I watched a 10 minute presentation this morning by Diana England packed with ideas about how to use our one minute videos in class. Here’s a very brief summary.
A lot of the videos (available at http://www.SimpleEnglishVideos.Com/language/) explore differences between confusing words, so one thing to do is use them ‘straight’ as Diana put it – so show the videos and then get students to tell one another how the words differ in meaning.
Alternatively you might get students to think about the language point before they watch – coming up with their ideas on how the words differ in meaning and form/grammar, and then have them watch the video listening out for the rules.
Diana pointed out that the tapescript (available under the videos) can be copied and pasted, providing a text for exploring differences in meaning. Students can use it to rehearse and act out some of the dialogues, and it can also be used to make gapfills.
And if that isn’t enough – a really cool idea Diana had was to follow on with the students making their own one minute videos about words and phrases that are relevant to their own needs and interests.
Here’s a link to Diana’s presentation which was part of IH’s 60th birthday celebrations. I took my very first teacher training course with IH and then went on to work for them too and one of the things I loved about the IH schools I worked in was the way ideas got shared around. This 60th birthday conference is no exception. Many happy returns IH and a BIG thank you to Diana for sharing these ideas!
And if you have any ideas about words or topics you’d like to see illustrated in a one minute video English lesson, please pass them along!
