Педагогические науки / 5. Современные методы преподавания

Agadzhanova R. M.

Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics, Ukraine

THE USE OF SHORT VIDEOS IN THE PROCESS OF TEACHING ENGLISH IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS

At present it is generally acknowledged that a well-equipped classroom needs to include technology tools for teaching and learning in the 21st century. But there are the questions about the tools which are necessary for the teachers to best serve the needs of a diverse group of students as the use of these tools reshape teaching practices.

Questions about technology integration persist, even after more than half a century of research documenting the use of technologies such as television and the benefits of using computers for learning. But for students who have grown up in a digital world, there is no debate. They are already active users of technology. The challenge is leveraging the opportunities technology creates to prepare students for a globally connected, information-saturated world.

The tools available for learning have become increasingly powerful and widespread. At the same time, barriers to using technology have steadily diminished. Today's learning landscape includes an almost dizzying array of tools, from inexpensive personal computers and handheld devices to interactive whiteboards, digital video cameras, and a constantly expanding suite of Web 2.0 tools.

According to learning-science experts, the increasingly interactive nature of technology, exemplified by Web 2.0 tools, creates new opportunities for students to learn by allowing them to do a task, receive feedback on it, and then build new knowledge. John D. Bransford, Ann L. Brown, and Rodney R. Cocking point out that technology can be used to advance learning by bringing exciting curricula based on real-world problems into the classroom; providing scaffolds and tools to enhance learning, such as modeling programs and visualization tools; giving students and teachers more opportunities for feedback, reflection, and revision; building local and global communities that include teachers, administrators, students, parents, practicing scientists, and other interested people; expanding opportunities for teacher learning [1].

Thus, technology is an ever changing medium in the world we live in today. Nowadays schools across the world are increasingly integrating technology into the classroom. The use of technology is both beneficial for the students and the teacher. One source of technology that has proved to be beneficial in the classroom is an interactive whiteboard as it helps increase the use of interactive instructional tools, create more interest and motivation among students, display attractive graphics, improve lectures with audio-visual tools, provide better instructional materials, and can also cater to all learning styles. In such a setting, this new technology enables a quality learning environment. The goal of integrating an interactive whiteboard into the classroom is to improve student achievement and increase their technology literacy. This can be done with both the teacher and the students' efforts. Considering the above-mentioned, it is reasonable to study the peculiarities of the use of an interactive whiteboard in higher educational establishments, in the process of teaching English in particular, to specify some key advantages of their use in the classroom. Moreover, this article examines the peculiarities of using short videos in the process of teaching English in the classroom. Let us note that by short videos we refer to short clips such as news items and short documentaries. These videos should not last longer than ten minutes, as if they are longer the class objectives change. To use these clips in the classroom, the teacher needs access to online resources in the form of an interactive whiteboard.

First of all, it is important to emphasize the following advantages of using video clips in the process of teaching English:

- Students are exposed to authentic English in a natural context. Not only is this by exposing them to “real people”, but they view real situations too. Short documentaries, for instance, can open their eyes to different cultures and ways of life.

- The videos are short enough for the teacher to focus on vocabulary, so the teacher has a chance to pre-teach relevant vocabulary beforehand and then whilst watching the video, students will be able to listen to the new vocabulary in context.

- Language produced from the video can be exploited further by setting up a debate involving recycling of new vocabulary, and followed up by a piece of writing for homework.

- The visual element is stimulating to students. Short videos provide a nice alternative to reading or listening exercises which students are usually exposed to [2].

It should be mentioned that some videos can be inappropriate. Hence it is crucial that the teachers watch the video beforehand. This leads us to the point of video selection. There are three key points that should be taken into consideration when selecting an appropriate video clip:

1. Who will select the video? Where students are involved in the selection of the video, they may be more motivated to watch it as it will reflect their interests. This could even be given as a pre-class task, where students could select an online video clip themselves, and be prepared to talk about it. When the teacher is selecting a video, he / she should note down any new vocabulary he / she wants to pre-teach whilst watching the video.

2. The topic of the video. This could be a topic which students have requested or something more specific to the students’ needs or a topic which coincides with the course book.

3. Class objectives. If the teacher wants the students to concentrate on the visual aspect to make descriptions, it is necessary to look at short stories. The teacher may also prefer to focus on specific vocabulary on the video. Thus, the class aims should be considered carefully when it comes to selecting the appropriate video [2].

Generally, there are some peculiarities of exploiting the clip in the classroom. Firstly, it is necessary to pre-teach the vocabulary if the students are watching a news item or short documentary. This can be done by asking a few questions using the new vocabulary, and getting students into pairs or small groups to discuss. Once class feedback is gathered and the new vocabulary has been put on the board, the video can be shown. Secondly, if the students have viewed something topical, it is necessary to set a discussion going by gathering students’ opinions on the video. Talkative classes will carry a discussion through, once the teacher has given them a few prompt questions. Where the students are hesitant to talk, it is possible to give them some preparation time for a discussion by putting them into two groups where one group will argue advantages, the other disadvantages. This way they will have had some time to prepare arguments for the class debate which follows. This can be followed up with a piece of writing on the topic for homework, again giving a chance for students to recycle the new vocabulary [2].

It is known that getting students to use English in class can provide most teachers with a considerable challenge. It can be quite difficult to teach discussion-based lessons. Not only must the teacher carefully consider the material for the lesson, but must also think about language to teach, talk time, and activities. Under such circumstances it is possible to follow some advice for discussion-based lessons to maximize meaning-focused output with students. Firstly, when selecting material, it is necessary to consider whether the material is interesting and relevant to the students and focus on material that introduces and allows the practice of language that can be reused elsewhere, such as vocabulary, phrases, discourse markers, the structuring of ideas, etc. Secondly, the language needed to discuss the material should be accessible to the students. The teacher should also consider what language will be needed to successfully talk about the topic. If the students are not of a sufficient enough level to talk about the material, then both the teacher and the students will feel frustrated. Thirdly, although there may be instances where a controversial topic is appropriate for a lesson, it is necessary to consider that the students often represent a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and beliefs. If the teachers select controversial material to discuss, they risk angering, frustrating, or alienating some of the students. However, the purpose of a lesson is to practice English and not have one’s beliefs attacked or marginalized. Students should feel positive about the learning experience, and this means the whole learning experience [3].

In the present day, the use of video for language focus or skills practice is being challenged as is the conventional task order of Before/While/After You Watch. Video is now commonly seen as a Stimulus – as a springboard to other tasks, discussion or project work. Moreover, video classes already supplement F2F classrooms in Blended Learning programs. In the Flipped Classroom scenario, input is provided on video and watched by learners online, allowing for more a more F2F classroom interaction and changing the roles of the teacher / learner relationship in the process. The movement then is clearly from Video Exploitation with the teacher guiding the class to Video Creation with the learner taking on a more active role. Rather than the students following a model or merely critiquing that model, they can now design their own and thus contribute their own meanings. This is the future of video materials in the classroom – the students providing the input themselves – designing, scripting, recording and transmitting it in any way they see fit [4].

Taking into consideration all the above-mentioned peculiarities of the use of short videos in the process of teaching English in higher educational establishments, it is possible to conclude that it helps to keep up with modern trends in the classroom and adapt to changing times by making the lessons more up to date, fun and visual. The students really look forward to watching the clips, and recycling the language learned afterwards. It certainly works across levels, and with all ages.

References:

1. Boss S. Technology Integration: A Short History [Electronic version] / S. Boss. – On line – http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-history

2. Moobin D. Online Video for ELT [Electronic version]. / D. Moobin – On line – http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/online-video-elt

3. Cotter C. Discussion-based ESL Lessons [Electronic version]. / C. Cotter– On line – http://www.headsupenglish.com/index.php/esl-articles/esl-four-skills/409-how-to-teach-discussion-based-esl-lessons

4. Goldstein B. A History of Video in ELT [Electronic version]. / B. Goldstein – On line –http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/ben-goldstein-a-history-video-elt