John E. O Connor's Four Frameworks

Films can be a historian's most effective teaching tool. Today’s population is more accustomed to visually based information rather than written documents because they find historical documents difficult to interpret. John E. O' Connor, a history professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, wrote "In the classroom it is particularly appropriate for history teachers, at least on occasion, to approach moving images as historical documents, reinforcing concepts of historical thinking while teaching visual literacy." The method of analyzing a Moving-Image as a Historical Document that O' Connor developed can evaluate the significances of the United States foreign relations in the film Wilson.
As with the any new form of information, using
The modern student watches and listens for entertainment purposes only, never taking a look at the story from another perspective. In O’Connor’s two stages and four frameworks, he explains that “students should be taught how to question the images they see on the screen, just as they are urged to look for loaded words or phrases in a book or newspaper.” Through learning and interaction, educators and historians are trying to teach students that questioning helps the student gain a deeper understanding of history and to not repeat the
The same story told at different times may bring out different aspects of the story. In one time period, a film shows the horrors of war and in another time period, the same subject matter might show nationalism. The audience needs to examine the historical accuracy of a “documentary film." Many times the biases of the creator will make the film more propaganda than non-fiction. Faking and staging of newsreel films during times of war to make a point was common; for example, the picture of the raising of the flag over Iwo Jima was actually the second time the flag flew on Mount Suribachi. Finally, the audience should determine if items were left out of the film and investigate why. The format of the film industry itself has also caused changes in the film. Independent film companies may have different views of a film compared to major film