There’s a ‘Simpsons’ episode for that!

Although I have thus far in my career taught English, History and Drama, my first love is Film and Media Studies. While I am a firm believer that the analysis of visual media is a powerful educational skill (Gray, 2005), it was my opinion upon commencing work as a new English teacher that the place of such analysis was in Media studies, or only within film studies units in the English curriculum. And the last week of school, of course.

So you can imagine my delight when I landed my first teaching job in an English staffroom that whole-heartedly embraces ‘audio-visual learning experiences’ (our way of making ‘watching TV or a movie’ sound educational). One staff member is particularly skilled at making connections between any unit you are teaching and a movie or TV show episode. It’s a serious talent.

Although she continually jokes that it is because she is a lazy teacher, in fact she is the total opposite. She is a teacher who cares first and foremost about her students and how she can improve their engagement. And, as research supports, connecting with the interests of students and using audio-visual strategies are some of the best ways to engage students and improve outcomes (Hobbs, 1998).

I’ll always remember one day when she said to me, “anything worth teaching can be taught using The Simpsons”. I laughed, but she didn’t. She was dead serious, and the more I thought about it, she was dead right. From literature to history, maths and health, there really is a Simpsons episode for everything!

 

The Simpsons [Image]. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://smagicblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/an-alternative-simpsons-timeline/

 LITERATURE

We have already established that engagement levels increase when an ‘audio-visual learning experience’ is provided, and this can be particularly useful in engaging students in literary works. As stated by Evans, “popular culture has an important place in the English classroom – as an object worthy of study and as a means for students to access and study literature successfully” (2004, p. 32). Particularly students for whom reading a literary text can be daunting, introducing the text using comedy and characters they are already familiar with such as The Simpsons can relieve much of the tension and apprehension experienced (Eikmeier, 2008).

The Simpsons has adapted many storylines and ideas from works of literature. This includes episodes such as Das Bus (Season 9, Episode 14) which is based on William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Treehouse of Horrors VIII (Season 9, Episode 4) which mirrors Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and multiple episodes that connect to Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-tale Heart – The Tell-Tale Head (Season 1, Episode 8) and Lisa’s Rival (Season 6, Episode 2). As well as these, several of Shakespeare’s most famous plays have also been given the Simpsons treatment. According to Eikmeier, “the benefits of using these episodes expand way beyond the little time it takes to incorporate them” (2008, p. 80).

Belljar [Image]. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from https://raschellem.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/c8a70-113911_belljar.jpg

MATHEMATICS

While you may not think that The Simpsons would be useful in the teaching of mathematics, you are absolutely wrong. Several key staff members on the show such as writers and producers Al Jean and Jeff Westbrook, actually hold university Maths degrees (from Harvard and Yale respectively), and have inserted over one hundred maths references into the program over the years (Greenwald, 2004). In fact, there are even several books, blogs and highly respected articles that reveal the hidden maths gems in episodes of the show.

Even as early as season 1, episode 2, Bart the Genius contains a calculus joke. Mathematics lecturers in the US have used this joke as an exercise when introducing their students to a calculus unit with positive feedback (Greenwald, 2004). Additionally, the chanting of Pi in a clapping game between two girls in the episode Lisa’s Sax (Season 9, Episode 3) can be useful for visual and auditory learners (Greenwald, 2004) in understanding the repetitive nature of the number.

Throughout the series, the prevalence of overt and covert mathematical jokes is amazing. Using these episodes in the classroom can be a fantastic way to boost engagement, while also alleviating maths anxiety experienced by many students (Greenwald, 2004).

Lisa Simpson math [Image]. Retrieved September 21, 2014, from http://mathspig.wordpress.com/

HEALTH

Finally, there is also evidence to suggest that The Simpsons can provide opportunities to teach about healthy eating. While Homer commonly represented as somewhat of a slob, eating too many donuts and drinking too much beer, the dangerous effects of these habits are dealt with in the show. In King-Size Homer (Season 7, Episode 7) when Homer gains wait in an attempt to avoid work (much to Lisa and Marge’s frustrations and warnings), he runs into severe problems – the least of which being his inability to find appropriate attire.

Additionally, in the very same season, Lisa the Vegetarian (Season 7, Episode 5) deals with the health and ethical implications of vegetarianism. In the episode, Lisa causes a rift between herself and her family and school when she turns vegetarian and forces her beliefs onto others. Research around this episode with nine year old American girls (the same demographic as the character Lisa) shows that the episode did in fact have an impact on their nutrition cognition and attitude towards vegetarianism (Byrd-Bredbenner, 2010).

Lisa [Image]. Retrieved September 21, 2014, from http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2008-04-17-Lisa.png

There are so many more aspects that could be discussed here, such as the representation of historical events (Burton, 2013), use of satire (Considine, 2006), use of stereotypes (Fink & Foote, 2007), and politics (Cantor, 1999), but we have unfortunately run out of room.

I always knew that The Simpsons could be educational, but now that I have the research to back myself up, maybe I won’t tense up the next time my Principal walks by my classroom and I’m providing an ‘audio-visual learning experience’. Maybe I’ll just direct her here instead!

REFERENCES

Burton, J. (2013). From Barthes to Bart: The Simpsons vs. Amadeus. Journal of popular culture(0022-3840), 46(3), 481-500. Doi: 10.1111/jpcu.12037

Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2010). Effect of a television programme on nutrition cognitions and intended behaviours. Nutrition & dietetics(1446-6368), 67(3), 143-149. Doi: 10.1111/j.1747-0080.2010.01446.x.

Cantor, P. (1999). The Simpsons. Political theory(0090-5917), 27(6), 734-749. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/stable/192244

Considine, J. (2006). The Simpsons: Public choice in the tradition of Swift and Orwell. Journal of Economic Education, 37(2), 217-228. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/235264271?accountid=13380

Eikmeier, G. (2008). D’oh! Using “The Simpsons” to improve student response to literature. English Journal, 97(4), 77-80. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/61960781?accountid=13380

Evans, J. (2004). From Sheryl Crow to Homer Simpson: Literature and composition through pop culture. English Journal, 93(3), 32-38. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/237300588?accountid=13380

Fink, M., & Foote, D. (2007). Using The Simpsons to teach humanities with gen X and gen Y adult students. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 115, 45-54. doi:10.1002/ace.266

Gray, J. (2005). Television teaching: Parody, The Simpsons, and media literacy education. Critical studies in media communication(1529-5036), 22(3), 223-238. Doi: 10.1080/07393180500201652

Greenwald, S. (2004). r dr r: Engaging students with significant mathematical content from The Simpsons. Primus: Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, 14(1), 29-39. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213427672?accountid=13380

Hobbs, R. (1998). The Simpsons Meet Mark Twain: Analyzing Popular Media Texts in the Classroom. The English Journal, 87(1), 49-51. Doi: 10.2307/822021

IMAGE ATTRIBUTION

Bart Simpson [Image]. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://www.gifmania.co.uk/Animated-Cartoons-Animated-Gifs/Animated-FOX/The-Simpsons/Bart-Simpson/

Belljar [Image]. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from https://raschellem.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/c8a70-113911_belljar.jpg

Lisa [Image]. Retrieved September 21, 2014, from http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2008-04-17-Lisa.png

Lisa Simpson math [Image]. Retrieved September 21, 2014, from http://mathspig.wordpress.com/

The Simpsons [Image]. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://smagicblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/an-alternative-simpsons-timeline/