Dead Poet's Society

Final Paper
Throughout the movie “The Dead Poet’s Society” the instructor named Mr. Keating utilized many course concepts as he instructed the students at Welton Prep-School in an unordinary manner, motivating them to strive to express themselves and avoid succumbing to conformity. Mr. Keating’s teaching techniques propelled his students to become intrinsically motivated and participate in activities for the sake of knowledge. His repeated use of the quote “Carpe Diem”, or seize the day became a pivotal saying that laid the groundwork for the students’ actions throughout the entire movie. Mr. Keating continuously captivated his students by promoting high levels of interaction through the use of controversial questions and abnormal actions. In his first class, Mr. Keating asked a student to read an excerpt about rating poetry. Once the student finished, he instructed to students to rip out the entire introduction of the book, which captivated each student’s full attention. Mr. Keating utilized the concept of modeling throughout each class. Mr. Keating embodied the characteristics that are associated with an effective model. He attended the same prep school as his students, was known as a very intelligent individual, was the captain of the soccer team, and was considered “most likely to do anything” in his annual yearbook. These characteristics influenced the likelihood that the behavioral cognitive or affective changes would occur as the students observed his actions. Mr. Keating illustrated the effect of modeling known as changing inhibitions when he told motivated a student to let go of the notion that whatever he said or did would be ridiculed by his classmates and say whatever he felt. This student let go of this self-imposed restriction and composed a poem in front of the entire class. The praise that this student received, allowed other students to learn vicariously and become motivated to come up with their own ideas. Mr. Keating vicariously reinforced