Sunday, February 24, 2013

Éducation : Frankenweenie dans la classe ? Intéressant !





Frankenweenie | Tim Burton, 2012
The Walt Disney Company
http://www.imdb.com/

Après Dark Shadows, Tim Burton renoue cette fois avec le dessin-animé Frankenweenie interprétation personnelle de la figure de Frankenstein. 

Comme Paperman, il était nommé pour les Oscars mais dans la catégorie de film d'animation.

Ce projet a plus de 20 ans! Tim Burton a donc enfin pu se repencher sur le projet qui lui tenait à coeur et dans lequel il a mis beaucoup de sa propre enfance.

Au final, le public n'en est que ravi. Frankenweenie redonne à Tim Burton toute sa puissance créative, son talent et ce génie qui ont fait de lui ce qu'il est aujourd'hui.  

Pour les Oscars, Brave a rapporté le prix. J'en ai parllé de ce dessin animé à propos de genre au féminin à l'école. Un dessin animé merveilleux.





La classe/ Frankenwennie
Tim Burton, 2012


Mais revenons à Frankenweenie! U film d’animation en stop-motion à l'ère du numériqueentièrement créé en 3D qui apporte au film d'animation classique en image par image une toute nouvelle dimension.


L'image est faite d'un noir et blanc très contrasté, qui donne d'entrée au film son 'aura' mystérieuse. En somme, le film est superbe!

Le réalisateur renoue ainsi avec ses premiers amours et ses réalisations de folie. Il nous prouve à nouveau qu'il est un génie dont l'esprit créatif ne dort jamais. Les personnages sont attachants, bien qu'ayant tous un grain. On se délecte de cet humour et de cet univers noir et surréaliste, si caractéristique de Tim Burton.



"Frankenweenie", par Tim Burton 
The Walt Disney Company
http://www.imdb.com/


Les personnages possèdent cette poésie décalée qui nous plaît tant chez Burton. Bien que des marionnettes aux mouvements plus limités que dans du numérique, elles dégagent une complexité fascinante. 

Les adultes ont cette part d'ombre qui les rend inquiétants, comme ce prof. de sciences qui roule les "r", et semble tout droit "revenu des ténèbres avec ses gestes emphatiques".






Les copains/ Frankenwennie
Tim Burton, 2012
http://www.imdb.com/

Les enfants ne sont pas tout à fait des enfants. Mais la poésie y est. 

Il y a le gosse virtuose et solitaire, la petite fille qui semble avoir vu tellement de choses qu'elle en garde les yeux écarquillés, et la gamine au look gothique, dont on ne soupçonnait pas la voix rauque jusqu'à l'entendre répondre, l'air las, à son oncle bedonnant. Non, décidément, ce village n'est pas le royaume de la candeur enfantine. 





La fille  virtuose/ Frankenwennie
Tim Burton, 2012
http://www.imdb.com/

Éducation:

On avait un peu perdu le Tim Burton de génie depuis quelques films, Vous rappelez-vous deAlice in Wonderland in the classroom (2010) ? 

Mais voilà que le génial visionnaire revient avec Frankenweenie! Il nous offre, cette fois, un conte émouvant sur un garçon et son chien pas tout à fait comme les autres, et qu'on peut bien exploiter comme ressource.


  • Pourra-t-on l'introduire dans les discplines de Langues, de Sciences ou d'Art?

Un film d'animation qu'on peut introduire dans les disciplines de Langues (maternelle VF ou etrangère VO), Frankenweenie est un superbe conte très qui fait réflechir sur la science. Et quel beau exercice si l'on ajoute dans les cours d'Art!

Disciplines:
  • Langues: La Narration;
  • Sciences: L'expérimentation;
  • Art: le dessin; l'animation.

  • Niveaux d'apprentissage: tous (aux enseignants de sélectionner des activités possibles et motivantes selon leurs élèves.)




Frankenweenie | Tim Burton 
The Walt Disney Company
Tim Burton,2012
http://www.imdb.com/

Synopsis:

Victor, un jeune garçon solitaire et passionné d'inventions. Il voue une adoration complète à son chien, Sparky, son seul ami et véritable compaggon. Ils sont inséparables. Lorsque Sparky meurt, renversé par une voiture, il va de soi que Victor est dévasté. 

Inspiré par ses cours de science et de son inventivité, Victor se tourne vers le pouvoir de la science, en jouant les 'Docteur Frankenstein' et le ramène à la vie. Il lui apporte au passage quelques modifications de son cru… Seulement, cela aura des conséquences terribles pour son entourage. 




Tim Burton et la maquette Frankenweenie, 2012

Malgré la noirceur des personnages et de l'histoire, le film contient différents messages presque innocents, comme s'il y a une part d'enfance que l'on ne peut pas éradiquer, une pureté des sentiments qui résiste à l'ombre. 


  • On dialogue:
Pensons à ces multiples messages qu'on peut faire passer pendant les cours mais qu'on doit demander aux élèves de découvrir:
  • Une histoire d'amitié profonde et sans bornes entre un petit garçon et son chien.
Les élèves verront peut-être aussi une sorte de morale : seules les choses qui sont faites avec le cœur apportent de beaux résultats, le reste risque toujours de se retourner contre nous. On pense tout de suite au message de Le Petit Prince.

  • Une réflexion sur la légitimité de la science. 
Ici, Sparky reste fidèle à lui-même, alors que les animaux qui n'ont pas été créés avec tendresse se muent en bêtes dangereuses. Ces animaux ressuscités qui deviennent des monstres prennent un aspect symbolique.


Questions : 
  • Jusqu'où la science peut-elle aller sans constituer une atteinte à l'éthique ? 
  • Y aurait-il une bonne science, une science pure, et une science malsaine, menant à la destruction ? 
  • Où se situe la limite ? 

La fin?


Le genre de fin où l'on pense que c'est fini, et en fait, jamais complètement. Décevante ou touchante?







On écrit:

Après le débat  on peut passer à l'écrit:
  • récits;
  • essais critiques;
  • concours de meilleur conte d'après le(s) personnage(s).


Activité fun:

Et bien sûr! Pendant les cours, les élèves peuvent avoir fun en découvrant les personnages Victor et Sparky. Et ses copains.Mais aussi à apprendre par des jeux ou des médias sociaux:

  • 360º du Plateau ici (sous-légendes en Français)
  • Sur iTunes (film ou bande-sonore) 

Mes pensées: La science et la vie

Frankenweenie, sous ses allures de conte, peut finalement être une excellente leçon de vie.

Ce film d'animation est à la fois agréable pour ce qu'il est et pédagogique pour les réflexions qu'il entraîne.








J'aime presque tous les films de Tim Burton! Les Noces Funèbres (si les élèves sont fans du gothique) Edward aux mains d'argent (le classique), Alice au pays des merveillesFrankenweenie est pour moi le meilleur Burton. 

Au-delà de la superbe esthétique et de l'intrigue, c'est aussi une jolie mise en abyme de la relation entre le maître et sa création.

Tim Burton est devenu l'un des réalisateurs les plus géniaux d'Hollywood! On est d'accord, bien sûr!

« La joie est dans le risque à faire du neuf »

Marilyn Ferguson

G-Souto
24.02.2013
copyright © 2013G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com


Licença Creative Commons


Éducation : Frankenweenie dans la classe ? Intéressant ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

IMLD 2013 : books matter !





International Mother Language Day

"In this age of new technologies, books remain precious instruments, easy to handle, sturdy and practical for sharing knowledge, mutual understanding and opening the world to all. Books are the pillars of knowledge societies and essential for promoting freedom of expression and education for all."

Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General 


International Mother Language Day has been celebrated every year on February 21 since 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingual education, to highlight greater awareness of the importance of mother tongue education. 

"Linguistic and cultural diversity represent universal values that strengthen the unity and cohesion of societies. That is why UNESCO’s Director-General, in launching IMLD 2013, reinforces the importance of this core message and specifically highlight this year’s theme of access to books and digital media in local languages." 




International Mother Language Day


This year, the theme of the International Mother Language Day is "Books for Mother tongue education”.

IMLD 2013 aims to remind key stakeholders in Education that in order to support mother tongue education, it is essential to support the production of books in local languages.
Mother tongue education in its broader sense refers to the use of mother tongues in the home environment and in schools.

Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.




UNESCO

Today, a great number of languages lack a written form, yet progress has been made in developing orthography. 
Local and international linguists, educationalists, teachers work together with for example Indigenous peoples in Latin America, or tribes in Asia to develop orthography. 
The use of computers to produce books and the relatively low cost of digital printing are promising ways to produce cheaper written materials to enable wider access
Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. So, I think it always important to spread this message.

"If we look at the statical curve measuring amounst of diverse languages on one side and the number of internet users on the other, in see that in Europe for example we have low diversity but a hifg number of Internet users."

Daniel Prado, Unión Latina




©Google / ©UNESCO
Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger


Linguistic diversity is our common heritage. It is fragile heritage. Nearly half of the more than 6,000 languages spoken in the world could die out by the end of the century. 

UNESCO’s Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger is the performance chart for this struggle. Language loss impoverishes humanity. It is a retreat in the defence of everyone’s rights to be heard, to learn and to communicate. Genuine dialogue implies respect for languages. 



Fernando Pessoa
credits: Julio Pomar


Education:

"Sê plural como o universo"

Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese writer (1988-1935)

"To preserve a language, people should nourish that language, use it and produce materials in that language in both soft and hard copies. 

Technology can’t be blamed because it’s a tool and that’s how people use it. Once we start using the language then it gets passed on to the next generation. 

It’s the generational usage and technology that can enhance and support this transition.”

Abdul Hakeem, Education Advisor and Coordinator

of the Asia Pacific Programme of Education for All at UNESCO Bangkok

So, I share with you something special: In Portugal, there is a national dialect - Mirandês - spoken by 15 000 people in a small area of my country, in the northeastern of Portugal, along the frontier with Spain, covering the municipality of Miranda do Douro and a part of the municipality of Vimioso 

In the 19th century, the Portuguese ethnographer, 
José Leite de Vasconcelos described this national dialect as "the language of the farms, of work, home, and love between the Mirandese". 


Since 1986–87 it has been taught to students between the ages of 10 and 11, and so is recovering.




L Princepico, Mirandese national dialect
http://www.leyaonline.com/

Le Petit Prince has an edition in the national dialect Mirandês since April 2011. Its aim is to disseminate the Mirandese language lack written form. 

The Mirandese language is been used for years as a language passed on to the next generations by speakers only.

Do you want to read an excerpt of  L Princepico in Mirandês (Mirandese language?


·XVIII·

L princepico atrabessou l dezerto i só ancuntrou ua flor cun trés folhicas, ua florica ruinica...
- Dius mos dé nuonos dies, dixo l princepico.
"Buones dies mos dé Dius, dixo la flor.
- Adonde stan ls homes?" preguntou l princepico mi educado.
La flor biu, un die, ua recla de giente a passar:
- Ls homes? Hai-los, parece-me, seis ou siete. Abistei-los hai uns anhos, mas nun se sabe adonde stán. L aire lhieba-los dun lhado para outro. Nun ténen raízes i isso trai-le muitos porblemas.
- Adius, dixo l princepico.
Adius, dixo la flor.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, L Princepico, Mirandese version



Some thoughts:

Language acquisition and mother tongue literacy should ideally be supported by written resources such as - but not limited to - books, primers and textbooks, to support oral activities

Written materials in mother tongues reinforce learners’ literacy acquisition and build strong foundations for learning.

"Multilingualism is a source of strength and opportunity for humanity. It embodies our cultural diversity and encourages the exchange of views, the renewal of ideas and the broadening of our capacity to imagine."  


Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General 



G-Souto

21.02.2013
Copyright © 2013G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Licença Creative Commons
IMLD 2013 : Books matter ! bG-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

References for teachers:

International Mother Language Day | UNESCO

International Mother Language Day |UN

The Day of all languages: 21 February

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Schools : Nicolaus Copernicus in sciences curriculum : resources & activities





 Portrait of Copernicus (probably painted in the 1780s) 
Collection of the Regional Museum in Toruń

Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish Mikołaj Kopernik was born on February 19, 1473, in Toruń, Royal Prussia, Poland. A Polish astronomer who proposed that the planets have the Sun as the fixed point to which their motions are to be referred; that Earth is a planet which, besides orbiting the Sun annually, also turns once daily on its own axis; and that very slow, long-term changes in the direction of this axis account for the precession of the equinoxes. He died on May 24, 1543, Frauenburg, East Prussia (now Frombork, Poland).






Google Doodle Nicolaus Copernicus' 540 Birthday


  • Google Doodle:
Wow! Awesome interactive Google doodle that we can include into school curricula. Today's Google celebrates with an interactive Doodle the 540th anniversary of Nicolaus Copernicusmathematician and astronomer, a shining star of the Renaissance.

His major contribution to science is his heliocentric theory, which asserts that the sun is the center of our solar system.

Copernicus' work helped popularize the idea that Earth revolves around the Sun, instead of the other way round, as was commonly believed at the time.

As the Earth was popularly assumed the center of the universe, his heliocentric theory rocked convention. Though the mechanics of this theory has mathematical underpinnings, its radical nature still gave Copernicus some pause. It was, therefore, not until his final year that he published his findings in De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium






The interactive Doodle shows the planets all gently orbiting our nearest star. It depicts the known planets of the time - Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn  - revolving around the Sun, while the Moon revolves around the Earth. This is solar system as described in De revolutionibus

"The resulting doodle is zen-like and unassuming. Its actions need not scream for attention, much like the slow publication of De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium. The orbits of the solar system are steady and true." 

At the time he was branded a heretic. The idea that the Earth orbited the Sun, conceived without the aid of any equipment, would only be proved half a century later, when Galileo built a telescope and pointed it heavenward. 





Nicolaus Copernicus
credits: Wellcome Library, London 

"Finally we shall place the sun at the center of the Universe. All this is suggested by the systematic procession of events and the harmony of the whole universe, if only we face the facts, as they say, ‘with both eyes open.’"

Nicolaus Copernicus




Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God, 1873 
by Matejko. In background: Frombork Cathedral

  • Some biographical notes:

Born on 19 February 1473 as the son of a merchant in the city of Thorn, Poland, Copernicus studied at Krakow Academy, now the Jagiellonian University, before travelling to Italy to study law at the University of Bologna, in 1496. He stayed there until 1503.


While studying at the University of Bologna, his passions for geography and astronomy were encouraged by a mathematics professor, Domenico Maria de Novara.


He returned to Warmia, to live with his uncle, who enjoyed the title Prince-Bishopric of Warmia. Copernicus was his uncle's secretary and physician and resided in the Bishop's castle at Lidzbark (Heilsberg). This is where he began work on his heliocentric theory.



Nicolaus Copernicus
credits: Wellcome Library, London

Heliocentricism is the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around a relatively stationary Sun at the center of the Solar System. Though Heliocentricism has now been proven and is widely accepted, it wasn't the case during Copernicus's time, when many, including most religious institutions and leaders, believed that the Earth was at the center of the Universe. This belief has been termed GeocentrismHis heliocentric revolution was condemned by Martin Luther.

By 1532, Copernicus had all but completed his work and had consolidated his observations in a manuscript titled De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. However, he refused to have this published and shared beyond his inner circle as he did not want to risk the scorn "to which he would expose himself on account of the novelty and incomprehensibility of his theses."




Painting made by Aleksander Lasser 
on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Copernicus' birth (1873)
Collection of the Regional Museum in Toruń

De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium was published in 1543, shortly before Copernicus died on May 24 at age 70. Legend has it the first copy was placed in his hands the day he died. 

Composed of six ‘books’, the 400-page manuscript of De revolutionibus written between 1515-30, and amended and corrected over the following decade, had a foreword written by the author and a letter dedicated to Pope Paul III in which the astronomer argued the legitimacy of the heliocentric theory.

In 1616 the Vatican placed it on the Index of Forbidden Books. It was removed only in 1835.





The remains of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus have been identified by Polish scientists 465 years after his death.


After centuries of searching, his grave was located in 2005, allowing his remains to be re-interred under a tombstone that bears a representation of Copernicus' model of the solar system.




Copernicus's schematic diagram of his heliocentric theory 
of the Solar System from De revolutionibus orbium coelestium

Education:

It is not the first time that I include Doodles into school curricula. It's a wonderful motivation and it can surprise students. 

Doodles are fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that we can include into our lessons to teach about famous writers, poetspioneers, and scientists.

Everyday we must include something captivating in our lessons, even we are teaching important skills of curriculum. 

Passion is what will make our students enter every day in the classroom waiting for something special into the lessons. Students will learn easily.

I am not a math educator. However I believe that sciences are as important as humanities.





credits: Getty Images

After all, this day is symbolic. We can include Copernicus into different lessons to organize an event at school and develop different activities.

Schools are very important environments of teaching and learning. They have an important role aiming to renew and reinvigorate global knowledge as they have the mission to educate children and adolescents as future citizens.

These resources are educational challenges to promote some good values near the new generations. Young students will be vigilant and will help to find new paths towards precious solutions to society and the planet. Humanities and Sciences are the basic curricula.








Some Activities:

I selected several activities that I think may involve your students but you are free to propose your own ideas:

  • Organize an open day (today or/and nex week) at the school with your students to highlight the importance of science to the evolution of the world;
  • Open discussion in the classroom to enphazise  the many different ways science & technologies touch our daily lives;
  • Contact national and local media (radio, newspapers) to highilight the importance of celebrating Science & Copernicus at shool;
  • Ask your students to write articles, comics, little reports in the classroom about the importance of science for sustainable societies and publish the best works in the school newspaper;
  • Build classroom-to-classroom connections between schools via the Internet:  schools websites, schools accounts on Facebook or Twitter, and share science projects that will interest students;
  • Create a video with Animoto (students and teachers)
  • Arrange a visit to a Science Museum near you. Museums are awesome places to have a live lesson.

Levels: All levels (different activities for different grades).






Nicolaus Copernicus


Some thoughts:

So as you see, can we say that formal learning is a non captivating method? Of course, not! Must be creative! 

Well, there are a lot of funny and engaging activities about Sciences and Humanities that we can create and propose to our students, on informal learning (online learning) and formal learning (face-to-face teaching). Don't forget BYOD (bring your own device). 

Believe me! You will have a motivated class that will learn literature or science. 

To us, "the attitude" of changing methods, and the creative mind to facilitate different learning activities at our young students!


"A good goal should scare you a little. And excite you a lot!"  

Joe Vitale

G-Souto

19.02.2013

Copyright © 2013G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Licença Creative Commons
Schools : Copernicus & science curriculum : resources & activities bG-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.


Links for teachers:

Europeana | Nicolaus Copernicus

Copernicus, Nicolaus (1473-1543)

NASA | Nicolaus Copernicus

16t-century skeleton identified as astronomer Copernicus