English Career Resources
Key Stage 3: World of work
Teachers' Notes
In this unit students will examine media representations of the world of work, through contexts for work popularly represented on TV and in film. They will learn to begin to explore different genres and the codes and conventions that lead audiences to distinguish between 'fiction' and 'real-life'. They will address issues of stereotyping and ways in which these influence their own expectations and decisions.Representations of the police force have been taken as the focus of this unit for two reasons:
- The ubiquity of the police on TV where the most frequently screened contexts for work are police stations and law courts. Dramas involving police work, detectives, secret agents, and the justice system have been a mainstay of broadcast television since the early days of broadcasting.
- The useful work the police have done on issues of representation and misrepresentation.
- Expectations
- Evidence
- On the electronic whiteboard (EWB) show recruitment material from police force: http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/
- Police on TV Give out the analysis sheet (PDF): explain that they will have time to complete it in between each screening.
- The Bill www.thebill.com/
- The Thin Blue Line www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jYEHsT3-i4 (this extract raises notions of stereotyping and political correctness in its opening sequence)
- Traffic Cops Download torrent www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmfVx3s3WUU or www.youtube.com/watch?=xclYt2LBnnw
- Or use Helicopter Heroes www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_j1lrjzxCA
- What do they have in common?
- In what ways are they different?
- How do they relate to the promotional material they have seen?
- How can they be placed on the continuum used earlier?
- Research - getting the facts right
- Summing up
Introduce the unit as an examination of the way aspects of law enforcement are represented in the media. To quickly demonstrate the prior knowledge which students bring to this subject, they should list the variety and range of occupations associated with the law/law enforcement. Point out that most of this knowledge will have come from their experience of watching TV. The next task is to examine and categorise the range of TV programmes. Using TV schedules in magazines and newspapers, students should create collages of different law/law enforcement programmes, grouping them in different categories e.g. police procedural dramas, police docudramas, court dramas etc.
Key words: expectations, assumptions, categories, appeal, realistic
Record class feedback on a continuum between opposite ends of the spectrum 'most true-to-life' and 'most unlike life'.
Expectations and assumptions need to be based on evidence. What do the police say about themselves? How are they represented in drama, comedy, docudrama?
As a class, take the challenges to check your judgement. How does this fit in with your expectations?
As they watch students should be considering the emphasis of the appeal, how convincing it is, who it is aimed at and how we know that.
The following are suggestions. It is important that they select their own extracts and are prepared to respond to discussion which will arise. Five minute extracts from:
There are a number of 'fly on wall' documentaries following helicopter crews' of the emergency services.
Chopper Coppers (ITV)
Helicopter Heroes (BBC)
Police Interceptors (Five)
Highland Emergency (Five)
Sky Cops (BBC)
Helicopter Heroes (BBC)
Police Interceptors (Five)
Highland Emergency (Five)
Sky Cops (BBC)
Students should have time to complete the analysis sheet in between screening.
You may or may not want to draw attention to media language.
Follow up with class feedback and discussion:
Key words: evidence, proof, drama, documentary
Ensure that students have internet access and/or access to print material provided by careers services. Their task is to research two or three jobs in this sector which interest them.
Discuss the main resources available for research. This could be developed with a discussion of primary and secondary sources.
Key words: select, collate, edit
The final task is to make a PowerPoint presentation (if possible multi-media) about these jobs, with reference to media influences which may have inspired/informed them.
Most students will have learned how to make a PowerPoint presentation as part of their ICT studies. It would be helpful to use an electronic whiteboard for class presentation.
Key words: inform, explain, describe