Anticipatory Set: School Video in Your Lesson

School videos can be an important learning tool in the classroom, when they are used correctly. While it can be much easier to just pop in a cassette or DVD and let students be distracted for a while so you can get caught up on grading, lesson planning and more, you lose out on so many teaching opportunities that it really is a waste of a good resource.

In order to maximize those benefits, the steps you take before actually showing the video can be just as important as the viewing experience itself. By following this list of suggestions, you not only prepare your students for the video experience, you communicate to them how it relates to the current subject matter, their own lives and to information they may have already gleaned from other classroom activities or lessons.

Guidelines for Pre-Activity

Discussions – to gain the most out of school videos, explain to your students why you are viewing this particular program in the first place. Ask for questions and provide an opportunity for students to discuss the educational ideas provided for in the video.

Relate – students need to get their head around the fact that the video does relate to the topic of study. Invite them to brainstorm or provide a summary of what they understand of the topic to prepare for viewing. To visualize the relationships between concepts, employ word webs, concept maps or other approaches using diagrams that engage the students in the process.

Focus Attention – students are easily distracted, especially when a lesson goes outside of their normal classroom time. Regain their attention and keep it focused on why the video topic is relevant to their lives. Using both discussions and activities to create a firm context will enhance the viewing experience.

Provide Choice – give students a choice on the school videos they want to see out of a list that will apply to the lesson. To challenge them even more, have them argue for their choice, either in writing or verbally, so they can articulate why they prefer a specific video.

Overview – provide your students with a broad overview of the content of the video. Invite them to discuss their ideas as to how that particular topic can be addressed in video format. Also explore the key concepts that should be conveyed. Students can communicate how they understand the topic before the video and compare that to how the topic was actually presented in the video.

New Words – engaging in the viewing of school videos can easily expose your students to new words. Prepare them for this by developing a glossary of the terms needed to view the video. Introduce word webs or other strategies to ensure students understand the relationships of the words.

Hands-On Activities – school videos can provide significant benefit for the classroom, but they really only provide one part of the lesson. Have your students participate in hands-on activities that provide background for viewing or expand upon the ideas presented in the video. These activities can include research, dramatic productions, writing, a science experiment, an art activity or a field trip.

If you’re ready to start experiencing the benefits of using video in the classroom, your next step is to download a free copy of “The 7 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make Using Video in the Classroom” by clicking on the link below right now.

http://www.schoolvideos.com/expert/7_mistakes