Reclaiming the night (uk)

Pedagogical value

Reclaiming the Night is embedded in the Education in Emergencies course developed by UiT – The Arctic University of Norway in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council. The course equips students and professionals to plan and implement psychosocial support for children affected by war, conflict, and displacement. Grounded in trauma-informed pedagogy and experiential learning, the film functions as a central learning resource within a structured teaching cycle: input (lectures), illustration (film), reflection (discussion), and application (assignments). Before viewing, students explore core concepts through lectures, readings, and international guidelines on psychosocial support. The film then translates theory into lived experience, documenting the Better Learning Programme in Lebanese schools and showing how teachers help children regain sleep, safety, and the ability to learn after trauma. This visual and emotional dimension engages students beyond text-based materials, fostering empathy and critical insight. After viewing, learners respond to guided reflection questions linking film content to theory and share analyses in online discussions and small-group forums. They compare perspectives, critique approaches, and explore transferability to other emergency contexts. Finally, applied assignments ask students to design classroom interventions or teacher support plans inspired by the film’s methods, ensuring practical skill-building alongside conceptual understanding. Beyond the course, the film serves in teacher training, professional development workshops, and public education on trauma-sensitive pedagogy. In both academic and non-academic settings, it provides a powerful catalyst for reflection, dialogue, and action, bridging research, practice, and professional learning in education for crisis-affected children.