And the Oscar Goes To

Tweet Tomorrow students all over the country will want to talk about the Academy Awards. Unfortunately, they don't always do it because they're interested in the awards, but because they're always looking for things that will get their teachers off topic. My students excelled at this. If only they had put as much time and effort into their math studies.

The best things for a teacher to do is be prepared and be informed. Watch the awards. Know something about them. Spend about two minutes discussing them with students, then get back to the important things you're supposed to be teaching. By giving the students a little discussion time, they feel you care, but by only giving it a couple of minutes, you're not letting them manipulate you.

An exception to this would be the case where one of the movies fits into your curriculum. For instance, a lengthy discussion about Avatar could take place if you have been studying the American Indian. A course in Current Events could include a more detailed study of The Hurt Locker. If you've studied apartheid, perhaps a short discussion of District 9 would be in order. As long as a lesson can be learned, it should be considered a valid part of the curriculum.

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• Ten Ways to Teach the Oscars (learning.blogs.nytimes.com)