our catalog of resources and the best of the documentary art form in their classrooms, especially those educators who may be curious about using films, but aren’t sure how to get started.” —Alice Quinlan, POV Community Engagement and Education manager
“Over the past ten years, we have witnessed a major shift in the way media is used in the classroom. Educators know first-hand how essential media literacy is in our saturated media landscape. We’re thrilled to build on our relationship with Full Frame Documentary Film Festival to share their Teach the Teacher’s framework with our community of educators.” —Eliza Licht, POV vice president of content strategy and engagement
The webinar and partnership with POV expands the educational offerings of Full Frame, which include the School of Doc, Teach the Teachers and the annual Youth Screening. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival returns to downtown Durham, April 5–8, 2018.
POV’s Community Engagement and Education team collaborates with media educators to produce lesson plans for teachers interested in using POV films as a teaching tool. More than 200 standards-aligned lesson plans are connected to streaming film clips, in addition to discussion guides and reading lists. For lesson plans, visit pbs.org/pov/educators. To borrow full films from POV’s DVD Lending Library, visit communitynetwork.amdoc.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Charles Upchurch
Representing Full Frame
919-277-1175
Keisha Salmon
POV
212-989-7425
About Full Frame:
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of nonfiction cinema. Each spring, Full Frame welcomes filmmakers and film lovers from around the world to historic downtown Durham, N.C., for a four-day, morning-to-midnight array of nearly 100 films, as well as discussions, panels and Southern hospitality. Set within a few city blocks, the intimate festival landscape fosters community and conversation among filmmakers, film professionals and the general public.
The festival is a qualifying event for nominations for the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject and The Producers Guild of America Awards. The upcoming 21st annual festival will showcase nearly 100 documentary features and short films from around the world, some of which will make their World or North American premieres. Festival screenings will be held at multiple locations in downtown Durham, including venues within the iconic Carolina Theatre and the Durham Convention Center.
Serving the local Durham area as well as the documentary film community throughout the year, Full Frame also promotes the festival’s mission by presenting documentary work in the Full Frame Theater and other venues both locally and nationally. Full Frame encompasses education and training opportunities such as the Full Frame Fellows Program, the School of Doc summer program for teenagers, the documentary literacy program Teach the Teachers for local educators and the annual Youth Screening, drawing hundreds of students and teachers to the Carolina Theatre for an immersive, instructive experience.
The Festival is a program of the Center for Documentary Studies, a nonprofit 501(c)3, and receives support from corporate sponsors, private foundations and individual donors whose generosity provides the foundation that makes the event possible. To learn more about the mission of Full Frame, scheduled films, festival tickets or how to support Full Frame, visit fullframefest.org.
