ISL collective features video as a major tool for the teaching and learning of foreign languages . These videos address both vocabulary and grammar. The videos can also be very interactive, allowing the learner to hone his/her aural, oral, reading and writing skills. To see this video interactively visit:
However, not only does the website offer videos which are already done, it also allows learners to create their own videos, allowing them to express themselves in the target language using the various skills that they are being taught.
Nevertheless, one must beg the question, how effective are video as a learning resource? Can we use this website in our classrooms? Do we have the resources to use such a site when we are teaching in the classroom or asynchronously?
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Absolutely Sophie! Using FL videos in the classroom allows our students to easily access something we in Barbados have very little access to: real authentic language. The ability to engage with these videos makes learning more efficient as students are able to recognize, retain and produce key concepts used in real situations. I also use video to help reinforce topics taught in the classroom. This leads me to mention that our best bet is to use these videos asynchronously since the constraints of our physical classrooms, whether technological or economic make it difficult for us to enjoy these benefits in the face to face environment.
ReplyDeleteForeign language videos, coupled with subtitles in the target language, definitely prove helpful in the acquisition of a foreign language among adolescent learners. In my experience, the length of a FL video can make or break the achievement of learning objectives. Students at the basic or beginner level can at times become quite overwhelmed watching an entire film as they still need to make sense of the story at a pace which matches their cognitive skills. Sometimes it helps to have them watch clusters of brief clips followed by discussion or questioning. Silent movies can also help reinforce nonverbal cues as a universal language to associate a FL with other communicative features. The possibilities are certainly endless!
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that videos are a powerful additional resource for language learning.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately students often perceive language as a "subject" and not the living language as we wish. Unfortunately circumstances do not always make it possible to incorporate such in our classrooms (infrastructure/connectivity on campus), and we are forced to use them as asynchronous tools and hope that our students benefit as is intended.
We also have to be mindful of the cognitive levels of our students when using such tools for reinforcement, and choose our content accordingly. I have found that younger students engage better with songs and music and shorter videos, and while this is also the case for older students, a video more than 5 minutes long, depending on the concept, is often lost on the students if it is too weighty. I have noted that all levels respond well to situational content where they can see the language "in action".
There are limitless opportunities for language learning and teaching with such resources.