You Saw What in Class?!: Using Videotapes and Video Clips in the Classroom

Toni Enloe
Feb 15, 2010

The middle school class had just completed their study of the play "Romeo and Juliet" so as a final activity, the teacher thought the students would enjoy watching the movie. Students gathered around the television in the school's all purpose room for the much anticipated viewing. Things were going well. The students were paying attention and periodically the teacher would stop to talk about what was going on. And then it happened... the scene! Many of you remember the scene from the Zeffirelli version (a beautiful adaptation of the play) with Romeo and Juliet in a compromising position? Much to the teacher's horror, there they were in all of their glory. What to do? Fast forwarding only made the images worse. If you have taught for a while something similar may have happened to you. You either forgot some of the details or you just did not have time to preview the video or the clip.

Videos and video clips cannot replace good teaching but when used effectively to supplement classroom instruction, they can be powerful tools. An excellent way to launch units of instruction, build prior knowledge, and reinforce concepts, a good video clip can help make a topic come alive for students. However, selecting the best videos or clip for a lesson can be tricky. There are several questions that need to be considered when using videos:

1. How will this support the standards I am teaching?
2. Do I need to show the entire video or will a clip accomplish the same purpose?
3. If using the video or clip to show a simulation (ex. plate tectonics in science), is there a hands-on activity or live demo that will address the same standard and more actively involve students?

When considering the use of videos or video clips, there are several things to keep in mind:

  • Preview, preview, preview. By doing this you can avoid any surprises like the one described above.
  • Make notes when previewing the video or clip. Identify questions or points do you want to make sure you stress during the viewing. Many times the questions can be used as Assessment Prompts during the lesson.
  • Use portions or clips from videos. They can be just as effective for reinforcing concepts. It is not necessary to show an entire program. It may be appropriate to show several clips over the course of the lesson.
  • Be sure that videos are grade-level appropriate.
  • Keep students actively engaged during the lesson. Give students a task to complete during the video (other than just taking notes or making a list of a predetermined # of facts from the video). Prepare a graphic organizer to go along with the video or clip. Stop periodically to check for understanding. Pairs can discuss or check with each other.
  • Help students make the connection to prior knowledge and experiences if using the clip as part of instruction,
  • Watch the video with your students. This should not be a time for you to catch up on paper work. It sends the wrong message to students about the importance of what they are seeing.
  • Plan a follow-up activity after the video. If using the video as a unit launch, you will have many opportunities to reference points throughout  instruction during the unit.
  • Ask your media specialist, department chair, or curriculum coordinator to make recommendations. Make sure you are in compliance with all copyright laws.

REMEMBER:  A video should naturally support the lesson being taught and should never be used as an add-on or a time killer.