Many teachers agree that images, still or moving, are very important to teenagers today. It’s how they access the wider world and learn more about it, it is how they share funny gags and stories with friends, and also it is an integral part of their lives. So, what better way to get students to be more active in class than to incorporate some video material?

The videos do not have to be long, either. Many teachers think that screening long and meaningful videos in class are a great idea, but most teenagers today are used to far shorter videos, on the order of 3-5 minutes. Showing more amateurish, relatable clips in class will get the students involved a lot more, especially if they can easily make their own versions of them.

You could even organize a couple of mini-projects, get your students to grab their smartphones and take a few pictures and videos! Set them out to document examples of English being used around them. They will quickly realize just how widespread the language is. For a lot of learners, English is removed from their everyday lives, so this is a good opportunity of breaking them out of their bubble. It will be even better, to ask them to record videos of their own. They don’t have to be well thought out, just relevant and interesting. Good luck!

Source: Goldstein, Ben; Jones, Ceri “Bringing the World into your Classroom” Cambridge University Press, 4 April, 2017, P2