The Dead Poets Society is a Peter Weir Film that was written by Tom Schulman. It is leaded by Robin Williams as John Keating who holds the role of the unconventional teacher at Welton Academy that was a member of the Dead Poets Society D.P.S Organization that was continued by his students who are; Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), Charlie Dalton (Gale Hansen), Richard Cameron (Dylan Kussman), Steven Meeks (Allelon Ruggiero) and Gerard Pitts (James Waterston) after they discovered the secret organization from their Captain Keat who studied at Welton Academy few years ago.
Mr. Keating is a new English teacher who was also a former student at Welton Academy who is not in quandary of using a different methods in teaching because he does not agree with Mr. Nolan who is the head of the Academy that students should not be allowed to be a free thinkers since it will just make the learning process of the students impede, that is why instead of following the conventional way of teaching their Academy used to, Mr.
Keat uses the unconventional way of teaching to make his students feel less pressure at school, especially to those students who has a herculean pressure from their parents like Neil Perry whose father should always be followed and don’t let his son to have the freedom to do acting as what Neil always dreamed. The same with Dewey’s Pragmatism, progressivism side on the idea that education is to enhance personal development in real life rather than let the children adapt to education, but let education adapt to the children. Mr Keating never urges students to get a high score or be the top of ranks, he just want his students to grow comprehensibly through education.Mr. Keating’s teaching method is not ubiquitous compared to the teachers at Welton Academy. Even during the first meeting of their class, Mr. Keating already catch the attention of his students. It is very evident that he is candor of being a teacher wherein he is doing his best to make his students learn not just based on the textbooks but relates it in reality. In his class, the students were given the chance to go out in their comfort zones and a chance to have a freedom of expression as what Mr. Keat said to his students in the film they’re not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? Carpe’ hear it? Carpe. Carpe diem’, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary. because at first some of the students are afraid to talk in the class specifically when they are tasked to make a poem that will be presented in front individually but when Mr. Keat motivates his students and taught them with euphoria to pursue their dreams and seize the day, the students are motivated to speak up for what they believe in and by not just depending on what others are telling them to do. As a future educator, I believe that Mr. Keat’s teaching methods is also a good way in teaching wherein it is a communicative way that the students were given the chance to talk and to share their own knowledge to interact with the teacher and to their classmates. Hence, the students self-confidence are also build that will make them have the courage to decide on their own without fears that is evident in the film. It is also evident in the film that it heavily criticizes the traditional way of teaching as early as 1989 but with the learners of today who can experience even more than the traditional way of teaching wherein teachers can used different materials, teachers must not just opt out the traditional way teaching because as a teacher you must know who are your students are, what are their strengths and weaknesses for you to have the choice on what kind of methods you will be applying in the classroom. Also, there are no best methods that a teacher can apply to make the learners more productive. Even if it is an unconventional or conventional way of teaching. At first, the film is boring but when Mr. Keat started to meet his students, it catch the attention of the viewers because he is showing a different way of teaching and he is teaching the deep essence of a poetry. However, after the good story of the film, there are scenes that is not appropriate for a teacher to do in a class. Specifically, when Mr. Keat commands his students to rip out the first page of the textbook and also when he commands his students to be at the top of the table because he is a teacher that must be a role model to his students that would teach correct actions and not disobeying the rules. In conclusion, the film has a capricious ending that made the viewers a hard time to acquiesce it. It is not expected at first that Neil would end his life using the gun of his father but he will escape from the hands of his parents who would always decide for him. Hence, it is a worth watching film that would be an eye-opener to those parents who are strict to their children who does not let their child decide for what they really wanted to. Lastly, to the future educators who have the heart to be mettlesome in teaching and would know what a teacher can do to influence and shape their students. Analyzing Mr. Keating’s Teaching Concept in Dead Poets Society from Progressivism. (2016, Apr 21). Retrieved from