Why Video Lessons?
I’ve been involved in English language teaching for years and let me tell you — video is a game-changer for language learners (thus…
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I’ve been involved in English language teaching for years and let me tell you — video is a game-changer for language learners (thus teachers). It is the new text.
We are preparing students for their future work. The language skills they need are less text-related now — more about being able to listen, have great communicative competence, adapt to a variety of Englishes. Text is in the decline — nobody needs to write much at work anymore and text is even being consumed less and less. Video as a medium for language learning is in the ascent. Here are a few more reasons why.
It’s free. There is a plethora of great content out there — authentic and easily presented to students. Just think of commercials. Free and some of the best-produced videos imaginable.
Video is malleable. It’s a learning material you can rewind, repeat, reuse, remix. It’s always there and working. The tech barriers for video are gone and now it works like a charm, like text from a keyboard.
The ears have it. Video offers amazing listening practice. And that is key for any level of language learner. We learn implicitly (SLA research confirms this) and through the ear atuned to sound. This is how language was learned for millennia — aurally. It’s how we should now be learning it. Ever wonder how so many students learned English just from watching the series Friends — over and over. Point made.
Video is motivating. It’s consumable. It’s where your learners ARE. Thus, us teachers should be there.
There are many other reasons to use video in the language classroom. But the best reason is that it engages, its enjoyable, it entrances, it teaches much more than language.
We will be offering teachers our advice on the best videos to use in language teaching or just any teaching. View them on ELT Buzz Video Lessons. Get or free video teaching handbooks and helpers (click the helper tab).
Until the next video!