Targeted to Intermediate English (B1+) speakers.Read more
This is the standard requirement for most courses. Participants at this level can participate actively in discussions and manage everyday and professional situations. If they are unsure about their English level, they can test it here or explore our courses facilitated in Basic English.
Cross-Curricular.Read more
The listed audiences are those for whom the course is especially recommended, but courses are not exclusive to them and are open to everyone. In fact, most of our workshops are built around the collective sharing of participants’ experiences and having a variety of profiles enriches the learning process and is highly encouraged!
Description
Think of a film, a series or even a short video that stayed with you long after watching it.
Perhaps it helped you understand another point of view, recognize an emotion, question a social issue or see yourself in a character.
Audiovisual stories do not simply entertain us: they influence how we interpret reality, relate to others and make sense of our own experiences.
Children and young people are continuously exposed to films, television series, advertisements, social media, online videos, influencers and content generated by artificial intelligence.
However, consuming a large amount of audiovisual content does not necessarily mean that students are able to understand it critically.
They need educational opportunities to question the messages they receive, recognize emotions and perspectives, identify stereotypes and manipulation, distinguish evidence from opinion and reflect on the influence that media have on their beliefs, relationships and behavior.
This course explores how cinema and media education can help teachers foster emotional awareness, empathy, creativity, critical thinking and active citizenship.
Through films, short videos, photographs, advertisements, social media posts and digital narratives, students can analyse characters, conflicts, choices, representations and social issues in a safe and engaging way.
The course intends to go beyond “watching films in class”.
Participants will learn how to design activities before, during and after viewing, select age-appropriate and inclusive materials, and guide students in analyzing emotions, narrative choices, stereotypes, persuasive techniques, fake news and audiovisual manipulation.
The course will combine theoretical input with experiential and collaborative activities.
Participants will take part in film analysis, emotional reflection, visual storytelling, role-play, debates, creative media production and outdoor activities connected with cinema and the cultural environment of the city.
They will also experiment with accessible digital tools and artificial intelligence to create interactive audiovisual activities, while reflecting on copyright, privacy, misinformation and responsible media use.
In addition, every topic will be approach paying attention to create safe and inclusive classrooms environments in which students can express different interpretations and discuss sensitive topics respectfully.
Participants will learn how to select age-appropriate materials and how to design questions and activities before, during and after viewing.
By the end of the course, participants will have designed a practical cinema and media education project that can be adapted to their students, subject area and educational context.
They will leave with tools to use audiovisual media not only as content, but as a powerful resource for emotionally aware, creative and critically engaged learning.
What is included
Learning outcomes
The course will help participants to:
- Understand how cinema, audiovisual narratives and digital media can support emotional learning, empathy, creativity and critical thinking;
- Use films, short videos, series, advertisements, photographs, social media and digital narratives as educational resources;
- Design activities that help students recognize emotions, analyze characters, explore perspectives and discuss social or ethical issues;
- Guide students in critically reading media messages, stereotypes, representations, persuasive techniques, misinformation and AI-generated content;
- Explore how audiovisual language — including images, sound, editing, framing, music and narrative choices — shapes emotions and interpretation;
- Facilitate safe and respectful classroom discussions around sensitive or controversial topics;
- Select age-appropriate and inclusive audiovisual materials according to students’ needs, subjects and learning objectives;
- Introduce responsible media creation through storyboards, photography, podcasts, trailers, short videos, digital campaigns and accessible AI tools;
- Design a classroom project combining emotional learning, media literacy, creativity and critical thinking.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Course introduction
- Introduction to the course and the Academy;
- Introduction to the host city and the week’s cultural activities;
- Icebreaker activities;
- Presentations of the participants’ schools and institutions.
Why audiovisual stories matter
- Why do audiovisual stories affect us?;
- Introduction to emotional development through narratives;
- Why films, series, short videos and images affect how we feel, think and interpret reality;
- Cinema and media education beyond “watching films in class”;
- Audiovisual stories as tools for emotional learning, empathy and critical reflection.
Day 2 – Emotional development through audiovisual stories
- Emotional literacy: recognizing, naming and understanding emotions;
- Empathy and perspective-taking through cinema;
- Emotional regulation and decision-making in audiovisual narratives;
- Using short films and scenes without dialogue;
- Practical activity: emotional mapping of a character;
- Role-play and alternative endings.
Day 3 – Critical thinking and media literacy
- What is media literacy and why is it necessary?;
- Stereotypes, gender roles, cultural representation and social bias;
- Advertising, influencers and persuasive communication;
- Fake news, manipulated images and misleading audiovisual content;
- Artificial intelligence and synthetic media;
- Comparing different representations of the same event;
- Debate activity: whose perspective is missing?;
- External activity: analyzing media messages, images and narratives in the city.
Day 4 – From spectators to responsible media creators
- Introduction to visual and audiovisual storytelling;
- Framing, camera angles, editing, music and narrative perspective;
- Storyboards and visual planning;
- Digital tools for interactive cinema and media activities;
- Artificial-intelligence tools for ideas, images, scripts and audiovisual production;
- Collaborative media-production challenge.
Day 5 – Designing cinema and media education projects
- Selecting films and media according to age, subject and learning objectives;
- Working with sensitive topics and emotionally challenging content;
- Creating safe and inclusive spaces for discussion;
- Integrating cinema and media education into different subjects;
- Assessment of emotional learning, critical thinking and media literacy;
- Presentation of participants’ projects;
- Peer feedback and adaptation of activities to different educational contexts.
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussions;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance.
Day 6 – Structured cultural activities
- Structured cultural activity(ies) according to the hosting location;
- Learning journal: individual written reflection on the course experience;
- Course reflection: self-reflection and review of course materials and resources.
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