www.teachingenglish.org.uk<=
o:p>
Video
and young learners
Lynn Gallacher,
British Council
This article will give an introduction to some of =
the
issues surrounding video with young learners. It will discuss the benefits =
but
also the potential drawbacks of using video, the different roles video can =
take
and then present criteria for selecting videos. Some ideas for the kinds of
video suitable for young learners are also given.
What are the benefits of using video in the classroom
What are the benefits of using video in the classroom?
Learners aged 3 - 8
- Child=
ren
enjoy language learning with video
- 'One=
of the
aims of teaching English to young children is to instil in them the i=
dea
that language learning is a happy experience, and video creates an
attractive enjoyable learning environment.' Tomalin (1991: 48)
- Video=
is an
effective way of studying body language
- Youn=
ger
language learners are still learning about the world around them.
- Children gain confidence through repetiti=
on
- Young
children love to hear stories again and again and the same goes for
video. By watching a video several times children can learn by absorp=
tion
and imitation.
All
Young Learners
- Video
communicates meaning better than other media
- Video
presents language in context in ways that a cassette can't. Learners =
can
see who's (or what's!) speaking, where the speakers are, what they're
doing, etc. All these visual=
clues can help comprehension
- Video
represents a positive exploitation of technology
- Teen=
agers,
in particular, have a positive attitude towards television and video.=
It
is seen as being 'modern' compared to book
Drawbacks
There are however a couple of potential pitfalls that
teachers should watch out for.
- Passi=
vity
Children are used to passively watching TV at home on the sofa. Teache=
rs
should try to avoid learners 'switching off' in class when the video is
switched on by providing stimulating activities where the child can
interact with and learn from the video.
- Paren=
ts
This is linked to the above. Some parents m=
ay get
annoyed when hearing their child has spent the class watching the TV '=
as
they can do that at home.' This can be prevented by ensuring that time
actually watching the video is kept to a minimum and also by the child=
ren
having something concrete to show to parents connected to the video: a=
worksheet,
picture etc.
Role of vid=
eo
Once the decision has been made to use a video in
class, thought should be given as to what purpose the video is being used f=
or
i.e. the role of the video. The way the video is used and the materials
prepared for use with the video will depend on the role the video is to tak=
e.
Below are four possible roles for video. ( Adapted
from Willis' 6 roles for video 1983: 45)
- Devel=
oping
listening skills
Listening for global understanding, listeni=
ng for
detail.
- To pr=
ovide
information
To provide content relevant to students' needs and interests.
- Prese=
nting or
reinforcing language
Grammar, vocabulary, functions.
- Stimu=
lating
language production
Video used as a basis for discussion, a model for learners to follow, a
visual aid.
A scheme of work using a video sequence may, howev=
er,
encompass more than 1 of these roles. Learners may watch a video to find out
information about, for example, a famous person. The same lesson may also
include work on developing listening skills to enable learners to extract t=
he
relevant information. It could then could be use=
d to
develop vocabulary on the topic of 'lives'.
Criteria for
selecting video
When selecting an authentic video for use in the classroom certain general
criteria should be kept in mind.
- Watchability
Is the video interesting? Would a young nat=
ive
speaker want to watch this video?
- Compl=
eteness
Tomalin (1991: 50) 'The ideal video
clip…… tells a complete story or section of a story'. This
idea of completeness is important for young learners whose primary
motivation for watching a video is enjoyment.
- Lengt=
h
The length of the clip is important, it shouldn't be too long, perhaps
between 30 seconds and 10 minutes depending on the learning objective.=
- Appro=
priateness
of Content
The content should be suitable for Young Learners. How has the video b=
een
rated; 'Universal', 'Parental Guidance', for ages '13'or '18'? Would t=
he
video be suitable for viewing in all cultures?
- Level=
of
maturity
Children mature very quickly so a group of 7 year olds watching a video
made for 5 year olds would probably regard it as 'too babyish'. On the
other hand using a video intended for older children with a group of
younger children might lead to the children not being able to understa=
nd
the concepts in the video.
- Avail=
ability
of Related Materials
Many authentic videos now come with ready made materials that can be u=
sed
for language teaching (Wallace and Grommit=
, the
'Speak Up' series of films in Spain.) Other videos may have been adapt=
ed
from books, which could be used in the classroom to support the video.
(The 'Spot' series and Eric Carlyle stories such as 'The Very Hungry
Caterpillar'.
If, however, the video is being used for presenting
language or for comprehension tasks there are further factors which should =
be considered
when selecting a video.
- Degre=
e of
visual support
A good idea is to choose scenes that are ve=
ry
visual. The more visual a video is, the easier it is to understand - as
long as the pictures illustrate what is being said.<=
/li>
- Clari=
ty of
picture and sound
If the video has been copied from the television it is important to ma=
ke
sure both the picture and sound are clear.
- Densi=
ty of
language
This refers to the amount of language spoke=
n in a
particular time. Videos where the language is dense are more difficult=
for
learners to comprehend.
- Speech
delivery
'Clarity of speech, speech rate and accents are all factors in determi=
ning
how difficult a video excerpt will be for students to comprehend.' Arcario=
(Undated: 115=
)
- Langu=
age
content
'In using video to present language, an important factor to consider is
the linguistic items (particular grammatical structures, language
functions, or colloquial expressions) presented in the scene.' Arcario (Undated: 116)
Another important factor is the amount of repetition of the language
content. Authentic videos for young learners will often contain a lot =
of
repetition.
It is also useful to see if the linguistic content in the video can be
linked to that of the language curriculum or the course book thus
providing a way to integrate video work into the course as a whole.
- Langu=
age
level
The language level of the video should be
appropriate for the level of the class without the teacher having to
explain too much.
Video types
- Anima=
tion/cartoons
Spider, Spot, Pingu, Mr Ben, Eric Carlyle
stories, Wallace and Gromit series.
- Educa=
tional
programmes
TV Documentaries made for children about science/nature etc, Dinosaurs
series, The Blue Planet
- TV advertisements
- Music=
Programmes about musicians, video clips
- Drama=
TV series/soaps for young people (especially good for seeing life in <=
st1:country-region
w:st=3D"on">Britain,
maybe not so easy to understand!)
Further Rea=
ding
Cooper R & M Lavery & M Rinvolucri
Video Oxford: O=
UP
(1991)
Bibliography
Allan M (1985) Teaching English with Video London: Longman
Longeran J
(1984) Video in Language Teaching Cambridge:
Cambridge=
University Press=
Stempleski S
& P Arcario (undated) Video in Second La=
nguage
Teaching and Learning TESOL Inc
Tomalin B
(undated) 'Teaching young children with video' in Stempleski
S & Arcario