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In a recent article I describe the term discourse as being "both slippery and baggy: slippery because it eludes neat definition, and baggy because it embraces a wide range of linguistic and social phenomena" (Thornbury 2010, p. 270). Is there any way of nailing it down?

In An A-Z of ELT I define discourse as "any connected piece of speaking or writing". Let's test this definition with an authentic example:

Just arrivd. I'm on the bus.

The text is certainly connected: the travel lexis ( arrivd and bus) connects the two clauses topically. The ellipted subject ( I) in the first clause is recoverable from the second clause, so that both clauses share a common theme. Moreover, the clauses are sequenced in such a way that they map on to the script that represents, in schematic form, what happens when people arrive at, say, an airport. The definite article the, in the bus, presupposes shared knowledge as to which bus (possibly the airport bus) is being referred to.

By invoking shared knowledge and a context of use, however, we are going beyond the (linguistic) text itself and hypothesizing, not only a recipient, but a particular relationship between the sender and the recipient, and a particular interpretation of the text that is consistent with the sender's purpose. In short, we are assuming that the text is coherent, that it has some communicative purpose, and that it is the (partial) trace of a more extended exchange.

Which indeed it was: the message was sent (by me) in response to the following:

Are U there yet? Cheers, Grzegorz.

Grzegorz was hosting me at a conference in Warsaw, and had previously told me how to get from the airport into the center of town. A different constellation of contextual variables would have produced a different discourse, leaving as its trace a different text. This in fact was the case when I sent the same text message, but with a change of article, to a friend:

In this case, the absence of any assumption of shared knowledge ( a vs the) positions writer and reader in a different relationship. The communicative purpose has also shifted somewhat: whereas the first message is designed to reassure Grzegorz that everything is going to plan, the second implies a sense of novelty, strangeness, possibly adventure. Here, then, we are concerned with the text less as connected sentences ( discourse¹, if you like), and more as an instance of language in use (discourse²).

But there is a third sense of 'discourse' that can be extracted from these tiny texts. The formula [I'm] on the bus connects to a larger discourse, which is that of text messages in general. The phrase would probably occur with significant frequency in any corpus of text messages or mobile phone conversations. In this sense, the text makes (implicit) connections with other texts of the same type: it exhibits intertextuality. So much so that it (and its possibly even more frequent variant: I'm on the train) index a social practice that has generated its own 'meta-discourse'. Here, for example, is how one website humorously glosses the phrase:

I'm on the bus
Said in two different environments:

1. When commuting on the bus and one is engaged in a mobile phone conversation, it is used to avoid talking loudly about embarrassing topics in a crowd of eavesdropping fellow commuters.

2. When person A is tired, or doesn't see the logic of why person B has called, this can be said to avoid conversation with person B.

A: "Hey what did the doctor say about that lump on your balls?"
B: "I'm on the bus."
A: "Oh alright."

(from The Urban Dictionary)

The social and cultural meanings that text messages have accreted, then, constitute a third sense of discourse: discourse as social practice, or discourse³. (Some writers - e.g. Blommaert 2005, and Gee 2005 - would argue that social practice extends beyond mere language use, and that discourse as social practice should include "all forms of meaningful semiotic human activity" [Blommaert, op.cit. p. 3]. But for the purposes of this discussion I'll take discourse as social practice to mean 'social practice as encoded in language ').

As a further example of the way 'I'm on the bus' has achieved catchphrase status, and hence indexes a social practice, in 2004 the Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company used it as a slogan for promoting bus travel in the region, emblazoning it across the sides of its buses alongside blown-up portraits of transport workers and local commuters. As the managing director commented, "It really has been a great way of connecting with the community we are pleased to serve and making our buses come alive with the people who travel around on them" ( Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Co website)

In this case, then, 'I'm on the bus' instantiates a larger discourse of community values and civic pride, of which the managing director's upbeat comment contributes yet another strand.

So, discourse can mean connected text, or language in use, or language as a social practice. Which leads me to wonder: which of these meanings has the most relevance to the way learners are taught to interpret and produce texts in class?
References:
Blommaert, J. 2005. Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gee, J. 2005. Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method (2nd edn). London: Continuum.

Thornbury, S. 2010. What can a corpus tell us about discourse? In O'Keeffe, A., & McCarthy, M. (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics. London: Routledge.

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In a recent article I describe the term discourse as being "both slippery and baggy: slippery because it eludes neat definition, and baggy because it embraces a wide range of linguistic and social phenomena" (Thornbury 2010, p. 270). Is there any way of nailing it down?

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Stayin'Alive MIDIdigital version

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i made this satanic version of stayin' alive from this broken mp3 to midi converter : http://www.ofoct.com/audio-converter/convert-wav-or-mp3-ogg-aac-wma-to-midi.html (joel used this on his windows 8 destruction stream) it contains about 30k notes

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Top down processing article

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Before reading any further, listen to the video above.

That was Mariah Carey's Christmas classic All I Want For Christmas Is You, but as you have probably never heard it before. Earlier this week, someone converted the song to MIDI - a digital way to record sound - and posted it on Tumblr.

Another blogger shared the song in frustration: "I'm driving myself up the wall because I swear I can hear the vocal line but I don't know how that could be if it was truly converted to MIDI."

Carey's voice seemed to be there, even though it shouldn't be - the MIDI music standard is simple, and can't capture the full richness of the human voice (or any other real instrument).

The post has generated thousands of notes and intense curiosity. Here at New Scientist we agree: we swear we can hear a ghostly Mariah belting along in the background. What is going on?

Diana Deutsch, a cognitive psychologist at the University of California, San Diego, thinks she knows. Deutsch specialises in auditory illusions: tricks of sound that make people hear words or melodies that aren't there.

I waited on the phone as Deutsch opened up the MIDI Mariah file and listened to the song for the first time. And then, I was crushed to hear her say: "Actually, I don't hear it."

In fact, Deutsch hadn't ever heard the original. That's why the illusion worked for me and failed for her, she says. It's an example of what psychologists call top-down processing, when the brain uses information it already has to try to understand the world around it.

I already knew the song: my brain had a template saved that it could match the new sounds to, filling in the non-existent vocals. My expectations shaped my perceptions.

"This must be a very strong example of having the template and then invoking it," she says. "It seems like the brain abhors ambiguity and wants to make sense out of things, so we create for ourselves precepts of things that aren't really there."

MIDI Mariah

For an example that predates the Carey clip, check out this video of the Bee Gees disco hit Stayin' Alive, also converted to MIDI. People who hadn't heard the song before say they didn't hear lyrics on their first listen. But when they listened to the real song and then went back to the MIDI, the voices suddenly seemed to appear.

New Scientist also conducted our own internal test. While most of us could pick out every word of MIDI Mariah, far fewer could hear the words to MIDIfied Itchycoo Park by the Small Faces, because they had never heard the song.

Top-down processing is to our advantage, says Petr Janata, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis. It makes humans and animals more sensitive to potential threats or benefits in the world around them.

"There's a lot of value to predicting what might happen based on prior knowledge," he says. "It's the role of nervous systems in general to learn to perceive and interact with the environments in which they find themselves."

Primed for words

It may also help that most people who hear the clip are primed to hear Carey's voice, by reading her name and the title of the song before they listen.

He compares the Carey illusion to the phenomenon of people claiming to hear hidden messages in songs played backwards. In one of his classes, he plays Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven backwards and asks students if they caught any words. Then, he gives them a paragraph of text supposedly encoded in the recording and plays it for a second time.

"When I play it again, they're all just blown away that all of the sudden they can hear all that in the music," he says. "But it's really just our brain imposing that interpretation, picking out the viable evidence in the signal to conform and support our expectations."

In other words: we hear what we want to hear.

Click here for more cool auditory illusions.
Image credit: James Devaney/Getty

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How trippy version of Mariah Carey Christmas hit fools the brain

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Before reading any further, listen to the video above. That was Mariah Carey's Christmas classic All I Want For Christmas Is You, but as you have probably never heard it before. Earlier this week, someone converted the song to MIDI - a digital way to record sound - and posted it on Tumblr.

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Updated, March 17, 2016 | We have published a companion piece: " 8 Compelling Mini-Documentaries to Teach Close Reading and Critical Thinking Skills."

Ever want your students to slow down and notice details when they read - whether they're perusing a book, a poem, a map or a political cartoon? Young people often want to hurry up and make meaning via a quick skim or a cursory glance when a text can demand patience and focus.

Closely reading any text, whether written or visual, requires that students proceed more slowly and methodically, noticing details, making connections and asking questions. This takes practice. But it certainly helps when students want to read the text.

We've selected 10 photos from The Times that we've used previously in our weekly "What's Going On in This Picture?" and that have already successfully caught students' and teachers' attention. These are some of our most popular images - ones that may make viewers say "huh?" on first glance, but that spark enough curiosity to make them want to dig deeper. (Please Note: You can quickly learn the backstory about any of these photos by clicking the link in each caption that takes you to the original post, then scrolling down to find the "reveal.")

Below, we offer ideas from students and teachers who have engaged with these images for ways to use them, or images like them, to teach close reading and visual thinking skills.

1. Be Detectives: Looking closely can almost be like a game, Shirley Jackson, a teacher in Sydney, Australia, said:

I stumbled across your site while looking for alternate ideas. My class of 10-12-year-olds absolutely love the photos and the back story became a competition as to who could "see" the most, justify it and how close they were to the truth. Please don't stop this amazing resource as it keeps our students informed as well as visually aware.

Indeed, practicing visual thinking skills with these images can be fun and a quick activity, but it can also hone important skills that transfer to other texts. Making sense of intriguing images like these can be more like detective work than anything else: Careful attention to detail rewards the viewer with a "big picture" understanding.

2. Practice Regularly: Every Monday during the school year we post a photograph stripped of its caption and context, and ask students what they see going on in this picture. Hundreds of students participate every week from classrooms across the country and around the world - from elementary through high school, and even adult education E.S.L. classes - sharing their observations. Our partners at Visual Thinking Strategies moderate the discussion and encourage students to look even more closely for more details.

You can use our "What's Going On?" photos, or ones you select that relate to the content you are teaching, to help your students practice close reading.

3. Ask Open-Ended Questions: At the heart of the activity are the three deceptively simple open-ended questions that make up V.T.S.'s facilitation method. The goal? To help students notice details and make observations without leading them toward any conclusion or "right answer."

What's going on in this picture?

What do you see that makes you say that?

What more can you find?

Students then share what they see and comment on what other students notice.

4. Notice Details: For example, here is what Josh W. observed in the image above:

It appears in this picture that a man is trying not to drown in some kind of sewer, and he seems quite in danger because of the frightened look on his face. However, maybe it's some sort of public punishment because the police are just looking at him while driving by and then walking by, while random people to the left don't seem to care either. It also looks like the area he is in has been barred off, so maybe nobody is allowed to help him. The place seems to not be the richest place on earth, this area is quite worn down, and it seems Latin because of the writing on the police's shirt. It is also possible that he is seeking refuge from the police, but he has failed as they have found him.

5. Build on Others' Observations: Encourage students to comment on other students' observations to help them evaluate and link to other ideas. We try to do that in our Monday discussions by asking students to use the @ symbol. Here is what Summer wrote to Connor about the above photo:

@Connor: That flip is not effortless, there is pain in his facial expression, which leads me to believe the chaos in the background is not a natural disaster but the aftermath of warfare. My suppositions are supported by the young boy in a uniform nearby in the pic.

6. Adapt These Questions for All Subjects: Jennifer Bradley, a science teacher at Bentonville High School in Arkansas, told us how the practice of finding details to defend their interpretations of each photo improved students' academic skills in general, and their science skills in particular:

After practicing with "What's Going On in This Picture?" weekly, I started to see my students get much better at using evidence in their writing. For example, in their lab reports, they started to be much more detailed and to explain the context clues that led them to a conclusion.

In fact, the three simple questions at the heart of V.T.S.'s facilitation method can be adapted for close reading any text, whether in an English or a science classroom:

What do you notice going on in this chapter? In this diagram? Or in this political cartoon?

What details do you see that make you say that? What evidence supports your observations?

What more can you find in the text?

7. Expand Knowledge of the World: Teachers tell us that students enjoy the activity, and that it actually helps expand their knowledge of and curiosity about the world in addition to making them more visually literate. And students make connections between our "What's Going On?" photographs and what they're hearing in the news and learning about in school. After finding out the caption of the photo above, Cashel IMS wrote:

This picture and caption makes me think how tough it must be to be sent away to this facility alone, taken away from his parents, and be treated poorly in these conditions. Just because this little boy crossed the border, he should not be held captive. He is only seven years old and it was not his fault. If I were seven years old and I was held in this detention center, I would be very confused.

8. Start Conversations: Julia told us that she uses these photographs to help foster conversation in her adult E.S.L. education classes:

They are great conversation starters to get my class speaking in English. It also brings up new vocabulary words. Students often use their personal knowledge of the world to figure out what is happening in the photos. Some students may have an advantage when the photo is from their region of the world. Thanks!

9. Introduce New Ideas: On Tuesday mornings, we reveal the original caption of the photo and any relevant back story as well. Sometimes, we're fortunate to hear from the photographers themselves about what they were thinking when they took the shot. The activity, therefore, can transform from practicing visual thinking strategies to gaining a window into another place, time or perspective.

Additionally, many students return to comment on the image with new ideas and questions after reading the caption. Here is Evan K. IMS7 's follow-up response to this week's photo (above):

So my prediction was actually right... (Thank you Animal Planet.) But I find it interesting that something that I learned I could actually apply to my academics. I wonder if the ant can resist the fungus taking over its brain. I also wonder if this fungus could infect another insect or if it can mutate.

10. Experiment With Other Ways to Look Closely: V.T.S.'s three-question facilitation method isn't the only approach to getting students to practice visual thinking. The National Archives has developed a photograph analysis protocol for noticing people, objects and activities before making inferences.

The International Society for Technology in Education (PDF) and Edutopia both suggest multiple strategies for teaching visual literacy. And the University of Maryland has developed a visual literacy toolbox for helping students learn how to read images.

Many of the recommended approaches are very similar, and build on the principle that students should be encouraged to look closely at images without being told what to see. That concept is at the heart of why every Monday we ask students: What's going on in this picture? Join us next week!
Standards
This resource may be used to address the academic standards listed below.
Common Core E.L.A. Anchor Standards Reading

1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Speaking and Listening

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10 Intriguing Photographs to Teach Close Reading and Visual Thinking Skills

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We pair 10 photos from The Times that we've used in our weekly "What's Going On in This Picture?" with ideas from students and teachers for how you can use them, or images like them, to teach close reading and visual thinking skills.

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What's Going On in This Graph?

_________

Rihanna or Justin Bieber? The Weeknd or Migos? If you live in the U.S., what's the most popular musician or band in your area? Take a look at this set of 50 fan maps, based on YouTube's geocoded streaming data, and see what you discover.

The maps come from The New York Times's Upshot, which emphasizes data and graphics in its analysis of politics, policy and everyday life. There you can find charts, graphs and interactives of all kinds on everything from cultural phenomena, like music preferences or "Game of Thrones" characters, to breaking news events, such as North Korea's missile launches, to the important issues of our day, like affirmative action and the opioid crisis.

Teachers tell us these data visualizations are rich texts for classrooms across the curriculum, not just in the math or statistics class. Whether in a literature class analyzing Jane Austen's language, a science class considering climate data, or a civics class studying gerrymandering, teaching students how to read, interpret and question graphs, maps and charts is a key 21st-century skill.

As Judith Hante, a math instructor at San Diego's Miramar College, recently wrote to us, "So much data comes flying right at teens and young adults these days, and so many of them don't have the tools to know how to understand it, what questions to ask, or when it is just plain misleading in the way it is graphed. I'd like to see them be skeptical and be better consumers of information."

Well, we've developed a way to do just that. This year, we're delighted to announce that we'll be partnering with the American Statistical Association (A.S.A.) for a new monthly feature, "What's Going On in This Graph?", or "WGOITGraph?" The A.S.A. educates the public about using data to understand our world and believes that statistical literacy is important for everyone.

If you're familiar with our popular " What's Going On in This Picture?" series, you'll have some idea already of how "WGOITGraph?" will work. In that feature, we partner every Monday with Visual Thinking Strategies to publish an intriguing Times photo stripped of its caption, and to invite students to come to our site and discuss what they see. On Fridays, we reveal the original caption along with related information. Teachers tell us that the exercise helps students practice their visual thinking skills and their use of evidence to support claims, across subjects and grade levels. And - just as important - they tell us it's fun.

In this experiment with the A.S.A., we're going to do the same with The Times's rich trove of graphic visualizations - graphs, maps and charts.

Here's how it will work.
Starting on Sept. 19 and then afterward on the second Tuesday of every month from October to May, we'll publish a Times graphic on a topic that is suitable for subjects across the curriculum.

The content and statistical concepts will be suitable for most middle and high school students. Often, we'll strip it of some key information, then ask students three question - inspired by Visual Thinking Strategies, but anchored in math and statistics thinking:

* What do you notice?
* What do you wonder?
* What's going on in this graph?

The first two questions might be familiar to many math teachers. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Math Forum advances these simple questions to encourage students to become active and curious critical thinkers rather than passive consumers of mathematics. Here's why:

The process of sense-making truly begins when we create questioning, curious classrooms full of students' own thoughts and ideas. By asking What do you notice? What do you wonder? we give students opportunities to see problems in big-picture ways and discover multiple strategies for tackling a problem. Self-confidence, reflective skills, and engagement soar, and students discover that the goal is not to be "over and done," but to realize the many different ways to approach problems.

Here's a written explanation about how the strategy works during the different steps in problem solving. In this video, embedded below, Annie Fetter, a math educator at the Math Forum, explains how she uses the notice-wonder strategy with students.

The last question we pose - What's going on in this graph? - invites students to think critically about what they have already noticed and wondered. Their answers will reveal their interpretations of what they have discovered.

Teachers from A.S.A. will help select the graphs we use each month, moderate the live online discussion and, equally important, provide a "reveal" at the end of the week. The reveal will include whatever information is missing and also provide related statistical concepts and academic vocabulary to help students increase their depth of quantitative literacy.
We will publish our first "WGOITGraph?" on Tuesday, Sept. 19, and then we'll continue on every second Tuesday from October to May - Oct. 10, Nov. 14, Dec. 12, Jan. 9, Feb. 13, March 13, April 10 and May 8 - so mark your calendar. You'll be able to find all our "WGOITGraph?" posts in this column.
And, just like with our sister feature, "WGOITP?", we'll provide live moderation on the first day of publication. So, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time on the Tuesdays that we run this feature, moderators from A.S.A. will help push students to look closely at the graph and think deeply about what it might mean.

Since the graphs themselves will remain online at the top of each post, teachers can continue to use them for discussion with future classes without the "answers" - whatever information we have omitted - being obvious. Teachers can use any week's graph, and students can post comments, whenever it is convenient. We will leave each post up and open to comment indefinitely.

Please let us know what you think of this new feature. And if you're as excited about it as we are, please help us spread the word.

For more teacher and student statistics resources, go to the A.S.A. K-12 website, which includes is Statistics, resources, professional development, student competitions, curriculum, courses and careers.

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Announcing a New Monthly Feature: What's Going On in This Graph? (Published 2017)

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What's Going On in This Graph? _________ Rihanna or Justin Bieber? The Weeknd or Migos? If you live in the U.S., what's the most popular musician or band in your area? Take a look at this set of 50 fan maps, based on YouTube's geocoded streaming data, and see what you discover.

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In response to the question "What do you mean by 'unpacking a text'?"

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This is what happens when you reply to spam email

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Suspicious emails: unclaimed insurance bonds, diamond-encrusted safe deposit boxes, close friends marooned in a foreign country. They pop up in our inboxes, and standard procedure is to delete on sight. But what happens when you reply? Follow along as writer and comedian James Veitch narrates a hilarious, weeks-long exchange with a spammer who offered to cut him in on a hot deal.

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From the days when instructional films like these were shown via projector, students have enjoyed watching movies in class. Teachers have too. But it's often hard to justify watching a two-hour film when there's so much else that has to be done.

But, what about an eight-minute film? That's the average length of our Film Club features, and these short documentary films do much more than just entertain. They challenge assumptions and offer new perspectives. They tell stories that often remain hidden, and introduce us to people and places foreign to us.

As with other short texts like stories, poems and articles, mini-documentary films can stimulate discussion, debate, thinking and writing. And, they can serve as a refreshing break from print media to help students explore curriculum themes and practice important literacy skills.

Below, we present eight films we've featured in our Film Club series that have already captured students' and teachers' attention. In addition, we offer practical teaching ideas, along with responses from students and teachers, for how you can use these documentaries, or films like them, to teach close reading and critical thinking skills.

And if these aren't enough, our Film Club "meets" online every other Friday during the school year. Bring your students to join the conversation.
1. Explore a Theme or Big Idea
What makes these mini-documentaries so powerful is that they can present a compelling theme, such as justice, adversity or freedom, in just a few minutes.

Take " San Quentin's Giants " (above), a film replete with sports metaphors that explores the themes of failure and redemption through a prison baseball team. Z.H., a student from Connecticut, comments:

There were a lot of moments in this film that stood out for me. It was especially moving when the guys talked about how meaningful baseball was to them, and how they finally had something that they could focus on and be proud of, instead of just focusing on the fact that they were in prison. This stood out because they now have an opportunity to do some good and hopefully change their life for the better. They've come together to be a team, to become better people and to get away from all of the bad things that happen within prison.

What would your students see in a film like this one? To what in their lives might they connect it?
2. Provide Rich Content for Writing Tasks
The themes and issues tackled in these films create organic opportunities for students to practice analysis and writing. In just a few minutes, students can watch one of these films and have a genuine reaction.

In each Film Club feature, we ask open-ended questions to prompt students to write. For example, what moments in this film stood out for you? What messages, emotions or ideas will you take away from this film?

After watching " Kite Fight " (above), Trinity Lewis, a student from Charlotte, N.C., responded:

My reaction to this documentary is that, I loved how they still manage to be happy when they fly the kites, when they are in poverty. They buy parts of the kite that cost 25 cents, and use a trash bag, wire and glue to put it together. And in the process they get cut, bruised, bleed and hurt and don't cry but still manage to stay happy. When kite fighting, these children feel free. I think the message of this documentary is being free, the emotion is being happy.

3. Provoke Discussions and Critical Thinking
Learning how to hold a civil discussion is a critical skill. So is learning how to reflect on our own biases and prejudices.

The film " Who Sounds Gay? " tackles a tricky subject for many classrooms. But in just a few minutes, the film challenges many students' assumptions and creates an opportunity for them to practice sharing their points of view and building on what their classmates say, while using the film as evidence.

For example, Alexandra.apples from Mississauga, Ontario, writes:

This film sheds light on a topic that has crossed my mind more than once. When I hear a man with a "gay voice," I can't help but wonder about his sexual orientation. I'm being curious, not judgmental. Even though I speculate innocuously, that man's voice could negatively affect the way others, such as employers or law-enforcement officials, treat him. This discrimination is unfair for many reasons, and this film highlights another one: a man's voice doesn't always indicate his sexual identity.

4. Open a Window to a Different World
Films can give us a glimpse into someone else's life. They can bring us inside a stranger's home or a foreign country. They can chip away at social and class divides.

The film " Ivy League Trailblazers " introduces us to the nation's most prestigious universities through the eyes of first-generation college students.

Louis.f.pcsi is one of dozens of students from Paris who responded:

Before this video, I barely envisaged the fact that students could feel rejected because of the low incomes of their family. I was amazed to hear that some of the students had difficulties to get along with the other students because of their social differences, or that they were disadvantaged to them due to their lack of culture. I was surprised to hear that they felt lonely, different than the rich students.

5. Practice Watching, Listening, Notetaking and Responding
For each Film Club feature, we provide a double-entry chart (PDF) for watching a film that helps students record and consider the aspects they find most important or interesting. In particular, we instruct students to jot down notable quotes or details from the film, and to add their own observations, comments or questions.

Arjun G. from Des Moines pulled out a quote from the film " Wright's Law " and responded:

The moment that most strongly resonated with me was when Mr. Wright said, "There is something a lot greater than energy. There is something a lot greater than entropy. It's the fact that. . .what's the greatest thing? Love."

I always thought that there was a rigid dichotomy between science and love, but Mr. Wright seemed to break it down. He stands to show us that to be an amazing teacher, to connect with students, one has to be aware of his own existence and aware of one of the most fundamental forces in human experience: love.

6. Challenge Stereotypes
These films certainly don't shy away from difficult or important topics. Adam Strom, the director of scholarship and innovation at Facing History and Ourselves, writes about how two Times Op-Docs, "A Conversation About Growing up Black" (above) and "A Conversation With White People on Race," can be "... used to illuminate racial divides, and to bridge them. Both of these short videos offer insight into the ways that race and identity shape our perspectives."

As a teaching idea, Mr. Strom suggests, "teachers might organize a cafe conversation between the people featured in the two videos to explore point of view."

After watching the five-minute film above, Ryley, a student from Tennessee, writes:

I was very impressed with how these smart young men addressed this issue. Their different challenges that they face daily gave me a different outlook on how African Americans are still being treated so harshly here in the United States. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.

7. Bring Current Events and Issues Into the Classroom
Sometimes these films surprise students, or even shock them or make them angry. " China's Web Junkies " is a film about a Chinese boot-camp-style treatment center for young men "addicted" to the Internet.

One student, Spencer, writes: "This is actually a pretty good idea. We should definitely try this in the U.S. because a lot of people are addicted to the internet here."

Zielly Hiller, a student from North Carolina, strongly disagrees:

Spencer, I understand where you are coming from, but drugging people makes no sense. They think that this is a disease, or something, when it's not. Sending these kids to a military camp? Are you serious, China? I mean, really, we spend a lot of time on the internet too, but these kids spend more time on it. Like the guy said in the video, Loneliness. Maybe it's loneliness. They don't have that freedom, they can't be as carefree. Cut them at least a little slack. Because they are lonely, they might not have as much control from being alone so much. I understand these kids. and they aren't the only ones. At least someone, anyone, out there in China, please, befriend someone. Show them that they are not alone. Pass this on. It could help a lot of people.

On March 11 we will be featuring a film about a transgender teenager, and in the coming months we hope to highlight films about the global migration crisis and the presidential election. Join us!
8. Make Connections to Students' Lives
As much as these films help us to see a different world, sometimes the most powerful moments are when students make connections to their own lives - and perhaps even see their own lives a little differently.

" Summer's Choice " introduces us to Summer, a talented teenager who is torn between ​​​her goal of attending art school and wanting to help support her family. After watching the film, Racy P., a student from Illinois, writes:

I fully understand that Summer feels compelled to help her grandma, but when you have an opportunity to do something great with your life, you have to believe in yourself and not hold back. I think that Summer is resilient, and is always trying to help others before doing something good for herself. Sometimes you have to break the circle and go to new places, be more independent, and take some time to think of yourself. I think she should have experienced that and went to Art school and hopefully she will sometime in her life.

Students might be inspired by these films to actually make their own mini-documentaries. After all, so many students walk around with their own personal video cameras on their smartphones. One teacher tells us:

I want to express how much NYT's Op-Docs have influenced my teaching and my students' learning. I now have students create their own mini-docs using smartphones or basic hand-held cameras (putting them together using iMovie or MovieMaker software). OK, they may not be NYT quality, but these products still offer viewers a glimpse into issues in their own discourse communities.

Additional Resources for Teaching With Short Documentary Films
The New York Times isn't the only organization featuring short form documentaries that can be used in the classroom.

Global Oneness Project offers free multicultural stories and accompanying lesson plans for high school and college classrooms.

PBS's POV offers free resources for educators, including hundreds of online film clips and related lesson plans, discussion guides and reading lists for teachers.

Please let us know in the comments section how you use short documentary films in your own teaching.

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8 Compelling Mini-Documentaries to Teach Close Reading and Critical Thinking Skills

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Short documentary films can stir up ideas in the classroom to get students discussing, debating, thinking and writing. And, they can serve as a refreshing break from print media to help students explore curriculum themes and practice important literacy skills.

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Useful for prediction, cohesion and coherence tasks

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Free online word cloud generator and tag cloud creator

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Wordclouds.com is a free online word cloud generator and tag cloud generator, similar to Wordle. Create your own word clouds and tag clouds. Paste text or upload documents and select shape, colors and font to create your own word cloud. Wordclouds.com can also generate clickable word clouds with links (image map). Save or share the resulting image.

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Coherence