Documentary gives students an armor to doctrine
by Gemma Bradshaw

Back in 2013, SIMA founder Daniela Kon was watching the winning films of the Social Impact Media Awards and she had that spark of inspiration that we know films can give you.
She realized that SIMA was sitting on a goldmine of global social-issue films that could equip students with the skills and mindsets required in our diverse and ever changing world.
The film was FUTURE LEARNING (Eli A. Kaufman, USA, 2013), winner of the Innovation Jury Award, which brought together innovators trying to revolutionize education.
The words of Dr. Sugata Mitra jumped off the screen when he said: “if a child knows how to read, if a child knows how to search for information, how do we teach them how to believe?”
He went on to say: “You and I have different mechanisms of how to believe. Sometimes we say this is obvious. Sometimes you say because so and so told me. Sometimes you say, this is rubbish. What’s that machine inside? How early in a child’s life can we put that in there? If we can do it really, really early, then we would have armed that child against doctrine.”
Daniela knew that the films in the SIMA Collection could be part of that armor to doctrine. That documentary could teach students to think for themselves, to ask questions and create their own path.

We had already seen this firsthand. People talking for hours after a screening, not because they could, but because they felt compelled to. Teenagers having the courage to stand up in front of adult audiences and speak out about social issues because a screening equipped them with knowledge and confidence to add their voice.
Today, SIMA Classroom has over 100 films selected from the annual Social Impact Media Awards that capture inspiring social innovation programs and character driven stories.
Educators are using these films in classes to give students a first-person insight into the pulse, the people, and the movements behind today’s global issues. Along with lesson plans and engagement models that help students reflect on what they have seen and collaborate on their own response to the films.
As we await submissions to SIMA 2018 (opening September 8, 2017), we’ll be looking out for documentaries that can bring global learning to the next generation of changemakers. That can give students a new view on the world beyond their classroom walls and teach them how to believe.

Learn more about SIMA Classroom: simaclassroom.com @SIMAclassroom | Facebook
Gemma Bradshaw is the Education Program Director for SIMA.
