[Kieran]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks very much for your in-depth evaluation of the framework.

I think that this framework is very clear and it gives students the guidance they need to be able to successfully create their own film.

I’m really happy you like the framework.

I think it would work with my students but there are some areas I think might be problematic:

– time management could be a problem for students, perhaps in the 1st step, but more so in the 4th.

Time management is definitely an issue in film/video production!

– editing might also be a problem, ensuring the film is a shared vision and not just one student’s interpretation

Yes. Editing could be problematic. One solution is to have various students edit the video but this can get messy.

– evaluating the process: now the film is made and students have watched it they might not want to reflect (or hear the feedback!)

Good point. Even though it may be problematic, this feedback stage is fundamental.

I think it’s still possible to do this in online classes but it would need to be approached more creatively.

The teacher can help by giving students the task/challenge of creating a film that must be made in the online environment (monologue, an interview, something like Mixtape with people in two rooms)

Great ideas! The examples you give are simple and realistic. There’s a danger of being too ambitious and nothing getting made.

For online classes students could still work collaboratively, and would be able to brainstorm ideas, storyboard and write a script in breakout rooms. They could even rehearse together online.

Good point. Students can still work collaboratively in online classes.

Filming might be a little more difficult to ensure quality video and sound (though this could add atmosphere like with The Blair Witch Project). They could record video through a Zoom meeting or do it it on their phones. Maybe the choice would also depend on their internet connection. This might take a long time and would require effective planning.

Yes. These are all potential issues and would require effective planning to ensure an effective end product.

Editing would need to be the responsibility of one student but perhaps they could watch all the footage together on Zoom and decide together what they want to use. That could also be time consuming.

I really like your idea of students watching all the footage on Zoom and then deciding what footage they want to use.

The final steps are still possible, with students having an online premiere and then giving feedback on the film and process.

An online premiere is a great idea!

Thanks again for your excellent comments, Andrew.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

Thanks very much for your comments.

Do you agree with the benefits of using short films in the article? Are there any other benefits that you can think of?
Yes, I do.
The main thing is really that it is easier to integrate than long/feature length material.

Yes. Short films are definitely easier to integrate into the language classroom than feature-length films.

To download and read the five generic activity sheets.
Great variety of generic activities!

I’m delighted you liked the activities.

Thanks again for your comments.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks very much for your insightful comments.

What I’ve taken from this topic is just how many potential videos are out there to use in the classroom – a veritable smorgasbord of visual resources!

Absolutely. We’re now spoilt for choice.

I’ve only ever used music videos for listening activities (gap fills, correct the lyrics and so on).

An activity like this, that exploits the video, could be really motiving for my teens class and I’m going to give this music video activity a go.

Do you know the Lyrics Training website? It’s great for students who want to learn English through music videos and song lyrics. Here’s a link:

https://lyricstraining.com/

I’d also like to explore viral shorts in class because these are the sorts of videos students are coming across daily. I can use these viral videos to generate discussion and get students to share ideas with their peers. Would TikTok, Reels or IGTV videos work too?

Viral videos work very well to generate discussion in class. TikTok, Reels and IGTV videos would work well too but I haven’t used them myself. Here’s a link to an article on using TikTok videos in the classroom:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/headache-helpful-teachers-using-tiktok-classroom

I like the split-screen video, especially for comparing differences between old and new. I’ve done something similar with old photos, but being able to see the place in a moving image will engage students more and I think they’d look at the video in more detail. This could be used with a variety of levels, from a simple spot the difference to writing sentences using different tenses.

You’ve described the benefits of using split-screen videos really well. They can be used at a variety of levels by adapting the task.

A Place Like This is a powerful short documentary – the man was an excellent story teller and the way he recalled the events was so vivid. The filmmaker has contrasted the trauma of war with the tranquility of the garden beautifully. Students might typically find documentaries boring, especially if they’re long, but with something like this their attention can be focused and it can be more impactful. There’s a lot of emotions that could come out of a documentary like this. As a follow up task, I’d get students to write a diary entry or letter home, imagining they had been through that same experience.

It’s a great video, isn’t it. As you point out these short docs might appeal more to younger students than feature length docs.

In the course books I’m using there are infographics so students are used to seeing them, though they might find them quite bland. With infographic shorts the information is presented in a more dynamic way, and this might be a good way for students to practice note-taking and providing a written response to information or data.

I agree that the infographic videos are probably more appealing and engaging to our students.

Thanks again for your comments, Andrew.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks very much for your excellent answers.

– Giving students a list of 20 expressions and getting them to tick off 10 is an activity that could be done with all levels. Having a list that features words that are not there is a good challenge, especially if they are words that sound similar to the actual word in the video. As indicated, it’s also an activity that doesn’t take the teacher long to prepare.

Yes. As you point out this activity can be used at any level and doesn’t take a great deal of preparation.

– I like the collocations activity where they have the first half and have to listen out for the second half. It’s good practice for their listening skills and they can see it used in context.

Yes. It is good listening practice. I think it may also help students learn these chunks of language.

– The Venn diagram activity is another I think the students would enjoy, especially thinking about what the characters have in common. Taking feedback after this activity would be a good way to see what language they had produced and feed in new vocabulary – adjectives to describe personality, for example.

I like the feedback stage you’ve added. This is another one which can be used at any level and doesn’t take a great deal of preparation.

With the lesson ideas, I like the activity that has 8 verbs in the word cloud. Getting the students to try and recall language they already know using these verbs is a useful test/review. We can also check they’re using the language correctly when they produce their own dialogues.

Yes. The 8 verbs in the word cloud helps students to produce language they already know.

– Bingo game: students write down words into a 3×3 grid. They mark them off as they hear them, and the first person to get 3 lines is the winner. It’s a fun activity, but if students are loud it might mean some of the vocab is missed. (A good way to teach them to watch and listen in silence, perhaps?)

Really nice activity. i didn’t know this one.

Word grab: Put students in pairs. Like with the 20 words activity, print the words out and lay them out on the table, face up, and at an equal distance between the students. Play the video. When students hear the word, they take the paper. If the both get it at the same time, they do rock, scissors, paper. At the end, check which words students have.

Great activity! I like the rock, scissors, paper to choose the winner of the word!

Matching/memory game: I’ve used a pelmanism for definition matching before. Students enjoy this type of memory game, and adapted it can work for all levels. I put 10 words and their 10 definitions on cards and put these face down on the table. Working in pairs or small groups, students take it in turns to turn over two cards, with the aim of reading the cards and matching the word to the definition.

Another great activity.

Thanks again for your excellent answers, Andrew.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

Thanks very much for your answers.

Did you enjoy the films and videos?
I didn’t watch all, but those I did, yes.

I’m glad you liked the videos you watched.

Are the values presented in the films and videos important in the culture of your teaching context?
I think that values/empathy/ethics will be key to my syllabus…

Good to know these values are relevant in your context.

Thanks again for your answers, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the videos.

I enjoyed the video for Mary’s Meals. It’s really effective in getting the charity’s message across. The video features lots of text throughout but there’s no clutter – the text is bold and easy to read, it’s supported by clear images, quirky animation, music and sound effects. The transitions and different colours keep the viewer’s attention. There’s no narrator – it’s your “internal reading voice” doing it. I like the change in music which is reflective of the hope and possibilities. I think the cut to the video of the children is particularly effective too because you’re reminded that real people benefit from this.

This is a brilliant analysis of what makes this video so effective.

I like Kindness for its animated style and use of images and text. The style is visually appealing and like with Mary’s Meals it’s clear to follow. I like the narration with this video too, especially the part at the very end which makes the whole thing that much more personal.

Yes. The narrative twist at the end is brilliant!

Educate the Heart – I like the simple black and white animation in this video. I also like the way the images move, change, melt or fade away and reform. It reflects and supports what the narrator is saying. The small amount of text is effective too, conveying the message of the film.

Absolutely. The minimalist style works really well here. The images do indeed reflect and support what the narrator is saying.

T

he values in the videos tie in with the values of the organisation I work for, though to make this accessible to the students it’s presented more simply/watered down. In class we often look at kindness (there’s usually a special lesson for World Kindness Day) as well as charity, helping others and being good citizens.

Great to know your institution is promoting these values.

I posted this video in a previous forum but it’s one that has resonated with students.

I remember this video from a previous thread. Really nice!

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Andrew.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Gail,

Thanks very much for your great analysis of the videos to promote values.

This was a really interesting topic – one that we don’t generally deal with in university classes.

I think that values are promoted enough in adult classes.

The film on 10 virtues would be interesting to use – having students guess what these might be and asking if they have any additions or disagree or could name the opposite of virtues (what would we call these – the curses of modern day life?)

Getting students to speculate on the 10 virtues of the modern age is a great activity. Yes. The opposite of the 10 virtues could be the 10 curses or vices of modern day life.

Educate the Heart was beautiful. The film on Kindness was excellent and I would use it with students. Mary’s Meals is really well done and effective.

These three are amount my personal favourites.

Just a note: the links to the films on the sheet that I downloaded are not always correct. The links on the website are correct. It would be good to correct on the sheet the links to the 10 Virtues (listed as How to Become a Better Person), Educate the Heart, Success.

Thanks for the heads up. I checked all the links in the PDFs a week before the course started but links in PDFs are notoriously difficult to maintain. I’ve updated them again and they’re all working now.

Thanks again for your great analysis.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks very much for your great analysis of the video.

Of all the videos, the one I wanted to comment on most was “We’re the Superhumans”. There’s something about this video that really speaks to me. My mum has one arm – she’s also a teacher, can drive a car, and so many other things besides (though I don’t think she ever had sporting ambitions!).

It’s a great video, isn’t it? Your mum sounds amazing!

While the other videos foster empathy in various ways, this one is just so direct – it’s a positive, inspiring image of disability in the open, for all to see. I think it’s reflective of a piece commissioned by Channel 4, which has a proven track record of taking more risks, being innovative and tackling issues head on.

It’s refreshing to have such an inspiring image of disability.

I’ve actually used this in class for a lesson on the Paralympics and it was very interesting to see the reaction from students. There is a lot less disability on display in Korea and the students were curious, fascinated and inspired by what they saw.

Good to know that you’ve used this video with your students and that they were enagaged by it.

The video opens with a close up on the drumsticks, and as the camera zooms out, we see it’s a man playing drums with his feet. There’s an initial element of surprise. Then we see the band and notice all the musicians are disabled and the viewer starts to process what they’re watching. The video doesn’t try to hide disability: it celebrates it. We can see stumps, artificial limbs, people in wheelchairs. We see all the things people are able to do. There are those living their everyday lives – at work, eating, filling up at the petrol station, driving cars, flying planes – and we see the athletes taking part in sport. The camera shots are fast paced which adds to the energy and power. They’re shot from various points of view.

Brilliant analysis of how the video celebrates disability rather than hiding it.

The song used for this video “Yes I can” fits the video perfectly.

As you point out, the song matches the video perfectly.

It is a positive message and emphasises all that is achievable, with the lyrics reflecting this. The line “yes I can” is repeated and builds up, driving this sense of determination and possibility. The only spoken line, “No, you can’t”, from the condescending Careers Officer, is met with a warrior-like battle cry of “yes I can”. There’s the instrumental (rock) break with scenes from sporting events which also plays a part in creating an atmosphere of strength and resolve.

Great analysis of how sound is used in the video.

Humour is used here to great effect too. The singer and the band make their way into numerous scenes, weaving through a wheelchair basketball game for example. There’s the final scene, where a man in wheelchair goes down a really steep ramp, like a daredevil ski jumper, and up into the air. It then cuts to a man brushing his teeth. I find the juxtaposition of the two really clever. There’s the black and white tap routine (inspired by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, perhaps) with dancers missing limbs and prosthetics joining in the tap routine. It’s almost farcical at times but what impact does that have on the viewer’s empathy?

Yes, that juxtaposition is very clever.

Thanks again for your great analysis.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the activities.

Intriguing title

I like the idea of students creating a narrative based on just the title. It’s very little information to go on but at the same time students could really tap into their creativity and take the story anywhere.

Absolutely. Students don’t get much information but enough to spark their curiosity and creativity.

As you mentioned in the webinar, some titles are more evocative than others and lend themselves better to this activity.

Exactly. Some titles are more evocative than others.

Pairs would also need to be well matched for this to work – some are better than speculating than others. They’d maybe need more prompts or scaffolding to help them, but does that defeat the object of the activity?

Scaffolding the activity may well be necessary and doesn’t the object of the activity.

Empathising with a character

I like that the students put themselves in the character’s shoes and think about the next decade of the character’s life – what will happen to the pregnant waitress and her child? Will their paths ever cross again? I like that the students will share what they imagine happens to their character with each other. That, and the feedback session, will help prepare for the homework task because students will have shared lots of ideas about the characters by that point.

You’re absolutely right that sharing what they imagine happens to their character with each other and the feedback session, will help prepare students for the homework task.

Write a sequel

I like this activity because there’s lots here for the students to think about and it lends itself well to collaborative work.

This activity definitely lends itself to collaborative work.

It also draws on existing knowledge because they’ve all probably seen a sequel and may have varying opinions about what makes it better or worse than the original!

Great! This activity really helps to activate students’ schemata.

I like the question prompts they have to answer when watching the film. They can then use this when writing their sequel.

Yes. The questions help to scaffold the tak nicely.

I think it depends, but perhaps students find writing activities based on short films more engaging and motivating than some of the writing activities from our textbooks. I think that because they’re able to imagine more vividly this will helps them with the writing process.

Excellent points. I think what you say about images helping students to imagine more vividly helps them with the writing process is very true.

I’d like to try to use these activities with my teens class and see what the result is.

Please give them a go. I think they’ll work well with your teen students.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Andrew.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Gail,

Thanks very much for your answers.

I found all the activities mentioned here useful.

I’m delighted you found the activities usefulk.

Yes, I have used film as a writing prompt. (Our students do a lot of writing – we tend to emphasize that aspect of language learning since we are preparing them for writing at the university level.)

I think there are a lot of benefits to students doing a lot of writing.

I particularly liked the idea of using of screenshots in combination with the film- I have never done that. It’s a great idea! Thanks!

Screenshots are a great way to scaffold wriitng activities and very easy to set up.

Here’s a link to an article on how to take a screenshot in Windows.

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-screenshot-on-windows

Thanks again for your answers.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

Thanks very much for your answers.

I’ve used social and viral shorts.

Social shorts and viral shorts are both engaging genres.

Do the videos from the YouTube channel Great Big Story also count as short docs? I’ve used quite some videos from this channel as they cover many diverse subjects.

Yes. These are definitely short docs. They have a lot of great short docs on this channel.

Apart from the ones above I really like the idea of using split screen shorts and I think these might also be popular amongst students.

Split screen shorts are great for getting students to make comparisons.

Can you think of any other new genres?

How about interactive films maybe for higher level students ? (e.g. Seven Digital Deadly Sins – this one is not that short if you dedicate time to go over the entire story, but we could look at one or two of the videos during the lesson and provide a link to students to explore the rest at home).

I can see this one working. Viewing one or two of the videos during the lesson and then giving a link to students to view the rest at home is a good approach.

Thanks again for your answers, Marialena.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

Thanks very much for commenting on the activities and the lessons.

From the generic activities I think they’ll really like the Venn diagram exercise as well as the collocations activity because they’re not as typical as the lists and key vocabulary activities.

The venn diagram and collocations activities are both nice ones.

Regarding the three lessons, my students would really enjoy the first one. Not only will they be able to identify with the boy at the start of the video (most of them constantly talk about gaming) but it’ll also eventually generate a discussion about how we should treat nonhuman animals and people that have a disability about both of which I think that they’ll have many interesting things to say.

The Present is a wonderful short film and it was created by an 18-year-old German boy. It does connect to the lives of many students and is a lovely introduction to the themes of teenagers, treatment nonhuman animals and disability.

Thanks again for your comments, Marialena.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

Thanks very much for your great answers.

I honestly cannot remember if I have ever used short films as writing prompts…I am familiar with the type of activities but it might very well be that I actually used them as speaking rather than writing prompts.

As I mentioned in last Sunday’s webinar, most teachers use short films as prompts for speaking but not many use them as prompts for writing.

I would really like to know your opinion about using these activities during the lesson, as small group writing tasks only. Would you say that it’s also beneficial for the students or would you rather stick to having them carry out the final tasks individually for h/w?

Good question. I’d definitely recommend using many of these narrative building activities in class in pairs and groups. Students often come up with great narratives when they work together on constructing the narrative. I often get students to write the narrative in pairs or groups in class, and for homework ask them to individually come up with a more polished version of their narrative.

I think the ‘stills story’ and ‘two characters’ might be really good activities for students who are not as imaginative as the discussion questions could prove to be extremely useful for guiding the writing activity afterwards – students won’t necessarily have to come up with something themselves, if they can’t think of anything they could build on ideas previously discussed during the lesson.

Exactly. The screenshots help to scaffold the activity for students. This is especially useful for less imaginative and creative students.

Thanks again for your answers, Marialena.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Gail,

That feature is really cool! Thanks very much for sharing it.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Gail,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

This was a great topic with wonderful suggestions.

I0’m delighted you found the Topic useful.

Many I have tried, but some were new ideas and I really like them. I watched all of the films and found most of them very interesting.

Good to know you liked the films.

I’m not sure I would use “Lovefield” – I think it is really disturbing and not knowing what the students’ life experiences are, I would be careful.

Good point. This film could well be disturbing for some students especially those with any kind of trauma. You’d probably know your students well enough to know if it would be appropriate to use or not.

Unfortunately, the quality of “Signs” is not so great – you are right about YouTube vs. Vimeo as far as quality goes.

I completely agree. The image quality of “Signs” is really poor which is such a shame as it’s a wonderful short film.

I tried to do the listening tasks myself (back to back, moving music, what does it sound like) – I find this difficult and would be really interested to hear what students have to say.

I understand your point here. This one can be difficult to set up, especially the first time you do it, but it does get easier when students know exactly what they have to do.

Thanks so much to you, Kieran, for all of these suggestions.

You’re very welcome, Gail.

It is great to compare how you used these films in the webinar in one way, and in a totally different way in this chapter.

I’m happy you noticed this. I like to use the same short film in different ways so taechers can see the various possibilities we have for exploiting a short film.

My tendency is to view a film and hone in on the most salient feature (let’s say the message or the characters) and you often focus on some other aspect (such as sequencing the scenes) – a very interesting approach.

Good point. This has come from experience. I think the more you use short films, the more possibilities you see.

I can suggest the Android commercial Rock, Paper, Scissors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VZi6cfUZQ4 – I have used it to teach culture (the game), the song in the background and the connection betw the message and the film. Also the issue of bullying.

I hadn’t seen this short before. Thanks for sharing it. I really like it.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Gail.

All the best,

Kieran

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