(ICERI2013 PROCEEDINGS, ISBN 9788461638475) GLADIATTORI. A MEDIA EDUCATIONAL TALK SHOW Lorenzo Denicolai 1 1 Department of Philosophy and Education University of Turin (ITALY) Abstract This paper introduces a Media Education method based on TV talk show. Using this methid, I wish to demonstrate the conscious use of TV language and structure in educational programs and experiments. The main aim is to acquire an innovative methodology for studying, departing from Plato s dialog and the logic of dialectical discussion and the power of audiovisual language. Talk show is an interesting program: when you watch it on TV, you are participating in a Word show. As its name says, the format is composed of a double-face nature. First, it is a conversation, a Wordcentred show, in which guests and experts have a discussion about something. Second, it is a show: actually, many elements of a show are present in a TV talk. For, example, a good television host uses the acting techniques in his job; when he presents a theme or introduces guests and stars, he uses typical instruments of an actor, such as his voice, facial expressions and mimic. Thus, he attracts the audience s attention and favours the mutual participation in the show. Other performative elements are music, graphics, videos and interviews. I think a talk show is also useful in an educational context. When you watch a talk show on TV, you can learn some notions about the theme presented in the talk; in the same way, if you make a talk show, you can have a deep approach about a theme s notions and learn some elements of multimedia language. In Extracampus TV (EXC, the first Italian university television, since 2003 at the University of Turin), I developed an original talk show, called Gladiattori, for classes and students. Gladiattori is a webtv format, based on a simple and repetitive structure, resembling the main parts of a talk show. In this way, it is possible to reproduce the original format in many episodes: each of these is done by a class, with different contents, arguments, television host and guests. In this format all main roles typical of a TV talk show are covered by students, in a dynamic role-play (in which they play as television host, guests and experts, audience, assistant directors and authors of the episode). Students have three ways of activity: a base talk show; a talk show with video and interviews realized by the same class in school or in another place, before the registration of the program; a talk show in which students process a historical character. With Gladiattori, it is possible to acquire competences for studying: students modify their study s approach, becoming interdisciplinary, interactive ad dialectic on a school or cultural theme. They gain some skills such as team building, team work, respect of roles, respect of time and achieving objectives. These elements are gained by the use of this Media situation, that allows: job orientation (students are involved in the TV production directly to learn professional approach with Media), technological competences about TV, video production, video editing and communication. I used this project with primary and secondary school students, with different goals: with primary schools, it is important to give a methodology for organizing study and helping them to create relationships and inclusion (to overcome learning disabilities). With secondary schools, Gladiattori gives communicative skills and an innovative approach to a collaborative and shared work, based on the TV production. I will explain the methodology and some specific results. Keywords: Media education, innovation, talk show, video, multimedia, TV learning. 1 INTRODUCTION: IS TV A GOOD TEACHER? In a 1994 Italian long interview, Karl Popper [1] quoted John Condry s Thief of Time, Unfaithful Servant: Television and the American Children [2]. Condry criticized television, because «modern television [ ] has only one purpose. That purpose is to sell things». [3]. Popper analyzes the role of television in complex societies of 90 s. Both experts argue the useless role of television in education. It
is a tough and often correct opinion. But there is a big amount of truth in those thoughts, although Condry talks about the risks of the over-exposure of kids to the television and a general decadency of social behaviors («Families appear to be in disarray; the schools are functioning badly» [4]). I will shortly argue the last thirty years Italian educational television. In the Eighties and Nineties, for example, there were some programs for kids, but nothing was for education explicitly. All aimed to entertain and help kids in afternoons after schools. Many of those programs were an introduction of cartoons and TV series. But nothing was an innovative method to learn or to do something. Those programs were like a kids parking. Since 2000s, some networks have begun to develop new formats for kids: many of these resulted from U.S. televisions, specially entertainment, sitcoms, serials and series. With the introduction of DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television, 2004), The National Television Network (Rai) introduced a specific educational channel, named Rai Educational [5]. Its aim is to realize and project innovative programs for disseminating science, culture and teaching, with docufictions, series, television s forums, interviews and academic lessons. There is another Rai s channel, Rai Scuola, dedicated to primary and secondary school students. Generally, all formats are realized for kids and teenagers however they are not involved in the production of the programs. TV viewers are a typical active audience passive example: teenagers watch TV format and learn notions, but they are not interactive with medium (while they can be on the Web). I would speak about an experimental talk show format for involving students in an educative TV format s production, in which teenagers are active players and protagonists of the dialectical discussion. First, I m going to talk about a talk show structure. 2 TALK SHOW AS PERFORMATIVE AND EDUCATIONAL FORMAT Whenever you watch a talk show format on TV, you are participating in a word show. This format is composed of a double-face nature. First, it is a word-centred format, such as a conversation, in which some people have a discussion about something. Second, it is a performance, because the discussion is often resulted by the Show s elements, drafts and rules. Let s see what it means. Every TV talk show is based on some actors: a TV host and a variable number of experts, invited to speak about the argument of the episode. They should have a conversation/discussion about a theme, upholding different positions. Each one has its own starting position that could change during the show. It is a TV dialog; it becomes a show, because it is broadcasted by media and because there are many show s tools in it. All components of a TV talk cast (above all, the TV host) use acting techniques, such as the voice, facial expressions and mimic. In Italy, they often talk following the script, just as actors who play a role in a movie. Thus, the dialog is a normal acting piece and not a real instantaneous product of mind. It is a pre-built text that guests play in the television studio. They are protagonists of a representation, such as a theatrical performance. Besides, some guest-stars are invited for their public role and not for their real knowledge or profession. They are present for their appeal: in this way, they attract the audience s attention and viewers often cheer them, also with typical fans behaviour. In substance, TV viewers cheer an expert for the role and not for his speaking and thinking; they participate in an agonistic performance between word s gladiators. If the opinions are already established (by authors for example), pre-built on the guests personalities and transformed in a script, the format is only a show entertainment: talk show becomes a performative agon based on the stars characters and not on the different content positions. There are other show s aspects yet, such as the set, studios and authoring and directing: videos, images, graphics, music and all technical elements whereby build a television show. That is the talk show s functioning. Each performative element creates recognisability and familiarization in the viewer, such as when you hear an old tail narrated in the same way again and again: otherwise, you no more recognize it. In a talk show (and in each TV format ) there are recognizable structural elements and characters, like in a tail. Talk show can become a narration. Thus it is possible to create interest and attract audience. Therefore, the Condry s opinion about television production could be true: talk show is often realized to increase television public and profit, rather than to inform. But, at the same time, these are very important to the running of any show, because people look for recognizable elements unconsciously in all kind of experience. There is an unaware and biological need of certainty and familiarization in all life s experiences: recognizable elements or situations are a great McLuhan s Massage 1. 1 «All media work us over completely. They are so pervasive in their personal, political, economic, aesthetic, psychological, moral, ethical, and social consequences that they leave no part of us untouched, unaffected, unaltered. The medium is the
The challenge of this paper is to consider and demonstrate talk show an educational system too. That is possible if you think again about the nature of this format. It is based on the Word, the fundamental element of the communication and language. In a usual dialog, you talk with someone in a continuous Q&A process. You and your receiver could build a new knowledge, resulted by the dialectical dynamic. It is the basic methodology of Plato s knowledge theory. The whole platonic opera was dialog, because he wanted to teach an innovative method for learning: few people had to discuss on a theme, while one of them had the role similar to a moderator 2. He was part of the group, because he had to lead the collective reasoning to a specific goal. This is the same with the basic running of talk show: a TV host leads and conducts the discussion among few guests (theoretically they are able to sustain the speech). If participants explain different positions and a continuous evolving thinking such as a work in progress the dialog can be an innovative system to build and gain knowledge. Probably, if you attend a talk show among some great philosophers, maybe you could learn something about Philosophy. Here, the show s elements mainly help to stay focused and not tire; secondly, show helps to turn on the logics of recognisability and identification, so that you can feel good and concentrate on the word-agon. Both structural elements of talk show are fundamental for its realization. 3 GLADIATTORI 3 I think it is possible to consider a talk show as an educational format too. That is why I want to explain this experiment, conducted at Extracampus TV University of Turin (EXC) 4. My action-research in Learning and Education aims to experiment innovative systems for learning and co-create a new collective culture with Media (TV and Web) and its language. According to this research s strategy, in 2009 I created and developed Gladiattori, that is an educational talk show ideated for involving primary and secondary schools students (range: 10-18 y.o.) in a real TV production. Each class realizes an episode of Gladiattori, according to a draft and a basic production structure (provided by EXC staff) of the format. The main goal is to help students to have a deep approach about a theme, improve their organization and study s methodology and acquire the basic elements of multimedia language. Let s see what kind of objectives, methodology and activities are basilar for this experiment, for achieving project s aims. 3.1 Objective: Learning Media 5 (and anything else) with Media The main project s aim is to develop an innovative method for learning with Media. Starting by Bingham & Conner s definition of learning («We define learning as the transformative process of taking in information that, when internalized and mixed with what we have experienced, changes what we know and builds on what we can do. It s based on input, process, and reflection. It is what changes us» [7]), I think it is possible to use audiovisual logics with school students for improving collaborative knowledge and acquiring a new method for a deep approach to study subjects. Furthermore, students digital natives use technologies (television too) unconsciously, such as real extensions of their limbs and senses. Thus, they often watch TV without a critical and conscious approach. They are fascinated by TV stars, (through the logic of identification), but don t understand real TV functioning, built on show s elements. If they don t know how to use it, TV can become a bad teacher. Therefore, knowing to use media is another main project s goal. Secondly, there are some intermediate objectives. With massage. Any understanding of social and cultural change is impossible without a knowledge of the way media work as environments. All media are extensions of some human faculty - psychic or physical» [6]. 2 He is similar to a breeder. Socrates should be the main example. 3 The title Gladiattori is composed by gladiator and actor. 4 Since 2003 at the University of Turin, Extracampus TV (EXC) creates and produces innovative and experimental formats for DTT and webtv. It has some main field of interests and applications: scientific and technological dissemination, innovation, arts and music youth culture and, primarily, education and media education. For eight years, EXC has produced innovative television formats and experiment its use, to study structures of television language as academic research. Now, its aim is to test innovative and collaborative learning on Web. Furthermore, every year, in EXC many students do their university training in TV production, writing, shooting, editing and press office. At the end of training period, some of them become tutor for other students. Professionals and researchers are EXC internal main staff. 5 In this project, Media and technology mean Television. I use generic terms to explain the same logic is applicable with all Media.
Gladiattori teenagers can exercise in team building and team work; they can reach some technological skills and a new awareness about technology and Media. It could mean an orientational method to help them for looking for their future profession. 3.1.1 Educational objectives The project has different goals, depending on the students target. With primary schools, Gliadiattori aims to give a method for organizing study and facilitating relationships. With secondary schools, it gives communicative skills and an innovative approach to a collaborative and shared work. Therefore, it should become a methodology to sustain and conduct discussion on any argument and content, to make sure the reasonable logic and dynamics occur. Generally, students have to edit all steps of TV production. 3.2 Methodology: a direct experience For explaining methodology s aspect, we must consider two items: Word and Media. The core of Gladiattori is dialogical dynamic. As Plato s method, students involved should develop a work in progress reasoning, based on Word. Today, many school students have difficulty to analyze and study complex arguments. Besides, many times they are not able to expose thoughts publicly. Most of daily actions are mediated by technologies. And it is very attractive for teenagers, who like a friendly, interactive and playful approach towards life. Instead, they are able to use technologies and multimedia systems (as smartphones, too): those tools can modify their communicative and existential habits, because they can replace some thinking actions. Therefore, the project is based on the conscious use of media and its language, for using. Gladiattori is a format word-based, in which students can realize a talk show both as authors and as production technicians. Here, the format is media-based too. Methodology bases on a direct experience in the project; it becomes an educational gym to improve competences through practise. Al students participate, with different roles and accountabilities. Hence, I consider Gladiattori similar to a role-play. Participants have three ways of applications. First, students can work on the basic version of the format: a debate between two opposite factions on a theme, with favourable and adverse positions. Second, they can realize a talk with a video interview or press report produced by the class. Third, they can involve in a real role-play, in which they process a historical (or cultural) character. In this case, there is another role to interpret by a class s component. Each Gladiattori s episode production is articulated on four steps, in which students are directly involved. All passages have an educational blind objective, so as to reach an informal and unconscious learning, with game and enjoyment. Below I m going to analyze the steps that each class goes through. 3.2.1 Meeting with the game It is the first meeting with students in their class contest (with their teacher, also). Normally, I involve them in a brief discussion about talk show, its basilar elements, its functionalities and goals. I want them to seek to explain collaboratively their opinion on some TV broadcast examples of a talk show. Thus, I can understand how class reacts to external inputs, how organizes answers and how many students are expansive or not. Probably, one of them will have a big role in the whole activity. Starting by TV examples quoted, I lead students to deduce the basic common structure of different formats, getting a hypothetic scheme of realization. In this way, students also identify the protagonists of format (TV host, guests and experts, public), the main technical figures (authors, directors, cameramen) and analyze their tasks. Each role is explained by students, according to their opinion and reasoning. Besides, together we think of some performative elements in the show. At the end of the meeting, I give them the structure scheme of Gladiattori (elaborated by EXC staff), as episode guidelines that students are going to follow. With the class (and the teacher), we decide the deadline to prepare the show. This first step helps class to acquire awareness of a talk show concept; students often understand a talk show s functioning and how to work collaboratively. 3.2.2 Working class This step goes on for about one month. All work is conducted by the teacher with his students during lessons, without other contacts with EXC staff. Teenagers have all ingredients to prepare an episode of the talk. All together they choose the argument (it is often deduced by a school or cultural subject) and analyze it from several points of view. Thus, they identify all different interpretations about the theme, finding topics and any possible insights. With the teacher, they develop a debate and set up a
draft scheme of the discussion, in which they mark different roles and positions. By this work, students merge opinions and analysis develops in two main opposite points of view about theme: generally, one positive/favourable and one negative/adverse. These will be the contents of the talk s experts. If class chooses the second or the third version of the format, they must prepare the needs. They have to realize a video interview on the theme, involving other students or teachers or people and edit the video before the registration. If they choose the third way, they have to think who will interpret the historical character (and his behaviours) during the show. In this case, two opposite parts will be accuser and advocate of the personality. Students choose among them who the host-moderator will be, who will interpret experts and guests. Some will take part in technical sector (assistant director, assistant mixer). Others will be public (and the historical character, possibly), with the chance of attending. All class components have a role in the game. Working class helps students to collaborate on a task; the role s distribution means responsibilities distribution too: students have to recognize and respect it. And this is another indirect function of the project. 3.2.3 We are in recording studio Third step: test and registration. Students come to the EXC s TV studio (at University) for recording the episode of the show. This passage is real important for the realization of the format. EXC TV studio is a multi-functional set, to realize many TV experimental products. For Gladiattori, it is like an arena, with a semicircular seat s disposition for experts and public and a small table for the moderator. The directing area is separated from the studio and audio-connected with intercoms. There are four broadcasting cameras and some professional microphones to record audio. On the walls, there are two video-plasma for watching initials and the insert-video (if it is contemplated by episode). In the morning, students test their class s job in the arena. In this time, students face cameras, timing and some technical needs for the pre-recording. The morning s test often helps participants to relax themselves and become familiar with studio and the recording process. Sometimes, I lead them to overcome emotions and fears, with theatrical exercises and some improvisation games. Meanwhile, in the directing room, students assistant directing learn basic notions on the mixer-video and cameras controls. The afternoon is the recording time. Students realize the talk show (if it is possible without stop), according to any changes set in the morning. Some classes come in EXC with a memory draft, speaking as a mechanic parrot and go out by studio with a new awareness of communication and discussion! This step is very important for the purpose of the project. At the EXC studio, students learn and act at the same time. There is an overlap of educational and funny levels, that is a real performance of the role-play. Indirectly, students acquire competences on the technical management of a TV studio and production, and understand the real functioning of a TV format. When they come in EXC, they become characters of their product, such as their TV heroes. Besides, they can understand being able to agree accountabilities and roles and the power of collaborative working. 3.2.4 Re-watching themselves Some schools organizes publish screenings during annual parties (at school or in another place) for watching the result of the project. Generally, it is important and educative to re-watch the video. Many students learn better re-watching their performance. It is important for acquiring awareness of relationship and abilities too. 3.3 Results. What and how is the learning Starting by the logic of the serial (also talk show are designed on a seriality), each episode 6 is a new declination of a common format structure, such as a syntactic process originates from a paradigm. Students can understand communicative trends about marketing and TV production, which are based on the same logic. On TV, many spots, products and video are based on the logic of repetition (that is repeating, with changes, a model). You could think to TV sitcoms: each episode follows a unique archetype, with some superficial modifications. Moreover, repetition returns in many daily situations too 7 and indirectly and unconsciously, students improved their knowledge of school subjects: for example, repetitive structure is basic in narration and in some mind s processes. This is important, 6 Since 2009, EXC realized 40 episodes of Gladiattori, with primary and secondary school students. You can watch some episodes on Extracampus Youtube Channel (youtube.com/extracampus). 7 You could think to Nietzsche s Ouroboros, which represents the concept of eternal return.
because students have to enhance their understanding of competences about subjects (lingering on the functioning, not on a particular content). And they knew the logic of communication and the system of this: a show is basic for increasing audience, though it could decrease the core. Some objectives are really connected to teaching: students experimented a deep approach method to study and they had to argue a theme with a multi-directional proceeding. During the activity, they cocreated a new knowledge, based on their collaborative work. Teacher could help them to find the correct way for developing a theme, but they did the job. After Gladiattori, many teachers affirm an improvement in interaction and discussion abilities of students. Students improved their awareness and knowledge about multimedia language: TV and video became educative systems too. Students reached some indirect objectives, useful for future orientation: they acquired competences about team building, team work, TV productions and communication. Some teenagers discovered the importance of writing in marketing and communication thus oriented their college s choise in that direction. Besides, it is important to interpret characters and experts such as a role play: many students have discovered some interests, such as directing and acting. All these activities can be important for the future of them. After Gladiattori, generally, teachers note a good new level of interaction and more attention by their class. There is a particular case with wonderful result. In 2013, I realized an episode of Gladiattori with a class of children (10 y.o.). In this context there was an autistic and two hyperactive children. For these last, Gladiattori was basilar to direct the energy in one precise direction: they took care of assistant direction role: this allowed them to organize their attention in a leading working, feeling important. Instead, the autistic child recognized his class mates in a different context outside the school 8 and he wanted to attend and participate in the talk show actively: in fact, he talked during the show spontaneously from the public position. This is an important result, because Gladiattori could be a good project to stimulate inclusion in class and the overcoming of some learning disabilities. 4 CONCLUSION These are partial conclusions, because Gladiattori continues this academic year with 10 classes of secondary schools (12-14 y.o.), in a big project of educational observation, to find out borderline cases and operate to improving the situation. I think it is a good practise for teaching and learning multimedia language with an innovative direction: for learning methodologies and not only for artistic and funny activities. REFERENCES [Arial, 12-point, bold, left alignment] [1] Popper, K. (2010). Cattiva maestra televisione (cured by Giancarlo Bosetti). Marsilio, Milano, pp. 69-80. [2] Condry, J. (1993). Thief of Time, Unfaithful Servant: Television and the American Children. Daedalus 122, pp. 259-78. [3] Ivi, p. 264. [4] Ivi, p. 259. [5] See: www.educational.rai.it [6] McLuhan, M., Fiore, Q. (2001). The Medium is the Massage. As Inventory of Effects, Gingko Pr Inc, Berkeley CA, p. 26. [7] Bingham, T., Conner, M. (2010). The New Social Learning. A Guide to Transforming Organizations Through Social Media, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc, San Francisco, p. 19. 8 After Gladiattori experience, teacher required a representative drawing to students. Each child drew the format set and actions from his point of view. The autistic child drew also his mates for the first time (since four years).