How to motivate and engage students with authentic video

Sue Kay
A teacher holding a tablet in a classroom with students around her also looking at the tablet smiling
Reading time: 4 minutes

Sue Kay has been an ELT materials writer for over 25 years. She is the co-author of app's Focus Second Edition and is one of the co-founders of . In this article, Sue takes us through her experience of using video in the classroom and shows us how to motivate and engage students with authentic video.

Videos are no longer a novelty

When I started teaching in the early 80s, video was a novelty in the classroom. We only had one video player for the whole school and had to book it a week in advance. There was very little published material available, but thanks to the rarity factor, the students lapped it up.

There was no problem with getting them motivated, even if the lessons accompanying the videos were not particularly exciting and consisted mainly of comprehension questions. Lucky for me, our school had a very dynamic Director of Studies who gave great teacher training sessions and I was very taken with a presentation he did on active viewing tasks.

I was, and still am, a big fan of the Communicative Approach and I embraced the more interactive video tasks enthusiastically: freeze frame and predict, watch with the sound down and guess what people are saying, listen with the screen hidden to guess the action, etc.

When I’m preparing a video lesson, I still try to include at least one of these activities because the information gap provides an ideal motivation for students to watch the video and check their ideas.

Motivating students with video
Play
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree app can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Is video a good motivational tool to use in the classroom today?

In the old days, video could motivate and engage a class because it was something relatively new, but what about nowadays when video has gradually moved from a ‘nice-to-have’ element of new courses to a ‘must-have’?

We teachers have unlimited access to videos, either those that accompany our course or on the internet. But has this affected motivation? Has video also become harder to use as a motivating factor in the classroom?

Yes and no.

Teenagers have grown up with a smartphone in their hand. They live their lives through video - filming themselves or one another, uploading and sharing video content on TikTok or other similar platforms, accessing YouTube on a variety of devices, and even aspiring to be like the YouTubers they spend hours and hours watching.

The importance of this to the way we teach is summed up by this quote from The Age of the Image, “We can’t learn or teach what we can’t communicate – and increasingly that communication is being done through visual media.”

Video is the ideal medium for teaching 21st-century skills and visual literacy. None of my students bat an eyelid when I ask them to make a video for homework, film themselves telling an anecdote, watch a grammar explanation online, or do some online research.

But in terms of what we watch in class, our videos need to work harder than before. In my experience, students won’t tolerate boring or unnatural videos, just because they’re in English. Because they watch so many online films, documentaries and series, students are used to high production values, strong narratives and authentic material.

What makes a motivating and engaging video?

When we were writing the second edition of Focus, we were lucky enough to have access to the BBC archives. However, just because something has appeared on the BBC it doesn’t mean it is suitable for our students. In my experience, there are certain criteria that needs to be fulfilled in order to motivate and engage students with video.

The wow factor

First of all, it helps if a video has a visual wow factor. This may be an unusual setting or a location with breathtaking scenery. If there’s no visual interest, you may as well do an audio lesson. However, stunning places and incredible landscapes won’t hold the students’ interest for very long.

Relatability

There also has to be something in the video that the student can relate to their own lives. For instance, one of the clips we chose for Focus Second Edition is set in an amazing place in Turkey, popular with tourists who visit in hot air balloons. The students are unlikely to have visited this place, but to make it relatable and interesting for students, we chose an extract that focuses on the caves that older generations still inhabit, while the younger generation have moved to the nearby cities. The topic of young people leaving the countryside for the big city is a topic that will be familiar anywhere in the world.

An inspiring story

A generation that have access to endless TV series and films on demand expect a good story. While this can be an episode from a drama - it doesn’t have to be fiction. It can be an inspiring story of human achievement or any kind of human-interest story that follows a journey and has a story arc.

Social relevance

Generation Z and Alpha tend to be very socially engaged and open-minded; they want to change the world. So videos that air social issues are ideal as stimulus for discussion. For example, in Focus Second Edition we’ve included a video clip about a project that’s underway in Holland, where students can have low-priced accommodation in a Care Home in return for some help with the elderly residents. In class, we’ve used this video clip as a springboard for discussing relationships across generations.

Why are these types of video more motivating?

Videos that fulfil these criteria raise motivation in class because they facilitate more interesting lessons. If the video is visually engaging, it’s easier to write the active viewing tasks I mentioned earlier. If the topic is relatable on some level, the lesson can include personalization and discussion, which wouldn’t work if the content was so far removed from the students’ reality that they have nothing to say about it.

I’m particularly keen on videos that are engaging enough to facilitate follow-up tasks that might spark the students’ imagination and help to put them in other people’s shoes. For example, in Focus Second Edition, we’ve included a video about window cleaners on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest building in the world.

As you can imagine, the film shots are breathtaking and have not only the wow factor but the ‘agh factor’ too for people who are afraid of heights. The presenter, Dallas, joins the experienced window cleaners, and you can’t help but hold your breath as he climbs out onto the side of the building, which is a sheer drop of 800 meters below him. No wonder he has a dry mouth.

The short clip is so engaging that the lesson practically writes itself. Here are a couple of examples of follow-up tasks that are only possible because the video holds the students’ attention and ignites their imagination:

After you watch

  • You are Dallas and you want to learn more about the daily routine of the window cleaners at the Burj Khalifa. In pairs, decide on a list of five questions you want to ask the window cleaners about their job.
  • Imagine that you are Dallas and write an article about your work experience on the tallest building in the world.

All this increased volume and choice of video is great, and video certainly still has the power to motivate our students, but I believe we teachers and materials providers need to focus more on the quality of the videos we use in class than the quantity.

Read our posts '21st-century skills and the English language classroom' and 'Key challenges in secondary education'.

Bibliography

  • Apkon, S. (2013) The Age of the Image. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  • DLA. Digitallearningassociates.com
  • Donaghy, Kieran (2015) Film in Action. Delta Publishing
  • Goldstein, Ben. & Driver, Paul. (2015) Language Learning with Digital Video. Cambridge University Press
  • Keddie, Jamie. and .
  • Donaghy, K & Whitcher A., , ELT Teacher 2 Writer

More blogs from app

  • A teacher stood in front of a classroom of students sat at their desks

    5 ways to deal with mixed ability students in secondary classes

    By Anna Roslaniec

    No two teenagers are the same. Within all of our classes there tends to be not only a range of English proficiency levels, but also general learning styles, maturity, motivation, and personalities. This diversity can bring some challenges, but also opportunities to vary your classroom activities and teaching methodology.

    Here are some ways to help deal with mixed-ability classes and ensure all your students experience success in their language learning journeys.

  • A woman holding a tablet stood in a server room

    The role of AI in English assessment

    By Jennifer Manning

    Digital assessment is becoming more and more widespread in recent years. But what’s the role of digital assessment in teaching today? We’d like to give you some insight into digital assessment and automated scoring.

    Just a few years ago, there may have been doubts about the role of AI in English assessment and the ability of a computer to score language tests accurately. But today, thousands of teachers worldwide use automated language tests to assess their students’ language proficiency.

    For example, app’s suite of Versant tests have been delivering automated language assessments for nearly 25 years. And since its launch in 1996, over 350 million tests have been scored. The same technology is used in app’s Benchmark and Level tests.

    So what makes automated scoring systems so reliable?

    Huge data sets of exam answers and results are used to train artificial intelligence machine learning technology to score English tests the same way that human markers do. This way, we’re not replacing human judgment; we’re just teaching computers to replicate it.

    Of course, computers are much more efficient than humans. They don’t mind monotonous work and don’t make mistakes (the standard marking error of an AI-scored test is lower than that of a human-scored test). So we can get unbiased, accurate, and consistent scores.

    The top benefits of automated scoring are speed, reliability, flexibility, and free from bias.

    Speed

    The main advantage computers have over humans is that they can quickly process complex information. Digital assessments can often provide an instant score turnaround. We can get accurate, reliable results within minutes. And that’s not just for multiple-choice answers but complex responses, too.

    The benefit for teachers and institutions is that they can have hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of learners taking a test simultaneously and instantly receive a score.

    The sooner you have scores, the sooner you can make decisions about placement and students’ language level or benchmark a learner’s strengths and weaknesses and make adjustments to learning that drive improvement and progress.

    Flexibility

    The next biggest benefit of digital assessment is flexible delivery models. This has become increasingly more important since online learning has become more prominent.

    Accessibility became key: how can your institution provide access to assessment for your learners, if you can’t deliver tests on school premises?

    The answer is digital assessment.

    For example, Versant, our web-based test can be delivered online or offline, on-site or off-site. All test-takers need is a computer and a headset with a microphone. They can take the test anywhere, any time of day, any day of the week, making it very flexible to fit into someone's schedule or situation.

    Free from bias

    Impartiality is another important benefit of AI-based scoring. The AI engine used to score digital proficiency tests is completely free from bias. It doesn’t get tired, and it doesn’t have good and bad days like human markers do. And it doesn’t have a personality.

    While some human markers are more generous and others are more strict, AI is always equally fair. Thanks to this, automated scoring provides consistent, standardized scores, no matter who’s taking the test.

    If you’re testing students from around the world, with different backgrounds, they will be scored solely on their level of English, in a perfectly objective way.

    Additional benefits of automated scoring are security and cost.

    Security

    Digital assessments are more difficult to monitor than in-person tests, so security is a valid concern. One way to deal with this is remote monitoring.

    Remote proctoring adds an extra layer of security, so test administrators can be confident that learners taking the test from home don’t cheat.

    For example, our software captures a video of test takers, and the AI detection system automatically flags suspicious test-taker behavior. Test administrators can access the video anytime for audits and reviews, and easily find suspicious segments highlighted by our AI.

    Here are a few examples of suspicious behavior that our system might flag:

    Image monitoring:

    • A different face or multiple faces appearing in the frame
    • Camera blocked

    Browser monitoring:

    • Navigating away from the test window or changing tabs multiple times

    Video monitoring:

    • Test taker moving out of camera view
    • More than one person in the camera view
    • Looking away from the camera multiple times

    Cost

    Last but not least, the cost of automated English certifications are a benefit. Indeed, automated scoring can be a more cost-effective way of monitoring tests, primarily because it saves time and resources.

    app English proficiency assessments are highly scalable and don’t require extra time from human scorers, no matter how many test-takers you have.

    Plus, there’s no need to spend time and money on training markers or purchasing equipment.

    AI is helping to lead the way with efficient, accessible, fair and cost-effective English test marking/management. Given time it should develop even further, becoming even more advanced and being of even more help within the world of English language learning and assessments.

  • A woman and a man talking together

    4 ways to improve your students' intelligibility

    By

    Intelligibility is the art of being understood by others. Many students think they need to speak a language flawlessly and with a native-like accent to make themselves clear, but this is not quite true.

    While there is a correlation between proficiency and intelligibility, even students of lower general proficiency are capable of expressing what they mean, in a way that the listener understands, if they are using good intelligibility practices.

    Being understandable in a second language is often extremely important in work environments, especially as the world becomes more connected and job markets more competitive.

    Intelligibility is a vital aspect of communication but it is not exactly a skill in itself. Instead, it is a combination of fluency, pronunciation, and managing your speed of speech. To reflect how important this is for language learners when studying, traveling or at work, we use an Intelligibility Index as part of our Versant English Test scoring.

    This index is based on factors affecting how understandable speech is to fluent English speakers. These include things like speed, clarity, pronunciation and fluency. Ranging from 1 (low) to 5 (high), the Intelligibility Index shows how intelligible someone’s speech in English is likely to be in a real-world situation.

    Let’s go into some activities and exercises you can try in class to help your students improve their intelligibility with their English and speaking skills.