FILMS THAT BUILD THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF THE 21st CENTURY

The format of the workshop was designed to include as many as possible film screenings that can spur a discussion, as well as films that can be incorporated into curricular and extra-curricular school programs. It kicked off with the screening of Amanda Rose Wilder’s ‘Approaching the Elephant’ a nuanced and passionate documentary, about the first year of a “free” elementary school in New Jersey, that reveals the glories and the limitations of unstructured classrooms and is founded on the principle of student self-regulation. 

This documentary, where the kids write their own rules from the ground up and have parity with the teachers, spurred a debate on conflict resolution and media literacy. With the guidance of the lecturers Kaltrina Kelmendi from the Departments of Psychology and Alban Zeneli from the Department of Journalism of the University of Prishtina the discussions focused on the identification of conflict resolution tools and introduced the concept of media literacy as a key that unlocks meaning behind the messages that we see and, to apply critical thinking to media messages. 

The training also provided an opportunity for teachers to watch the Balkan Dox winner from the XX edition of DokuFest, ‘Reconciliation’ by Marija Zidar, who succeeded to see and paint the whole picture of blood feuds and attempts at reconciliation between families, both rooted in the ancient tribal code in the secluded mountains of Northern Albania. The film director joined the workshop and shared her perspective and her take on the topic and the subjects involved in her film with the teachers. Marija Zidar has donated her film to DokuFest’s Teachers Digital Library, an open-source educational resource for high school teachers. 

During this workshop, teachers will have an opportunity to watch Alexander Nanau’s immersive, hands-off documentary ‘Toto and His Sisters’, which is a powerful look at siblings in a Bucharest slum unlikely to escape the grip of drugs, poverty and a monstrous mother. The film screening will be followed by an interactive discussion with Eroll Shporta, the author of a book ‘Veç edhe Sot’, where he describes the personal experience of a drug user who spends a decade in the daily struggle with his addiction. His discussion will focus in raising awareness and a better understanding of teachers in how to approach this topic with their students. 

This workshop is a part of a ‘Schools and Documentaries’ program supported by the National Endowment for Democracy that aims to expand the teacher’s network through Multimedia Education. Through this facilitated process, teachers are trained to develop film guides aligned with the Kosovo Curriculum Framework, to be used as online and offline Teacher’s Digital Library and made available through DokuFest’s DokuLab department. The film guides will be used as a tool by other teachers, primarily in public schools to achieve a wide range of effective learning outcomes in their use of film. 

Media Literacy education as an essential skill of the 21st century is critical to the health and wellbeing of youth, as well as future participation in the civic and economic life of our democracy.