Zach Paige

Georgia Teachers Initiative Grant Winner

The film industry is known for being innovative, and ever evolving, but the same is not necessarily true of film learning opportunities students receive in the classroom. Using the Teacher Grant for Innovation, Mr. Paige will help students produce six documentaries based around the importance of local ‘water’ ecosystems and our relationships to them – from waterway and river cleanup efforts to sustainable regional fishing practices. Specifically, Mr. Paige will teach a ‘Documentary Filmmaking’ course for students to focus on community-based projects that spotlight significant people, places, and histories within our region. Designing project-based learning opportunities that encourage students to engage with adults and community partners/subjects, and become more community minded, truly helps students ‘see beyond the classroom.’ 

Classroom innovation always begins with instructional design – the development of meaningful project-based assessments. Students learn how to produce documentaries by engaging in the process itself – developing concepts, conducting research/pre-production, organizing shoots, and synthesizing footage into structured stories. We mention ‘education as usual’ and restlessness students feel doing busy work and rote learning – I hope to be a model that encourages film educators to implement community-based and student-centered approaches to learning!

- Zach Paige

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