I watched this video from Common Sense Media about improving the use of video in the classroom. Notice that it’s part of a playlist, and you may want to watch some of the other videos as well.
I decided to put the tips from the video into practice.
Watching the Video
The first time I watched the video, I rarely paused, because I wanted a holistic impression of the value of the video to me and my colleagues. I had the essential question in mind: How will this video inspire teachers to use video more effectively in the classroom? The second time I watched the video, I paused it to create this blog post. Whenever I paused the video, the questions that I asked myself were “How is this tip relevant to elementary school” and “What can I share about this tip with colleagues?”.
Review of the Tips
I like the idea of the video that the goal of using a video in class is for comprehension AND critical thinking. This resonates with me as I have been pondering similar ideas recently in listening to podcasts, and my thoughts motivated me to resurrect my personal blog. The video could be a valuable tool for teachers in helping them reframe their questioning when students are watching videos. The tips in the video are practical, and easy to implement so teachers can put them into use right away.
The tips work with each other, because if students are taking notes or backchanneling while watching a video, they will certainly need multiple views to comprehend and think critically about a video’s contents. I know that I struggle with listening/watching and processing, and writing at the same time, so multiple views would be crucial for accessing all the content.
Applying the Tips in the Elementary Classroom
With elementary students, I would pause the video at some natural break points for the students to engage in the backchannel, and reply to each other’s posts as well as record their own thoughts. Otherwise, I think that the cognitive load would be too much. I would also have all student watch the video together the first time or two, with a debrief or conversation about the video, before students move to watching the video on the own, for their particular goal. Students can also apply the strategies when they are watching videos individually, but it’s important to model the strategies to students and have them practice it with guidance, before applying it on their own.
Often, students watch videos for research, when they are trying to answer particular questions. Critical thinking may not be relevant for fact based questions (thin questions), but will definitely come into play with more complex questions (thick questions).
More information:
- Getting the most out of video Cheat sheet from Common Sense Media
- Mind/Shift Teachers’ Guide to Using Videos
- Think critically about video Common Sense Media page