Using musical film Les Miserables in English education

Seo, Eun mi

Article

Journal of English Teaching through Movies and Media 2013;14(1):79-98.
Published online March 30, 2013.

Using musical film Les Miserables in English education

Eun mi Seo

뮤지컬 영화 레 미제라블을 활용한 영어 학습방법

서은미

Abstract

In this paper, the researcher is going to talk about the benefits of using musical films in the EFL classroom. Musical films are different from the other feature films since the content is transmitted through songs. Students tend to have fragmented knowledge these days. They need to read more valuable books in depth to learn the lessons about life. Musical films based on the literature can help students to grow as a person. By singing and studying the libretto, students can understand the content in general and also they can have empathy about the characters through the main characters' obstacles and hardships. Musical films can play important roles for students' listening skills in English. In the age of digital revolution, Les Miserables written by Hugo will be beneficial to students' affective aspects. There are well known songs such as "Do you hear people sing?" "One Day More" or "I dreamed a dream" in this musical film Les Miserables. Using musical films has various benefits since students will look at the world with more critical point of view. Most of all, musical films will contribute to improve students' listening skill in English and grammar. Smartphones can be used as an important tool to create more interactive ways such as writing short comment in English or posting audio file about the certain questions. In the further research, detailed lesson plans should be created.

Key Words: musical film;historical novel;affection;empathy