03 November 2013

Howard Gardner on Learning Styles vs Intelligences

I'm pasting the text here so it does not get lost in the sands of time, but here's the link to the original.

By Howard Gardner

It’s been 30 years since I developed the notion of “multiple intelligences.” I have been gratified by the interest shown in this idea and the ways it’s been used in schools, museums, and businesses around the world. But one unanticipated consequence has driven me to distraction—and that’s the tendency of many people, including persons whom I cherish, to credit me with the notion of ‘learning styles’ or to collapse ‘multiple intelligences’ with ‘learning styles.’ It’s high time to relieve my pain and to set the record straight.
First a word about “MI theory.” On the basis of research in several disciplines, including the study of how human capacities are represented in the brain, I developed the idea that each of us has a number of relatively independent mental faculties, which can be termed our “multiple intelligences.” The basic idea is simplicity itself. A belief in a single intelligence assumes that we have one central, all-purpose computer—and it determines how well we perform in every sector of life. In contrast, a belief in multiple intelligences assumes that we have a number of relatively autonomous computers—one that computes linguistic information, another spatial information, another musical information, another information about other people, and so on. I estimate that human beings have 7 to 10 distinct intelligences (see www.multipleintelligencesoasis.org).

Even before I spoke and wrote about “MI,” the term “learning styles” was being bandied about in educational circles. The idea, reasonable enough on the surface, is that all children (indeed, all of us) have distinctive minds and personalities. Accordingly, it makes sense to find out about learners and to teach and nurture them in ways that are appropriate, that they value, and—above all—that are effective.

Two problems. First, the notion of  ”learning styles”’ is itself not coherent. Those who use this term do not define the criteria for a style, nor where styles come from, how they are recognized/assessed/exploited. Say that Johnny is said to have a learning style that is ‘impulsive.” Does that mean that Johnny is “‘impulsive” about everything? How do we know this?  What does this imply about teaching—should we teach “impulsively,” or should we compensate by “teaching reflectively?” What of a learning style that is “right-brained” or visual or tactile? Same issues apply.

Problem #2. When researchers have tried to identify learning styles, teach consistently with those styles, and examine outcomes, there is not persuasive evidence that the learning style analysis produces more effective outcomes than a “one size fits all approach.” Of course, the learning style analysis might have been inadequate. Or even if it is on the mark, the fact that one intervention did not work does not mean that the concept of learning styles is fatally flawed; another intervention might have proved effective. Absence of evidence does not prove non-existence of a phenomenon; it signals to educational researchers: ‘back to the drawing boards.’

Here’s my considered judgment about the best way to parse this lexical terrain:

Intelligence: We all have the multiple intelligences. But we single out, as a strong intelligence, an area where the person has considerable computational power. Your ability to win regularly at a game involving spatial thinking signals strong spatial intelligence. Your ability to speak a foreign language well after just a few months of ‘going native’ signals strong linguistic intelligence.

Style or Learning Style: A style is a hypothesis of how an individual approaches the range of materials. If an individual has a “reflective style,” he is hypothesized to be reflective about the full range of materials. We cannot assume that reflectiveness in writing necessarily signals reflectiveness in one’s interaction with others. But if reflectiveness truly obtains across the board, educators should take that style seriously.

Senses: Sometimes people speak about a “visual” learner or an “auditory” learner. The implication is that some people learn through their eyes, others through their ears. This notion is incoherent. Both spatial information and reading occur with the eyes, but they make use of entirely different cognitive faculties. Similarly, both music and speaking activate the ears, but again these are entirely different cognitive faculties. Recognizing this fact, the concept of intelligences does not focus on how linguistic or spatial information reaches the brain—via eyes, ears, hands, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the power of the mental computer, the intelligence, that acts upon that sensory information, once picked up.

These distinctions are consequential. My goal here is not to give a psychology or a physiology or a physics lesson but rather to make sure that we do not fool ourselves and, as important, that we do not short change our children. If people want to talk about ‘an impulsive style’ or ‘a visual learner,’ that’s their prerogative. But they should recognize that these labels may be unhelpful, at best, and ill-conceived at worst.

In contrast, there is strong evidence that human beings have a range of intelligences and that strength (or weakness) in one intelligence does not predict strength (or weakness) in any other intelligences. All of us exhibit jagged profiles of intelligences. There are common sense ways of assessing our own intelligences, and if it seems appropriate, we can take a more formal test battery. And then, as teachers, parents, or self- assessors, we can decide how best to make use of this information.

As an educator, I draw three primary lessons for educators:
1.       Individualize your teaching as much as possible. Instead of “one size fits all,” learn as much as you can about each student, and teach each person in ways that they find comfortable and learn effectively. Of course this is easier to accomplish with smaller classes. But ‘apps’ make it possible to individualize for everyone.
2.        Pluralize your teaching. Teach important materials in several ways, not just one (e.g. through stories, works of art, diagrams, role play). In this way you can reach students who learn in different ways. Also, by presenting materials in various ways, you convey what it means to understand something well. If you can only teach in one way, your own understanding is likely to be thin.
3.       Drop the term “styles.” It will confuse others and it won’t help either you or your students.

20 September 2013

Rebutting Direct Instruction Claims

Here's a good thoughtfu rebuttal to claims about the efficacy of direct instruction:

"Door #1: If our goal is to accelerate short-term learning of predetermined and easily tested academic knowledge and skills (regardless of broad and long-term effects), then direct instruction would be judged to be clearly more effective.

Door #2: However, what if we want what works best in the long run for the range of goals we value most for children, including real-world competence in subject matter plus creativity, love of learning, initiative, problem-solving, independence, critical thinking, citizenship, good decision-making, communication skills, leadership, and to be caring, happy, and healthy? If we really want this, then education with substantial child-initiated and jointly-planned learning is clearly superior.
After decades of researching people's top goals for children, I know that parents and employers consistently pick Door #2 (see Wagner, 2008)."

23 February 2013

Education in the Movies Titles List

591 titles as of 22 August 2018

The Categories:

A1- School Documentary (45 titles)
A2- School True (44 titles)
A3- School Fiction (111 titles)
A4- School Fantasies- SciFi Horror Comedy Musical Animation (61 titles)
261
B1- Non-School Kids Documentaries (11 titles)
B2- Non-School Kids True (24 titles)
B3- Non-School Kids Fiction (122 titles)
B4- Non-School Kids Violence War Crime (45 titles)
B5- Non-School Kids Fantasies- SciFi Horror Comedy Musical Animation (128 titles)

You might wonder what I am counting as "school"?
School is a conspiracy to educate a group of non-sibling children (I am not limiting myself to the institutional arrangements usually called "school"). Finding Neverland and Karate Kid do not constitute school movies but Born Into Brothels, White Squall, Whale Rider, and Blindsight do. Given that Karate Kid also portrays the school where the gang of tormenters learned their stuff it could be shifted, but I haven't done it yet.

There is an explanation of the list at the end of the post.

A1-School Documentary 


  1. 1968 High School 
  2. 1990 Phares douest (Western Lights)
  3. 1993 I Am A Promise
  4. 1994 High School II 
  5. 1994 Hoop Dreams 
  6. 1995 Small Wonders
  7. 2001 Chain Camera 
  8. 2001 First Year
  9. 2001 Teach
  10. 2002 Etre et avior (To Be And To Have) 
  11. 2002 Misunderstood Minds (TV) 
  12. 2002 OT- Our Town 
  13. 2002 Spellbound
  14. 2003 Children Full Of Life 
  15. 2003 Girlhood
  16. 2004 Born Into Brothels- Calcutta's Red Light Kids 
  17. 2004 Free To Learn 
  18. 2004 The Hobart Shakespeareans
  19. 2004 Paper Clips 
  20. 2004 Touch of Greatness 
  21. 2005 Class Act 
  22. 2005 Going to School in India
  23. 2005 Heart of the Game 
  24. 2005 Mad Hot Ballroom 
  25. 2005 Rock School
  26. 2006 Blindsight 
  27. 2006 War Dance 
  28. 2007 Please Vote For Me 
  29. 2007 School 
  30. 2008 American Teen
  31. 2008 Nursery University 
  32. 2008 Unmistaken Child
  33. 2009 Cartel, The  
  34. 2009 War on Kids 
  35. 2010 Lottery, The  
  36. 2010 Race to Nowhere
  37. 2010 Schooling The World 
  38. 2010 Waiting For Superman 
  39. 2010 We Are The People We Have Been Waiting For
  40. 2011 American Teacher
  41. 2011 August to June 
  42. 2011 Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman 
  43. 2014 Address, The
  44. 2015 Most Likely To Succeed 
  45. 2015 On The Way To School


A2-School True 


  1. 1938 Boys Town 
  2. 1940 Knute Rockne All American
  3. 1941 Men of Boys Town
  4. 1946 Anna and the King of Siam
  5. 1956 The King And I 
  6. 1974 Conrack 
  7. 1981 The Wave 
  8. 1981 The Marva Collins Story
  9. 1986 Hoosiers
  10. 1988 Stand and Deliver  
  11. 1991 Separate But Equal 
  12. 1994 To Save The Children
  13. 1995 Dangerous Minds 
  14. 1996 Sleepers 
  15. 1996 White Squall 
  16. 1997 Prefontaine
  17. 1998 Ruby Bridges
  18. 1998 Without Limits
  19. 1999 Music of the Heart 
  20. 1999 October Sky 
  21. 2000 Remember The Titans 
  22. 2002 Rabbit-Proof Fence 
  23. 2002 Rookie
  24. 2003 Radio 
  25. 2004 Finding Neverland
  26. 2004 Friday Night Lights
  27. 2005 Coach Carter 
  28. 2006 Believe In Me 
  29. 2006 Gridiron Gang
  30. 2006 Ron Clark Story 
  31. 2006 Take The Lead 
  32. 2006 Water is Wide
  33. 2006 We Are Marshall
  34. 2007 Freedom Writers 
  35. 2007 Great Debaters 
  36. 2008 Summerhill 
  37. 2009 Blind Side
  38. 2009 Education, An
  39. 2010 First Grader 
  40. 2010 Temple Grandin
  41. 2011 Beyond the Blackboard
  42. 2013 From the Rough
  43. 2015 Kindergarten Teacher
  44. 2015 McFarland USA


A3-School Fiction 


  1. 1939 Goodbye Mr Chips 
  2. 1945 A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
  3. 1945 Bells of St Marys 
  4. 1951 Tom Brown's Schooldays
  5. 1951 Browning Version 
  6. 1954 Ninjushi no hitomi (24 Eyes) 
  7. 1955 Blackboard Jungle 
  8. 1958 High School Confidential
  9. 1961 Children's Hour
  10. 1961 Parent Trap
  11. 1967 To Sir With Love
  12. 1967 Up The Down Staircase
  13. 1968 Rachel, Rachel 
  14. 1969 Kes
  15. 1969 Room 222 (TV)
  16. 1969 Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
  17. 1973 El espíritu de la colmena (The Spirit of the Beehive)
  18. 1973 Paper Chase
  19. 1975 Picnic at Hanging Rock 
  20. 1975 Anne of Avonlea (TV)
  21. 1976 Argent De Poche (Small Change)
  22. 1978 Du Er Ikke Alene (You Are Not Alone) 
  23. 1978 The Corn is Green
  24. 1980 My Bodyguard 
  25. 1981 Taps 
  26. 1983 Educating Rita 
  27. 1985 Anne of Green Gables (TV)
  28. 1985 Breakfast Club
  29. 1985 La historia oficial (The Official Story)
  30. 1986 Children Of A Lesser God 
  31. 1986 Pretty in Pink 
  32. 1987 Anne of Avonlea (TV)
  33. 1987 Au Revoir Les Enfants (Good-bye Children)
  34. 1987 The Principal 
  35. 1989 Dead Poet's Society 
  36. 1989 Lean On Me
  37. 1990 Pump Up The Volume
  38. 1991 Little Man Tate 
  39. 1991 Obecna Skola (Elementary School) 
  40. 1992 Ciao, Professore!
  41. 1992 Lover
  42. 1992 School Ties
  43. 1992 Tito i ja (Tito and Me)
  44. 1993 Farewell My Concubine 
  45. 1993 Feng huang qin (Country Teachers)
  46. 1994 Scent of a Woman
  47. 1994 With Honors
  48. 1994 Wild Reeds
  49. 1995 Lust Och Fagring Stor (All Things Fair)
  50. 1995 Mr. Holland's Opus
  51. 1996 Ponette
  52. 1997 One Eight Seven
  53. 1997 Student Prince
  54. 1997 Good Will Hunting 
  55. 1998 Madeline
  56. 1998 Parent Trap
  57. 1998 One True Thing 
  58. 1998 Simon Birch 
  59. 1998 Harmonium in My Memory 
  60. 1998 Rushmore
  61. 1999 Cider House Rules
  62. 1999 Lengua De Las Mariposas (Butterfly's Tongue) 
  63. 1999 Phörpa (The Cup)
  64. 1999 Yi ge dou bu neng shao (Not One Less)
  65. 2000 Anne of Green Gables- The Continuing Story
  66. 2000 Billy Elliot 
  67. 2000 Finding Forrester 
  68. 2000 Pay It Forward 
  69. 2000 Wonder Boys 
  70. 2001 Her Majesty
  71. 2001 Lost and Delerious
  72. 2002 Drumline 
  73. 2002 Emperors Club 
  74. 2002 Whale Rider 
  75. 2002 White Oleander
  76. 2003 Caterina va in Citta (Caterina In The Big City)
  77. 2003 Goodbye Mr Chips 
  78. 2003 Mona Lisa Smile
  79. 2004 La Mala Educacion (Bad Education) 
  80. 2004 Les Choristes (The Chorus) 
  81. 2004 Saint Ralph 
  82. 2005 Machuca
  83. 2005 Tom Brown's Schooldays
  84. 2006 Akeelah And The Bee 
  85. 2006 Half Nelson 
  86. 2006 History Boys 
  87. 2006 Notes on a Scandal 
  88. 2007 Bridge To Terabithia 
  89. 2007 Son of Rambow 
  90. 2007 Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth) 
  91. 2007 Vitus 
  92. 2008 Doubt
  93. 2008 Entre Les Murs (The Class) 
  94. 2008 Phoebe in Wonderland 
  95. 2008 Venkovský ucitel (Country Teacher) 
  96. 2009 -3 Idiots
  97. 2010 Easy A
  98. 2010 Flipped
  99. 2010 Hævnen (In A Better World)
  100. 2010 Master Harold... and the Boys 
  101. 2011 Detachment 
  102. 2011 Monsieur Lazhar 
  103. 2011 That's What I Am
  104. 2013 Teacher, A
  105. 2012 Wadjda
  106. 2012 Won't Back Down
  107. 2013 Spectacular Now
  108. 2014 Whiplash
  109. 2015 The DUFF
  110. 2016 Moonlight
  111. 2017 Wonder


A4-School Fantasies- SciFi Horror Comedy Musical Animation


  1. 1956 La Ballon Rouge (The Red Ballon) 
  2. 1961 The Absent Minded Professor 
  3. 1978 Grease 
  4. 1980 Fame
  5. 1982 Class of 1984
  6. 1982 Fast Times At Ridgemont High 
  7. 1982 Pink Floyd's The Wall 
  8. 1983 Christmas Story  
  9. 1984 Sixteen Candles
  10. 1984 Teachers 
  11. 1986 Ferris Bueller's Day Off 
  12. 1987 Three O'Clock High
  13. 1988 Heathers 
  14. 1990 Kindergarten Cop
  15. 1990 Pump Up The Volume
  16. 1992 Hangin' With Mr Cooper (TV)
  17. 1994 Renaissance Man
  18. 1995 Billy Madison
  19. 1995 Higher Learning
  20. 1995 Major Payne
  21. 1995 Mimi wo sumaseba (Whisper of the Heart)
  22. 1996 Harriet The Spy
  23. 1996 High School High 
  24. 1996 Matilda 
  25. 1996 Scream 
  26. 1996 Substitute 
  27. 1998 Rushmore
  28. 1999 Election 
  29. 2001 El espinazo del diablo (The Devil's Backbone)
  30. 2001 Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone
  31. 2001 Substitute 
  32. 2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  33. 2002 Xiaohai bu ben (I Not Stupid)
  34. 2003 School of Rock 
  35. 2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  36. 2004 Napoleon Dynamite 
  37. 2005 Chicken Little
  38. 2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  39. 2006 Accepted 
  40. 2006 Chalk 
  41. 2006 High School Musical 
  42. 2006 Toki o kakeru shôjo (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time)
  43. 2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  44. 2007 Juno
  45. 2008 The Forbidden Kingdom 
  46. 2009 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 
  47. 2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
  48. 2010 Harriet the Spy Blog Wars
  49. 2011 Bad Teacher 
  50. 2011 From Up On Poppy Hill 
  51. 2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
  52. 2012 Moonrise Kingdom
  53. 2012 Pitch Perfect 
  54. 2012 Wolf Children
  55. 2013 Ender's Game
  56. 2013 Monsters University
  57. 2013 Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters
  58. 2014 How To Train Your Dragon 2
  59. 2014 Wish I Was Here
  60. 2016 Middle School- The Worst Years of My Life
  61. 2016 Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children


B1-Non-School Kids Documentary


  1. 2000 Sound and Fury 
  2. 2001 Children Underground 
  3. 2001 Merchants of Cool (TV)  
  4. 2003 Girlhood
  5. 2005 The Devil's Miner 
  6. 2007 Business of Being Born
  7. 2007 Where Do The Children Play
  8. 2008 Unmistaken Child 
  9. 2010 Bebes (Babies)
  10. 2013 Girl Rising 
  11. 2016 Eagle Huntress


B2-Non-School Kids True 


  1. 1947 Life With Father
  2. 1952 Hans Christian Andersen 
  3. 1962 Miracle Worker 
  4. 1969 L'Enfant Sauvage (Wild Child)
  5. 1974 Seven Alone
  6. 1979 Miracle Worker 
  7. 1985 Mitt Liv Som Hund (My Life As A Dog) 
  8. 1989 My Left Foot 
  9. 1993 King of the Hill
  10. 1993 Searching For Bobby Fisher
  11. 2000 Miracle Worker 
  12. 2000 My Dog Skip 
  13. 2001 Anne Frank- The Whole Story
  14. 2003 The Lost Prince 
  15. 2004 Finding Neverland 
  16. 2005 An Unfinished Life 
  17. 2005 Dreamer 
  18. 2006 Miss Potter
  19. 2009 Diary of Anne Frank
  20. 2009 Perfect Game
  21. 2011 Machine Gun Preacher
  22. 2011 We Bought A Zoo
  23. 2013 Lauf Junge Lauf (Run Boy Run)
  24. 2013 Wind Rises


B3-Non-School Kids Fiction


  1. 1931 City Lights
  2. 1939 The Little Princess
  3. 1941 How Green Was My Valley
  4. 1944 National Velvet 
  5. 1945 A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.mkv 
  6. 1953 Crin Blanche- Le Cheval Sauvage (White Mane) 
  7. 1958 Auntie Mame
  8. 1960 Pollyanna 
  9. 1962 To Kill a Mockingbird 
  10. 1968 Robby
  11. 1971 Friends
  12. 1971 Le souffle au coeur (Murmur of the Heart)
  13. 1972 Sounder
  14. 1973 Paper Moon
  15. 1973 American Graffiti 
  16. 1978 Days of Heaven
  17. 1979 Black Stallion 
  18. 1979 Kramer vs Kramer 
  19. 1979 Manhattan
  20. 1982 Shoot the Moon
  21. 1983 Tender Mercies 
  22. 1983 War Games 
  23. 1984 Paris, Texas
  24. 1985 Journey of Natty Gann 
  25. 1985 Murphy's Romance
  26. 1986 Mosquito Coast
  27. 1986 Stand By Me 
  28. 1987 Baby Boom
  29. 1987 More Children of Noisy Village
  30. 1987 Pelle Erobreren (Pelle, the Conqueror) 
  31. 1987 Secret Garden
  32. 1988 Cinema Paradiso
  33. 1988 Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick
  34. 1988 Salaam Bombay!
  35. 1991 Boyz N The Hood 
  36. 1991 Man in The Moon
  37. 1991 My Girl 
  38. 1991 Wild Hearts Cant Be Broken 
  39. 1992 Into The West
  40. 1992 La discesa di Aclà a Floristell (Acla)
  41. 1993 Adventures of Huck Finn
  42. 1993 Man Without a Face 
  43. 1993 Sleepless in Seattle
  44. 1993 What's Eating Gilbert Grape 
  45. 1994 Nell
  46. 1995 Tom And Huck
  47. 1995 Kids 
  48. 1995 Now and Then 
  49. 1996 Kolja (Kolya) 
  50. 1997 Bacheha-Ye aseman (Children of Heaven) 
  51. 1997 Bian Lian (The King of Masks) 
  52. 1997 Ma Vie En Rose (My Life in Pink) 
  53. 1997 Rang-e Khoda (Color of Paradise) 
  54. 1997 Sweet Hereafter 
  55. 1998 F***ing Åmål (Show Me Love)
  56. 1999 Petits frères (Little Brothers) 
  57. 1999 Rang-e Khoda (Color of Paradise)
  58. 2000 Legend of Bagger Vance
  59. 2000 Railway Children
  60. 2000 Yi Yi
  61. 2001 Her Majesty 
  62. 2001 Malunde 
  63. 2002 About A Boy 
  64. 2002 Anita and Me 
  65. 2002 Jibeuro (Way Home) 
  66. 2002 Les enfants de l'amour (Children of Love)
  67. 2002 Mostly Martha
  68. 2002 Real Women Have Curves 
  69. 2003 I Am David 
  70. 2003 Love Actually
  71. 2003 Noi Albinoi (Noi the Albino)
  72. 2003 Papillon (Butterfly) 
  73. 2003 Secondhand Lions
  74. 2003 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...And Spring
  75. 2003 Story of the Weeping Camel
  76. 2004 Dear Frankie 
  77. 2004 Ikke Naken (Not Naked, The Color of Milk) 
  78. 2005 12 and Holding
  79. 2005 Unfinished Life 
  80. 2005 Because of Winn Dixie 
  81. 2005 Bee Season 
  82. 2005 Cave of the Yellow Dog 
  83. 2005 Duma 
  84. 2005 Italian
  85. 2005 L'Enfant (The Child)
  86. 2005 Live & Become 
  87. 2005 Qian Li Zou Dan Qi (Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles)
  88. 2005 Water 
  89. 2006 Little Miss Sunshine
  90. 2006 Fall
  91. 2007 August Rush 
  92. 2007 Cú và chim se se (Owl and the Sparrow)
  93. 2007 Dan In Real Life
  94. 2007 Martian Child 
  95. 2007 Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon) 
  96. 2007 Renard et L'enfant (The Fox And The Child)
  97. 2007 Italian
  98. 2007 Owl and the Sparrow 
  99. 2008 Secret Life Of Bees 
  100. 2008 Treeless Mountain 
  101. 2008 Yonkers Joe
  102. 2009 Amreeka 
  103. 2009 Away We Go
  104. 2009 Children of Invention 
  105. 2009 Whip It 
  106. 2009 Youth in Revolt
  107. 2010 It's Kind Of A Funny Story
  108. 2010 Master Harold... and the Boys
  109. 2010 Summer Eleven
  110. 2011 Great Expectations
  111. 2011 Hugo
  112. 2011 Le gamin au vélo (The Kid With A Bike)
  113. 2013 Kings of Summer
  114. 2013 The Way Way Back
  115. 2014 Boyhood
  116. 2014 Chef
  117. 2015 Fathers & Daughters
  118. 2015 Like Sunday, Like Rain
  119. 2015 Little Boy
  120. 2015 Umimachi Diary (Our Little Sister)
  121. 2016 Captain Fantastic
  122. 2016 Hunt for the Wilderpeople


B4-Non-School Kids Violence War Crime


  1. 1954 Jeux Interdits (Forbidden Games) 
  2. 1962, 1997 Lolita 
  3. 1963 Sammy Going South
  4. 1963, 1990 Lord of the Flies 
  5. 1971 Walkabout 
  6. 1984 Karate Kid 
  7. 1985 Color Purple 
  8. 1985 Idi i smotri (Come and See) 
  9. 1985 Color Purple
  10. 1986 Karate Kid II
  11. 1987 Empire Of The Sun 
  12. 1987 Hope And Glory 
  13. 1991 Boyz N The Hood.mkv 
  14. 1991 Not Without My Daughter
  15. 1992 Juice
  16. 1992 Toys 
  17. 1993 Far Off Place
  18. 1993 In the Name of the Father
  19. 1994 Léon- The Professional
  20. 1995 Now and Then
  21. 1997 The Sweet Hereafter 
  22. 1997 Vita e Bella (Life is Beautiful) 
  23. 2000 El Bola (Pellet) 
  24. 2000 Malèna 
  25. 2004 Man On Fire
  26. 2004 Millions 
  27. 2005 Tsotsi 
  28. 2005 Turtles Can Fly 
  29. 2006 Gwoemul (The Host)
  30. 2006 Pan's Labyrinth 
  31. 2006 This Is England 
  32. 2007 Atonement 
  33. 2007 Kite Runner
  34. 2008 Slumdog Millionaire
  35. 2008 Boy in the Striped Pajamas
  36. 2008 Reader
  37. 2009 Road
  38. 2010 Karate Kid 
  39. 2012 Hunger Games
  40. 2012 Mud 
  41. 2013 Book Thief
  42. 2013 Hunger Games: Catching Fire
  43. 2015 Mr. Holmes
  44. 2015 Room
  45. 2015 Theeb


B5-Non-School Kids Fantasies- SciFi Horror Comedy Musical Animation 


  1. 1939 The Wizard of Oz
  2. 1940 Pinocchio
  3. 1942 Jungle Book
  4. 1942 Bambi
  5. 1947 Miracle on 34th Street
  6. 1951 Alice in Wonderland
  7. 1953 Peter Pan
  8. 1961 West Side Story
  9. 1962 The Music Man 
  10. 1963 The Sword in the Stone 
  11. 1964 Mary Poppins 
  12. 1964 My Fair Lady 
  13. 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
  14. 1972 Sounder
  15. 1977 Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  16. 1979 Castle of Cagliostro
  17. 1980 Popeye.mkv 
  18. 1982 Annie 
  19. 1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
  20. 1983 Risky Business 
  21. 1984 Die Unendliche Gesichte (The Neverending Story) 
  22. 1984 Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 
  23. 1985 Explorers
  24. 1985 Goonies 
  25. 1985 Ladyhawke
  26. 1986 Castle in the Sky
  27. 1988 Beetlejuice
  28. 1988 Big 
  29. 1988 Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies) 
  30. 1988 My Neighbor Totoro 
  31. 1989 Kiki's Delivery Service 
  32. 1991 Hook 
  33. 1992 Aladdin
  34. 1993 Mrs. Doubtfire 
  35. 1993 Jurassic Park 
  36. 1994 The Lion King 
  37. 1994 The Secret of Roan Inish
  38. 1995 Indian in the Cupboard 
  39. 1995 Jumanji
  40. 1995 Pocahontas 
  41. 1995 Toy Story
  42. 1996 James and the Giant Peach
  43. 1997 Lost World-Jurassic Park
  44. 1997 Princess Mononoke 
  45. 1998 What Dreams May Come
  46. 1999 Sixth Sense
  47. 1999 Iron Giant
  48. 1999 Toy Story 2
  49. 2000 Chocolat
  50. 2001 Donnie Darko
  51. 2001 Jurassic Park 3
  52. 2001 AI Artificial Intelligence 
  53. 2001 Spirited Away 
  54. 2002 Cat Returns 
  55. 2002 Monsters, Inc
  56. 2002 Lilo and Stitch
  57. 2002 Return to Never Land 
  58. 2002 Signs 
  59. 2002 Tuck Everlasting
  60. 2003 Finding Nemo 
  61. 2003 Holes 
  62. 2004 Howl's Moving Castle 
  63. 2004 Incredibles 
  64. 2004 Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events 
  65. 2004 Millions 
  66. 2004 The Polar Express 
  67. 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 
  68. 2005 Chicken Little
  69. 2005 Chronicles of Narnia- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 
  70. 2005 Little Manhattan 
  71. 2005 Nanny McPhee 
  72. 2005 Zathura - A Space Adventure 
  73. 2006 Monster House 
  74. 2006 Pan's Labyrinth 
  75. 2006 Tales from Earthsea
  76. 2007 Battle For Terra 
  77. 2007 Bridge to Terabithia 
  78. 2007 Golden Compass
  79. 2007 Joulutarina (Christmas Story)
  80. 2007 Last Mimzy 
  81. 2007 Meet the Robinsons 
  82. 2007 Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium 
  83. 2007 Persepolis
  84. 2007 Ping Pong Playa 
  85. 2007 Surf's Up  
  86. 2008 Chasseurs de dragons (Dragon Hunters) 
  87. 2008 Chronicles of Narnia- Prince Caspian 
  88. 2008 Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  89. 2008 Gake no Ue No Ponyo (Ponyo On the Cliff) 
  90. 2008 Kung Fu Panda 
  91. 2008 Lat Den Ratte Komma In (Let The Right One In) 
  92. 2008 Role Models 
  93. 2009 Coraline
  94. 2009 Secret of Kells 
  95. 2009 Up 
  96. 2009 Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 
  97. 2010 Alice in Wonderland 
  98. 2010 Chronicles of Narnia- Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  99. 2010 Despicable Me
  100. 2010 How to Train Your Dragon 
  101. 2010 Kick Ass 
  102. 2010 Let Me In
  103. 2010 Nanny McPhee Returns
  104. 2010 Percy Jackson & the Olympians - The Lightning Thief
  105. 2010 Secret World of Arrietty 
  106. 2010 Tangled
  107. 2010 Toy Story 3 
  108. 2011 Real Steel
  109. 2012 Beasts of the Southern Wild
  110. 2012 Brave
  111. 2013 Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2
  112. 2013 Kick Ass 2
  113. 2013 Monsters University
  114. 2013 Stoker
  115. 2013 Tale of the Princess Kaguya
  116. 2013 Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters
  117. 2013 We're The Millers
  118. 2014 Boxtrolls
  119. 2014 How to Train Your Dragon 2
  120. 2014 When Marnie Was There
  121. 2015 Brand New Testament
  122. 2015 Ich Seh Ich Seh (I See, I See, Goodnight Mommy)
  123. 2015 Inside Out
  124. 2015 Tomorrowland
  125. 2016 Boy And The Beast
  126. 2016 Jungle Book
  127. 2016 Kubo and the Two Strings
  128. 2017 Coco

This list covers films that feature children and/or schools which meet my personal minimum standard of cinematic competence or cultural significance. Most are feature length. They are organized into two broad categories, school vs non-school and nine sub-categories according to the level of reality that is presumed to be presented. From most to least real (with the understanding that film is inherently unrealistic):

  • Documentaries 
  • Based on a True Story
  • Fiction 
  • Fantasies 

Between Fiction and Fantasies I also have a category for topics of violence, war, and crime. Since I tend to avoid horror and High School and College age those may be underrepresented. My categorizations are occasionally hard to make. I welcome your input if you think I've miscategorized a few films.

I started this list years ago (~2012) with the thought of analyzing how education and schools are portrayed as part of my personal work on understanding why our school system is the way it is and communicating how it could be changed for the better. Also, I've seen all but a few and most of them are available via Netflix.

I welcome your help to fill in the gaps if I've missed some truly great movie(s), especially recent ones. If you believe I should add something I would appreciate your input as long as you make a case for the film(s) you think I have neglected.

11 January 2013

Addressing Gun Violence

I was sent a survey about gun violence today and wanted to share my responses. This is a variation on the theme I developed in a previous post called "Guns are dangerous fun, so are cars and drugs."

Tell us a bit about yourself:
Other: I'm a citizen who is concerned about violence.

Please tell us more about why you are concerned about gun violence:
Guns are one of the tools of violence, so how we treat them may be indicative of our understanding of the ultimate problem. If guns are the problem, then controlling them is vitally important. But if guns are only a symptom of a larger problem then we need to ensure that controlling guns does not waste energy and resources that would be better spent on addressing the real problem.

Have you or anyone in your immediately family been affected by gun violence?
No.

Please tell us more about your story:
My dad accidentally shot himself in the leg when he was a kid. I don't count that as gun violence, but as a gun accident. Violence requires either intention to harm or intentional neglect of the power to prevent harm.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Gun violence is just one manifestation of the deeper problem of violence in our society. Children die in motor vehicles on a far larger scale than by fire arms. Our society has intentionally neglected to use the power of regulation to prevent children form dying in motor vehicles. That's violence by my definition and we are not banning any motor vehicles.

We register all motor vehicles and also license drivers for different kinds of vehicles to ensure they can demonstrate safe and law abiding use. That should be the case with fire arms. I am reluctant to support bans on particular classes of firearms in the same way that I would be reluctant to ban whole classes of motorcycles, cars, or trucks. We have a functional set of rules about what counts as street legal and that still allows lots of people to own and operate vehicles that deviate from those norms. So, in my view the regulation of guns should be brought into closer alignment with the regulation of the other major weapon of violence that kills children on a massive scale in our society, motor vehicles. And the regulations should focus on classifying firearms according to various uses and ensuring that owners can demonstrate safe and law-abiding use for whichever classes of firearms they choose to own.

The following occurred to me after I submitted the survey:

And in anticipation of those who think that firearms are critical to citizens being empowered to maintain a check on the power of the government: consider the strategic value of your means of transportation as compared to the strategic value of your firearms. As far as I can tell they will both be critical to any chance of success in the event armed insurrection is necessary. And the most devastating attack on our government by a citizen in recent times was via motor vehicle not firearms (Murrah Federal Building bombing).

08 January 2013

Childrearing Lessons from the Deep Past

First a link to a piece on parenting by Jared Diamond who has intimate knowledge of hunter gatherer societies in New Guinea.

The subtitle summary: "Hold them, share them, let them run free."

Second a link to Peter Gray's series on lessons for education from hunter gatherer societies.
The subtitle summary: "Children are designed by nature to educate themselves."

02 January 2013

Here is a TEDx talk by Ed Deci one of the creators of Self-Dermination Theory (SDT) explaining the basics of motivation:


SDT was the theoretical framework for my thesis, so it was interesting to hear it straight from Deci.