Welcome to Media Studies, part of the Expressive Arts Faculty.
Head of Expressive Arts Faculty: Mr J Harris (harris.j@thecoleshillschool.com)
Teachers of Media Studies:
Mrs A Howell (howell.a@thecoleshillschool.com)
Mr R Howell (howell.r@thecoleshillschool.com)
Mr J Harris (harris.j@thecoleshillschool.com)
GCSE
Media Studies is taught in mixed groups over a three year period. In Year 9 students develop the skills needed for them to succeed at GCSE level by studying a range of media industries and acquiring analytical and practical skills. During Year 10 students build on this foundation so that they are fully prepared for their GCSE examination at the end of Year 10. Year 11, for most students, becomes an entirely practical year with them developing and applying a range of skills to produce a range of challenging media texts. This is a very popular choice at GCSE and is expected to continue to be so. Students are encouraged to use the department website regularly as class notes, homework, resources and extra work are posted regularly. There is also the facility to contact teachers and even submit work electronically. To take a look and see the support offered by this resource you can find it at http://coleshillmediasite2.weebly.com
Key Stage 5
AS and A2 Media Studies are popular courses and provide an opportunity for those who have studied the media previously to build on this knowledge, or for those that have no previous experience to start to look at this subject more closely. The course provides the opportunity to analyse media texts and also develop the practical skills needed to produce effective media texts. The course is structured very highly around new technology and all coursework takes the form of student production blogs, submitted electronically online. This new technology is becoming very important in all areas of working life and so the skills developed through this course are increasingly relevant to a range of career paths. The departments runs a very popular website to help students with the course and to provide information, assignments, feedback and resources. You can visit this website to see the support on offer by going to http://coleshillmediasite2.weebly.com
Extra-curricular Opportunities
The Media Studies department several ways for students to extend their media experience. On the curriculum side there is a regular catch-up session for both GCSE and A-Level courses run by subject staff. These take place after school in the two media suites. Students also have the opportunity to get involved in various film projects. These are often open to all years and current projects can be found on the Coleshill Media website.
Photography Key Stage 5
AS and A2 Photography is a challenging course both in terms of content and the time commitment needed to succeed. Students develop analytical and reflective skills which are used to comment on the work of others as well as plan and execute their own photographic projects. The course is taught with modern photography in mind and as a result focuses on digital photography and it's associated skills and techniques. Students have access to equipment and software provided by the school. Support is offered online via a subject specific website which acts as a communication tool as well as containing class notes, extension work and details of assignments. This website can be found by visiting http://coleshillphotographysite.weebly.com
Extra-curricular Opportunities Students have had various opportunities to further their skills and knowledge outside of the classroom. One of the most popular ways of gaining this further knowledge is to act as official photographer at a school event. To date students have covered sports day, awards ceremonies and even those all important Prom photos.