Constructivist Study of English Movie Appreciation and English

Culture Cognition

Ling LIU

Chongqing Institute of Engineering, Chongqing, 402260

Keywords: Constructivism, movie appreciation, culture study.

Abstract: Culture is deeply linked with language. During the process of foreign language teaching, cultural cognition

has positive impacts on language learning. English movies are important carriers of English language and

culture. The understanding of knowledge and customs of English countries, which obtained through movie

appreciation, significantly improves English learning and teaching performance. In this study, positive

effects of English movie appreciation on English teaching are explored on the base of constructivism

analysis. Moreover, the construction of English culture cognition through movie appreciation is also studied

for better English teaching achievements.

1 INTRODUCTION

Culture, a quintessence of human history, has close

relationship to language. Construction of English

culture cognition has great importance to English

learning. English movies provide an environment in

which students are able to experience and perceive

deeply English culture and then language. Activities

related to English movies (group discussion, tasks

etc.), as an ideal method of English teaching,

enhance effectively students’ ability of listening,

reading, writing and translating (L. N. Wu, T. H.

Xiao, 2012). Meanwhile, English movies are also a

platform in which English teaching can be practiced

in a more flexible and interesting way. Therefore,

students are motivated into active and fruitful

English learning practice.

2 CONSTRUCTIVISM THEORY

Teaching process is emphasized in constructivism

theory. New cognition is developed from the

combination of knowledge and learners’

consciousness through the relationship and

interaction between knowledge and outside world.

This new cognition is thoughtful and creative. There

are four elements of the constructivism theory in

teaching: context, cooperation, social activity and

meaning construction. Context is set to improve the

cooperation among learners (N. Wu, 2012). Social

activities are also encouraged, during which learners

think over the learning process and knowledge to

develop a new cognition. Establishment of context is

an important part of teaching. English movies are

rich sources for context establishment. Sound,

images and scenes of English movies lead students

into a context of English language and culture to

have profound understandings. In order to have all

students involved in teaching process, questions and

topics are designed and selected based on teaching

targets and contexts. Therefore, students are able to

experience English language and culture to enhance

their English ability and the knowledge of English

culture.

Knowledge construction is a complicated

process, requiring the combination and expression of

knowledge and learners’ consciousness. During the

process of English movie appreciation, students need

to fully understand constructivism theory to grasp

the major contents and construct the cognition of

English culture. For instance, students are supposed

to collect related materials, analyze teaching context

and put forward hypotheses before class (X. Y. Hu,

2011). They are then sharing the materials and

thoughts with group members during class. By doing

this, students discuss their hypotheses and analyze

comprehensively the teaching context. The teaching

process is then completed after the evaluation of

teaching. Cooperation is crucial in English learning

practice. Students should take the construction of

knowledge as a collective, thoughtful and creative

process. Group members discuss and share their

198

Liu L.

Constructivist Study of English Movie Appreciation and English Culture Cognition.

DOI: 10.5220/0006447001980201

In ISME 2016 - Information Science and Management Engineering IV (ISME 2016), pages 198-201

ISBN: 978-989-758-208-0

opinions together to fulfill their tasks. In addition to

grasp knowledge, they also explore regulations and

connections among the knowledge they obtained.

Hence, knowledge taught in class, as a target of

analysis, is more classified for students to construct

their own knowledge. In this process, students

organize, analyze, discuss and summarize

autonomously. The tasks of teachers are to inspire,

help and guide learners to complete learning process

of analysis, discussion and summarization. Students

can master knowledge better, open their minds and

enrich their class in this process to obtain more

achievements.

3 ENGLISH MOVIES AND

CULTURE

Language, as a carrier of culture, is also a part of

national culture. Movies represent comprehensively

cultural background of a nationality. English movies

are compounds generated from English culture.

Cultural backgrounds such as geography, history,

politics, society, economy and education can be

vividly perceived through movie appreciation, so as

to the charm of English language. On one hand,

students are more interested in English learning

because of cultural factors. They take part into the

English teaching autonomously to think and

innovate language-learning practice. On the other

hand, as language is planted into culture, students

obtained knowledge unconsciously. It not only

enhances English learning, but also improves

students’ understanding of English knowledge and

culture.

4 APPRECIATION AND

ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH

MOVIES

Movie is a processed and extracted form of real

society and life. Cultures, historical backgrounds

and social surroundings of English-language

countries are vividly demonstrated through artistic

means of movies. Benefiting from abundant cultural

resources, movies can be brilliant and attractive. The

first important thing when appreciate and analyze

movies is selecting movies with appropriate

complexity. A proper movie provides students with

audio and visual pleasures. If the movie is too easy,

English teaching can be quite boring and unlikely to

attract students’ attention. If the movie is too hard

for students to understand, students can hardly

benefit for their English learning, except some visual

experience.

There are two things to notice when selecting a

movie with proper difficulty level. On one hand,

situations of students’ English learning should be

known precisely. Topic for group discussion should

be chosen according to students’ abilities to help

students to cultivate cognition of English culture, as

well as the language. For example, new students,

usually with poor English ability, need relatively

easy movies to start, such as The Lion King, Frozen

and How to Train Your Dragon. On the other hand,

movies selected should have classic and epochal

features. Some classic movies such as The Sound of

Music, Forrest Gump and Titanic are ideal materials

for English movie appreciation.

Firstly, these movies are important in English

language teaching for quite a long time. Relatively

mature teaching patterns around the movies have

been developed during teaching practices, which is

easy to be handled. Secondly, experiences of

teaching those movies help teachers to control

teaching process and guide the participation of

students to feel English culture and language. Those

movies, including Frozen, How to Train Your

Dragon, Turbo and Last Stand, are a part English

movie fashion and very influential. Appreciation of

those movies on the base of teaching scheme is very

useful for students to learn the language and culture.

Thirdly, the modern artistic methods employed in

those movies are attractive for students, so as to

stimulate the motivation of students to learn English

language. Fourth, charm of English language is well

demonstrated through the dialogue, music and other

aspects of those movies. Students can appreciate

deeply the beauty of English culture and gradually

construct cognition of English culture. Therefore,

students’ comprehensive English abilities are

improved accordingly.

Furthermore, literature feature is also to be taken

into consideration when selecting a movie.

Connecting movie appreciation to literature is a

method to stimulate students’ interest in English

literature. Students’ English abilities can be

enhanced by reading literature works. Movies like

Forrest Gump and The Bridge of Madison County

are effective in attract students’ attention to related

books. Besides, movies selected should with various

themes. For example, Forrest Gump is about the

growth of a specific disadvantaged person,

encouraging students to advance. How to Train Your

Dragon attracts audiences with its fancy science

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fiction world. Students fall into the specific

atmosphere of the movie and start English study

autonomously. Frozen touches the souls of

audiences by its beautiful dance, music and scenes.

Students feel sentiments among families, loves and

friends, which cultivates desires to study English

language and culture. The strong desire of cognition

for English culture helps learners to enhance their

abilities to feel and understand English culture. In

summarize, various types of English movies make

movie appreciation more meaningful and thoughtful.

Students obtain more understandings and knowledge

during appreciation process. Their abilities of

listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating

are improved accordingly. Lastly, students’ abilities

of movie appreciation should be cultivated and

strengthened. Widely use of English movie in

education arena helps students obtain more

knowledge during the movie appreciation process.

5 CONSTRUCTION OF ENGLISH

CULTURAL COGNITION

English movie appreciation has great influence on

English teaching and the construction of English

culture and knowledge. There are several things

should be mentioned. First, it is important for

teachers to carefully select movies and design

contexts. Multi-media teaching cannot completely

take the place of the communication between

teachers and students in class. If the movies played

in class are not carefully selected, most class time

will be occupied by, instead of movie appreciation

and analysis, aimless movie watching. Teaching

aims can be achieved when movies are played on

purpose and students put forward questions and

discuss with each other based on materials they

collected. For instance, in Frozen, when Anna was

young, she was accidentally injured by her sister’s

magic. Her sister eludes Anna after she recovered to

avoid hurting her. Anna was very lonely without the

company of her sister. Plots and music of this

section can easily arouse the enthusiasm of students

to learn English language. At the end of the movie,

Anna stands up bravely, regardless all the dangers,

to protect her sister. Love removes the curse at last.

Questions are developed from those movie sections.

Teachers then encourage students to discuss with

group members to fulfill tasks.

Second, preparing work before class should be

emphasized. Teachers present several questions to

students to arouse their English learning desires.

Those questions are related to selected movies and

teaching contents. Students are required to

extensively understand selected movies, character

features and story backgrounds through various

approaches. Moreover, teachers summarize

vocabularies and grammars used in movie materials

to guide students to study before and after class.

Therefore, students are able to combine English

knowledge and movies, and then obtain and use such

knowledge during the process of movie appreciation.

The third point is that attention should be paid

dialogue analysis and classic sentences. Examples

can be extracted from Forrest Gump: “Mama says,

‘Stupid is as stupid does’” and “Life was like a box

of chocolates. You never know what you're going to

get.”Taking notes of classic sentences enhances

students’ skills to learn English language and

appreciate movies. English movie appreciation and

language teaching then interact each other

positively. Fourth, teachers organize after-class

activities properly. For example, role-play of some

sections of a movie provide students an opportunity

to experience in person the charm of English

language and culture, and also the use of English

language in movies. Another activity is asking

students to think over questions deliberately

presented according to the movies. In Frozen, Anna

needs a kiss of true love to remove the curse. The

question “What is true love” is then put forwarded

for students to discuss. Inner feelings of students are

aroused into the process of English culture learning.

Thus, students’ feeling, understanding and cognition

of English culture are enhanced.

6 CONCLUSION

Construction of English cultural cognition requires a

long and vast learning process. English movies

provide English learners with a platform to

understand vividly and profoundly English culture.

During the process of movie appreciation, students

experience and feel deeply English culture.

Therefore, learners are capable to perceive

connotations of English culture by watching movies.

In light of constructivism theory, learners realize the

construction of cognition of English culture through

perceiving, analyzing, understanding and

experiencing process. They can also enhance their

ability of English language and comprehensive

abilities simultaneously.

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REFERENCES

L. N. Wu, & T. H. Xiao. Effects of Appreciation of British

and American Movies in the Synthetic Theory of

Constructing Language Ability. Dajiang Weekly, 2012

(11), 172-172.

N. Wu. Analyzing British and American Culture through

Movie Appreciation. Jiannan Literature: Classics

Reading, 2012 (11), 192-192.

X. Y. Hu. Appreciation of British and American Movies

and the Construction of English Cultural Cognition.

Movie Literature, 2011 (21), 141-142.

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