The Renaissance Man

Who ever said that teaching was simple? The movie "The Renaissance Man" takes you on a journey with an unexperienced teacher who discovers the beauty or art of teaching with all it's commitments and responsibilities. The movie begins with the dismissal of a big time ad man, named Bill Rago, for his tardiness at a meeting which cost his firm a $6 million contract. After enduring the rigors of the unemployment line, he finds a job as a teacher at an army base. That was all there was for him so he couldn't turn it down. He was assigned to teach reading comprehension to eight educationally-challenged recruits so that they can graduate. Since this was his first teaching experience, there is no structure set up for his class. He tells his students that it's a simple basic comprehension course. Since he doesn't have classroom materials, he begins an English conversational class by asking them to share why they decided to join the army. Without realizing it, he joinned the group closer than it had ever been and assigned an essay on that same topic. He also asked them to bring a book to the next class so that they can discuss what they were reading.

In the second class, one student asked him what he was reading and again without realizing it, he triggered the students' interest with his response. He used reverse psychology when he tells them that his book named Hamlet is about sex, murder, intrigue and incest. The soldiers were so amazed that they wanted to know more about it. So the profesor made copies of the book for the next class and assigned them to read and analyze it. He incorporates the learning theory of Constructivism. which is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences we construct our own understanding of the world in which we live.

As students of a reading comprehension course , they had to learn to read and think but in Shakespeare's language (this was like a new language) They had to construct their own knowledge and this they achieved by actively participating in the class. There is one occasion where they ask the teacher to help them understand Hamlet. So the profesor uses the audio-lingual method where the students listen to each read and interpret what they read. Consequently, he catches the students interest again. I believe that Language Schemata was the key that opened the student's interest.

Once the students started to use their own learning styles, they were able to surprise the profesor with a rap singing dance which interpreted their understanding of the book Hamlet. Furthermore, each student was able to recite a part of the play successfully. At the end of the movie, they demonstrate dominance of the language structure in Shakespeare. Eventually, they graduated and dedicated their achievements to the profesor. The faith that the profesor had put into each and everyone of his students really paid off. Teaching is not an easy job but it is the most precious profession.