Continuing with reading

Today I went through the Bob Carlos Clarke article and questions. I gave out sample answers to that text to give you an idea of how a student might approach that assessment. We talked through the sample answers.

We also worked out what level of reading assessment you would do. I handed out the reading assessments (Intermediate 2 and Higher) for you to read through. I took them back at the end of the class as these assessment texts need to stay in college.

We'll continue with this reading work next week. Remember you are allowed to use dictionaries to help with this assessment.

I also handed back work to students who have handed me in essays and reviews. I still haven't had work in from all of you - here's a reminder of my email address: jerryoneill@stevenson.ac.uk

Critically reading texts

Today we focused on the critical reading aspect of the communication course. The writing and the reading elements of the course go hand-in-hand.

As you analyse other texts, bear in mind the comments that I give you on your texts (reviews and essays). In particular look at how these texts that we are analysing are written and how the writers put their ideas together. Any positive observations on these texts should be applied to your own writing.

In groups I asked you to consider some questions which were meant to get you to analyse the various purposes and aspects of four types of text: tabloid newspaper article ; broadsheet newspaper article; specialist magazine article; and a student essay.

I asked you to think about the type of reader associated with each. I also asked you to think about what these texts tend to write about and how they are written (the language).

After pulling your comments on these texts together, you started a practice reading assessment. It is an obituary on the photographer Bob Carlos Clarke and it comes from a specialist photography magazine.

You didn't have time to finish this in class so I asked you to continue it at home and bring it in next week.

I also collected essays and reviews that were due in today. If I didn't get one, I'm presuming that it'll be on its way to jerryoneill@stevenson.ac.uk by the end of day tomorrow (Friday).

Continuing with writing

Today we continued with putting the writing pieces together. I've asked for your first draft of these next week.

Remember that I said that we are slowing the writing process right down here. I've asked everyone to do some sort of plan - use a plan that makes sense to you. I don't care what it looks like as long as it shows that you've thought about the various bits of your piece and how they fit together.

Starting the writing task

Today most people started working on their written piece for the unit. Some of you went up to the Learning Centre, while others preferred the serenity of the deserted classroom.

Most people seemed fairly happy with what they are doing at this stage. I've had some very interesting conversations with people about their pieces - there is a wide range of interesting and engaging topics. I'm looking forward to reading them ..

I made the point, and I'll make it again here, that what you are doing for me is a slowed down version of the writing process. We want you to think of the purpose, the format, the intended reader, the style and, very importantly, the structure of your piece before you jump in and start writing. Remember your writing piece is, or will be, a thing of great beauty and, as such, it needs to be carefully considered and planned before you carve that beauty with words.

Have a look at the BBC Skillswise link on the menu in the right-hand-side if you'd like some tips on grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Thinking about writing

Today we took a step away from Trainspotting and started to look at our next task: producing a piece of writing.

I split folk up into groups and asked everyone to put together an essay that was, literally, in pieces. The idea of this was for you to work out the logical sequencing of ideas in the essay and to identify elements like the introduction and conclusion. Of course, some visually astute students noticed that I didn't cut it up very well and achieved this quite quickly by using their jig-saw skills rather than their language analysis skills.

We also chatted briefly about what we mean by an essay. There were some thoughtful suggestions on this: for example: something based on fact; something that has an argument. Does anyone know the origin of the word "essay"? That in itself gives us an idea of what an essay is. And does an essay need to be written?

I also asked you, in groups, to come up with what you regarded as the aspects of a good essay. You did this very well and came up with an excellent set of criteria. These related to the technical aspects of writing (grammar, spelling, punctuality! (or punctuation as I like to call it)); structure; the development of an argument or idea; good introductions and conclusions; strong planning and research.

Thanks to Roxine for making sense of all the different ideas and structuring your ideas and James and Joe for the photos of your work (I'm thinking of submitting these for the Turner Prize).

Trainspotting adjectives

Here are the adjectives that you used to describe Trainspotting in your discussions ........

Funny, interesting, partly-disgusting, frightening, depressing, dark, realistic, imaginative, rough, unforgiving, stylised, grim, stunning soundtrack, very thought-provoking, very engaging, challenging, satirical, powerful, graphic, sinister, dangerous journey, grisly, horrific, gratuitous, honest, original, casual, intense, youthful, bizarre, horrible, disturbing, good, surreal, gritty, fast-paced, controversial, aggressive, Scottish, hilariously funny, rollercoaster rush, unforgettable, astonishing, fearless, charming, opinionated, moving, vibrant, gritty, bleak, black, unreserved, anti-establishment, sharp, witty, entertaining, poetic, sleazy, intense, grimy, psychedelic, Ewen-McGregor-ish, eye-opening, vivid, imaginative extroverted, cocky, catastrophic, original, creative, sad, desperate, criminal ...

These are great. Also they can be used as a useful word-bank for writing about film.

If I've left any out you can add them as a comment.

Conkrete Jungle Productions

Graeme sent me a link to his and Joe's production company Conkrete Jungle Productions - you should all ceheck it out if you haven't already. You'll find two short films on the site.

I really like the scripting, acting and editing.

See what you think for yourself:

http://conkretejungleproductions.com/

Discussions - Part 2

Today we continued with the discussions on Trainspotting. What I have found interesting is that none of the discussions of have been the same, although we have touched on common points. Each discussion explored the ideas and opinions brought up by people in the different groups.

In a very general sense toady we talked about the adjectives used to describe the film. Here are some from today: vibrant, poetic, violent, surreal, aggressive, fearless, graphic, gritty, eye-opening, catastrophic, cocky ... I'll add the ones on from last week when I get my hands on them.

We also talked about the degree to which the film was real and surreal at the same time, the representation of drug use, the representation of Scotland, the technical achievements of the film, and people's general opinion of the impact of the film.

Thanks to everyone who came in for the discussions - they were very useful to help clarify what people felt about the film.

Have a good break.

Starting the discussions

Thanks to everyone who turned up as scheduled today for the group discussions.

We had three interesting, but different, discussions about the issues and stylistic elements of the film.

We will continue with the discussions next week. Remember you don't need to come in next week, if you were here this week. However, if you missed today, then you need to come in next week.

If you have any queries on this, drop me an email: jerryoneill@stevenson.ac.uk

Preparing for discussions

Today I outlined our plans for the next couple of weeks. For the next two weeks there will be seminar-type discussions based around our thoughts and study of Trainspotting.

I gave out a handout which outlined what needs to be done in preparation for the discussion. Everyone should prepare notes around the following topics:

- Choose five adjectives to describe this film.

- How is Scotland represented in this film?

- Does this film glamourise drug-use?

- Discuss a scene which you find memorable or effective.

- Discuss a performance which you found memorable or effective.

- Discuss the use of colour or music in this film.

You need to have notes to take part in the discussion.

We also looked at the idea of critical thought and expression by looking at a method based around statements, evidence and comment: SEC (see previous post).

I've divided the class into five groups. Three groups will be in next week, two the week after.

Below you'll see a schedule for each group. Please ensure that you turn up at 15 minutes prior to the discussion (apologies for the poor quality of the image).

SEC - the building blocks for critical thought

Everything sensible that you will say in discussions and essays (or, come to think of it, life) will, more or less, use a structure based around the statement, evidence, and comment method (SEC) in some form or other.

- You make a statement
- Back it up with evidence
- Then, and this is the crucial part, link the two by commenting on both.

For example;

Make a statement

I think that Sparklehorse have re-invented country music for a new generation

Back it up with evidence

For example, they will often use banjos and sampling in the same song

Comment on how the evidence helps to support your statement

The use of traditional instruments like banjos shows that they are indebted to the country music heritage. Yet, they re-vitalise a very traditional genre of music by their incorporation of samples: a technique that is associated with cutting-edge music.

Now just put all the bits together:

I think that Sparklehorse have re-invented country music for a new generation. For example, they will often use banjos and sampling in the same song. The use of traditional instruments like banjos shows that they are indebted to the country music heritage. Yet, they re-vitalise a very traditional genre of music by their incorporation of samples: technique that is associated with cutting-edge music.

The paragraph above looks like the type of paragraph that you would expect to see in an essay.

Your essays and discussions should follow the SEC method throughout.

The statement-evidence-comment method is not just something that you should learn and then quickly forget for this course. All academic essays will require you to use this method in some form or other. As you progress in your education you will find that what changes (or should) is the level of sophistication and subtlety of your statements, evidence and comments.

Indeed, SEC is something that we do at every level of “argument”.

Take the scenario of a mother reading her favourite story from her childhood to her child, again:

Young child: This is boring! (Statement)
Mother Why do you say that?
Young child Because we’ve read it lots of time before. (Evidence)
Mother And?
Young child And I’m bored of reading the same thing over and over again. You like it, but I don’t. (Comment – neatly linking statement and evidence)

Once you look, you start to see SEC everywhere.

A final point. You may have noticed that the comment bit is the most challenging. It is quite easy for us to make statements. Think about people you know who react to a new film, a book, or a band with the comment "that's crap". When you ask them why they say that (ie. you want them to provide evidence and comment) they will often struggle and, eventually, merely provide you with the rather juvenile and completely unsatisfactory answer "because it just is". Then they'll possibly provide you with another range of negative statements (ie. "it's really crap; "I hate it", etc.). What they are struggling to do is to analyse and evaluate through evidence and comment. If they could provide evidence and convincing comment for their statement ("that's crap"), then we'd start to take their opinion seriously.

Enough of that. Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy some ............ Sparklehorse

Documentary on Trainspotting

Today we consolidated some our own opinions and feelings about the film by looking at a documentary on the film.

I thought this was quite interesting as it showed the importance of the production team (led by producer Andrew MacDonald, writer John Hodge, and director Danny Boyle) in making the project of the film a success.

It also gave some interesting background into casting decisions – in particular the fact that actor who was to play Spud in the film (Ewen Bremner) was mildly disappointed as he had successfully played Renton in the stage version which preceded the film.

I think that what was also interesting was the role of the marketing and PR machine in the selling of the film.

Again, the issue about the degree to which the film glamourises came up: film critic Barry Norman claimed that “not to condemn was to condone” drug abuse.

But Ewen Bremner, on the other hand, claims that it was the first film to break the taboo about heroin addicts by portraying them as human beings.

If anyone has anything to add based on the documentary, please have your say …

Continuing with viewing of film

Today we completed viewing of Trainspotting.

We started by comparing and contrasting the opening sequences of this film with the other big film of 1996, "Braveheart" (despite the moans). We've been talking a bit about representations of Scotland so it was useful to have a look at these two very different portrayals of Scottishness. However, there are some similarities: both films set the scene and atmosphere in the opening minutes through music and voice over.

As we continued watching Trainspotting there were quite a few voices who claimed that, although it might have glamourised drugs in the first half, the second half of the film portrays the tragedy and pain associated with heroin abuse.

There was some talk about the degree to which the film reflected reality. Logan mentioned that the film was surreal. This surreal (dream-like) quality is a good phrase to use to describe the style of this film.

We just managed to complete the viewing of the whole film by the end of the class. I am very interested to hear and see what everyone thinks about this film. I asked everyone to write down their thoughts about any aspect of the film which they thought was memorable, engaging or interesting.

Please feel free to use the comment function below as a space to write down your observations on the film. In fact, this is a good way to do it as it extends the classroom discussions into the murky realms of the internet ...

Thinking about film - introducing Trainspotting

Today we started off by considering aspects which you folks decided contribute to a good film. There were lots of ideas. There was a sense that a good story (or narrative) was very important. Of course, that begs the question "what makes a good story?" - some suggestions touched on the answer to this by saying that things like climax/anti-climax are important (these are parts of the story/narrative structure).

Another important aspect was a good cast and crew and soundtrack.

Other elements which contributed to a good film that were mentioned were good location, style before substance, comedy ....

This led into our viewing of the first hour or so of "Trainspotting". We paused it here and there for some discussion and talked about things like the representation of Scotland (Braveheart came out that same year); representation of drugs; an evaluation of Renton; how realistic the film is; the use of colour and music; references to other films ...

The class finished with everyone writing down there initial thoughts on the film so far. Again, it your ability to communicate in written words and in discussion that interests me.

We'll continue with the film and the discussion next week.

First day and initial thoughts

We had our first class today. It was good to meet you all - even if it felt a bit cramped.

As we waited for everyone to arrive, I asked everyone to nominate three films which they felt everyone should watch. The result was an eclectic bunch of the good, the bad and the ugly of cinema. And here they are:

1. Highlander
2. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
3. Snatch
4. Silent Hill
5. The Hangover
6. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
7. Love Actually
8. EIF (?)
9. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
10. The Night of the Hunter
11. Hannah Montana the Movie
12. The Wedding Singer
13. The Lord of the Rings
14. Tropic Thunder
15. Moon
16. The Third Man
17. Shrek
18. Martyrs
19. Brazil
20. Pulp Fiction
21. Role Models
22. In the Loop
23. The Conversation
24. Plan 9 from Outer Space
25. Trainspotting
26. Cabin Fever
27. Reservoir Dogs
28. Apocalypse Now
29. Schindler's List
30. Rush Hour 3
31. 17 Again
32. Anchorman
33. Dead Man’s Shoes
34. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
35. Marley and Me
36. In the valley of Elah
37. No country for old men
38. Into the wild
39. Scream
40. Idiocracy
41. Napoleon Dynamite
42. Saving Private Ryan
43. Labyrinth
44. The Godfather
45. Mamma Mia
46. The Lion King
47. Indiana Jones
48. The Life of Brian
49. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
50. Wedding Crashers
51. Superbad
52. Monty Python and the Flying Circus
53. The Shawshank Redemption


Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting were the most popular films. Use this list to expand your own cinematic horizons. Just for fun, I threw in a few films as well.

If you'd like to investigate these more, you can look them up on a film resource site like http://www.imdb.com/

After this we did a script-development exercise. This was a bit of fun and it was interesting to see how group discussions developed characters and relationships. There's obviously a lot of creative energy in the class. If you enjoyed this activity, why not get together with some class mates and develop ideas, characters, stories for future projects.

Finally, I asked everyone to write a short summary and evaluation of one of the films they recommended. The ability to express your knowledge and feelings about a film (or any text) is a fundamental skill which we will focus in this course. We will work on your oral and written communication skills.

Again, great to meet you all - you seem like a decent bunch. Hopefully, we'll all learn something (and have a laugh or two) over the next couple of months.