Cineclub and ATOM
- Written by Lisa Worthy
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to spend 3 weeks in England, visiting schools and travelling around (taking pictures of locations from Children of Men for my year 12s!). Whilst there, I met Tamla Bonnett and Sandra Kazlauskaite from Cineclub.
The partnership ATOM has formed with Cineclub is a great match – we are all passionate about educating our young people in film literacy and providing sustainable, ongoing support for our teachers, across all school sectors. Cineclub’s goal is to provide training and support for teachers in primary schools, to incorporate film literacy and filmmaking into the curriculum, in a manner that supports the existing facilities of each school.
After initial training, Cineclub will continue to support their members with resources. Given that we are all in the throes of implementing the Australian Curriculum, the timing could not be better for schools to access the opportunities Cineclub will provide. Tamla and Sandra were very excited about the potential of their connection with Australia. Eleanor Bucher, Cineclub’s representative in Australia is working hard to establish membership.
From my brief time learning about the school system in the UK and meeting some wonderful teachers and students, we all want the same things for our students – engagement in learning that is meaningful for them. At a time when we are increasingly feeling the pressure to meet standards and goals set by others, it is important to remember why we entered the classroom, and what excites us about working with our students. We live in a world dominated by media, so media literacy is an essential skill our students need to develop. With the efforts of both ATOM and Cineclub, our students will be fortunate to have their learning enhanced.