Abstract

The main goal of the presentation is to share a practical pedagogical model for co-created, student-led, practice-based learning. This model uses documentary filmmaking to foster creativity, critical thinking, and social responsibility while connecting with the local communities around the college. Based on my experience co-creating with students six short documentaries about the local communities around Elephant and Castle, I will discuss the models of positioning learning beyond the classroom and embedding it within a real social, cultural, and spatial context.

Session and activities

I propose presenting The Elephant Stories project, a series of 6 short documentaries co-created with LCC Film and TV students. The Elephant Stories is a living, learning experience that connects students with the social fabric of their local environment and allows them to engage in a meaningful, creative response to place. Their participation extends beyond filmmaking to building community relationships, learning to work ethically and responsively with local voices. This presentation offers a unique opportunity to share that process, celebrate the students’ achievements, and reflect on how making films can be a tool for connection and change.

The presentation will showcase how students have taken ownership of key production roles—developing storylines, researching, managing interviews, editing, and filming and shaping the project’s visual and narrative identity. I will reflect on the pedagogical approach and collaborative workflow, and the challenges and rewards of managing a student-led team and how this experiential project has expanded their skills in storytelling, teamwork, and social engagement, offering a powerful pedagogical model for practice-based learning that bridges education, art, and activism. Using this project as a case study, the workshop invites participants to actively explore documentary filmmaking practice as a pedagogical tool for examining change, memory, and identity within local communities.

The presentation will combine short clips and a discussion of the key stages of a student-led documentary process, including developing story ideas, conducting ethical research, planning interviews, and shaping narrative and visual identity. It will foreground the pedagogical framework behind the project, addressing strategies for supporting student ownership, belonging, managing collaborative workflows, and navigating the challenges and rewards of experiential, practice-based learning. Particular emphasis will be placed on using media practice to build meaningful relationships beyond the classroom.

The presentation is aimed at educators and creative practitioners interested in innovative, media-based teaching methods. Its main goal is to provide participants with practical tools and simple strategies for designing student-led media projects that foster creativity, critical thinking, teamwork, and social engagement, and to demonstrate how co-created documentary filmmaking can serve as a powerful model for learning that bridges education, creative practice, and engagement with the local community.