Post on 22-Feb-2016
description
Video in ELT—Theoretical and Pedagogical Foundations
Early Work—1980s
Lonergan, 1984. Video in Language Teaching.
Allan, 1985. Teaching English with Video.Stoller for other FLStempleski and Tomalin
What do we do with video?
Showing videos to studentsVideotaping student activities
Advantages of Using Video
Input in target languageNaturally used language (although
scripted), varieties (regional, socioeconomic, ethnic, gender, age), levels of formality, etc.
Show nonverbal behaviorsShow cultural artifacts and behaviorsAppealing, colorful, story line motivating
Purposes for Using Video
To provide language inputTo provide a stimulus for language
output—speaking or writingTo illustrate pragmatic and nonverbal
behaviorsTo illustrate elements of cultureTo teach content, media literacy, etc.
Kinds of Videos
ELT videosEducational videosMovies/filmsTV programsInternetHome movies
ELT VideoMade for ESL studentsCarefully scripted grammar and
vocabulary for students’ levelClear pronunciationPossibly uninteresting and not
challengingIs it authentic?Is speed normal? Is that important?
Films
Variety of genresInnocent to X-rated90 minutes plus (could segment into
scenes)Many ranges of languageMay have multi-language captions
(DVDs)
Television
Many genres—more than filmsNot usually too offensive—but still
have to consider audience and variety of stations on cable
Various lengths of time, and can segment
Many ranges of language No possibility to vary captions
The Internet
Images sometimes small and shakySound quality not always goodSpeaking and mouth not always in
syncAvailability of materialsProblem with downloadingAre sites reliable?
Authentic Language
Different varieties—regional, ethnic, age, gender
Situational differences—level of formality, social position
Individual differences—speed of speech, voice quality, talkativeness, clarity, situation (e.g. on telephone, with food in mouth)
What are Authentic Tasks?
Watching moviesWatching sitcomsWatching news storiesWatching travel showsAnd so forth …
Listen and comprehendWrite down some key
informationTalk about what we heard
with othersSummarize it in a letter
or e-mail
Might practice note-taking, comprehension questions, ticking off
May also do less authentic things in the classroom for practice, such as filling in the blanks of a transcript to focus on lexical or grammatical usage
DANGER: don’t overteach transcript
Strategy Use
Using background knowledge to fill in gaps in information—educated guessing
Prediction—what will happen next?Use knowledge of genre typeUse knowledge of context/situation
and human nature
Asian students tend to decipher word by word, bottom-up
Turn off sound and force them to read the nonverbal behaviour and images
Look at how nonverbal behaviour as well as paralinguistic (intonation, stress, volume) modify the meaning of the words
Comprehensible Input
Many EFL materials do not challenge students—they just memorize and pick over the text word by word
Students and their teachers fear authentic material is too hard
The teacher can choose film clips and design activities such that students are challenged but can complete the activities—e.g. with the same clip beginners can listen and just check off a list of things they heard; higher level students can answer completion questions
Careful and appropriate pre-teaching helps
Multiple Intelligences
Gardner 1983. Frames of Mind: the Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
Tatsuki 2001. Multiple Intelligences and Video.
Use of video and film in relation to multiple inteligences
To profile multiple intelligences—view a complex film and then debrief; which features of the segment were attended to?
Film may provide an alternative route to understanding a concept (good teachers provide explanation/illustration in more than one mode)
Linguistic—videotape storytelling and provide immediate feedback
Logical mathematical—illustrations of physics concepts (DVD, CD-ROM)
Visual spatial—stop film and predict what will happen next; students make videotapes or documentaries instead of written reports
Bodily kinesthetic—student uses remote control; using moving images to illustrate concepts
Musical—interactive video disks (e.g. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: see score as it is played, hear individual instruments, read about composer)
Interpersonal—cooperative learning projects (making a short film, presenting favorite movies); teleconferencing
Intrapersonal—self-awareness and understanding through multimedia portfolios of students’work for self-reflection
Tips for Using Video in Class
Don’t just show a whole movie in one class
Use shorter clipsHave students watch with a purposeWatch again to check workSegment a film into several sessions
ORHave students watch the rest on their
own time
Activities with Language Input
Comprehension questions (not too many)
True—False Multiple choiceChecking off from a list or gridFilling in a chart or gridCloze
Activities for Language Output
Silent viewing—make up the dialogue, tell what is happening, etc.
Picture off—imagine and describe the visual from the audio
Paired viewing—information gapPrediction—tell the story up until now,
or predict what will happen next
Reaction to controversial or thought-provoking input in speech or writing
Out-of-class preparation of longer speaking or writing activities
Projects
Other Uses
Grammar—pointing out usage, such as verb tense, active/passive, person
Vocabulary—learning from the visual, naming what students see
Culture—noticing and comparing L1 and L2 cultural elements
Pragmatic and nonverbal behaviours--noticing and comparing L1 and L2 cultural elements
Out-of-class research—looking up background on the Internet, about actors, films, TV shows, etc.
Comparison of spoken English and L1 subtitles
Noticing how the film is made—film shots and angles, point of view, sound track
For teaching and supplementing content