Abstract

This thesis investigates the use of film (both celluloid and video) in the classroom from 1920 to the present day in an effort to locate the gaps in our teaching approaches and to reinitiate dialogue among art educators regarding a unique tool for fostering cognitive and social development. Historically, films have been used as instructional aids that were relied upon to explicate everything from manners to Communism, in some cases, doing the teaching for teachers. Teaching machines were mechanical devices used for presenting a program of instructional material, ostensibly designed to lighten the teacher's load. Playing with the idea of the 'teacher-less' classroom, the installation presented here utilizes these (arguably) obsolete celluloid, slide, and filmstrip projectors to show a collection of instructional films and slides in continuous loops. In showcasing these machines and the absence of teachers, I aim to re-initiate a dialogue regarding the current lack of critical attention paid to the moving image. I believe it is imperative in an age of informal interaction with our tools of communication, that art educators consider the historical place of film in the classroom and reconsider the ways we teach with, and often underestimate film. This thesis concludes with strategies to aid our students in becoming truly critical with regards to new media