Critical review of the movie “The Wave” under the perspective of Idealism and Realism Pedagogies

Abstract

The movie “The Wave” depicts an experiment carried out during Contemporary History lessons in a basic education school. The approach had the objective of demonstrating the motivations that led germans to accept and follow the nazi regimen. For this, the professor made use of an unorthodox methodology which simulated autocratic principles inside the class. In this context, the current paper aims to perform a critical review of the movie “The Wave”, establishing connections between the narrative and the fundamentals of education. Initially, an analysis is conducted to determine relations between events of the film and the two main pedagogical theories: the Idealism of Plato and the Realism of Aristotle. In sequence, a reflection on positive and negative experiences is held, as well as their impact on learning. At last, a discussion is developed on certain elements of the movie and traditional tendencies that permeate the current pedagogical thinking, such as the culture of spectacle, knowledge relativization and, humanistic and technical ideologies. This work allowed the development of critical analyses with respect to the occupation and exercise of teaching and the relationships existing in the school environment.