Key techniques for using video recordings
Video works well in language teaching by providing visual contextual support. But learners often find it hard to integrate information from the visual and the linguistic sources. Some learners will concentrate on the sound (and look at their notes or worksheets and not the screen); others will look at the screen, guess at an interpretation from the pictures and take little notice of the language.
The message for teachers then is to work separately on the two sources of information and gradually get learners to integrate them. This can be done by:
- Cut the sound and ask learners to describe people and scenes, predict what is being said or what a report is about.
- Pause the video and ask learners to interpret a particular picture or predict what is going to happen next.
- Ask learners to listen to the sound track and suggest pictures.
For example, students can be asked to watch an extract from a film involving a conversational exchange between two characters. From the visual channel, they can be asked to predict the nature of the dialogue. Depending on the learners' level, this can mean giving the gist of what is being said or actually predicting the phrases used. In this way, learners' own productions serve as an advance organizer to focus their attention on the language channel during a subsequent viewing.
Conversely, learners could focus first on the language channel without vision and from what they hear, predict the age of the speakers, their relationship and the exact context of the exchange. The prediction task provides motivation for careful attention to the spoken dialogue.
In extracts from news bulletins, the visual channel can be particularly helpful in getting learners to establish the likely gist of the item before they are exposed to highly dense language, delivered at speed.
Reflection task 13
|
Here is the voice-over to a news bulletin in Spanish (translated into English). What pictures would you expect to see? This Spanish scientist is suggesting that the hole in the ozone layer could start to repair itself in the space of three years, and quickly be replaced. The altitude at which planes fly needs to be restricted. The pollution from international air traffic at the current altitude of 11,000 metres is responsible, together with CFCS, for the loss of the ozone layer over Antarctica. Planes will need to fly at beneath 8,000 metres. Scientist: It could be replaced, I think, in this way, in the short term - most of the other measures are long-term measures whose effects will only be seen by our grandchildren. Within the European community, more than 10% of the ozone layer has been lost over the last 20 years, but measures can be taken to protect ourselves against the effects of utlraviolet radiation, particularly during the summer periods. Scientist: People can protect themselves against the effects of ultraviolet radiation by making sure that they limit the amount of exposure to sunlight and of course, using sufficient protective cream. In the North and East of Europe, the impact of ultraviolet radiation on human beings may be more severe since in this area, the loss of the ozone layer is around 50% From Tele con textos by Elspeth Broady and Michael Shade, © Oxford University Press 1996 and Tele con textos CD ROM © Wild Strawberry 1996. Reproduced with permission Click here to see the original video images |
Click here to see a set of activities to accompany this video extract.
