Play outdated instruction through videos
A 2024 report by Harris Poll for Discovery Education found that 46% of teachers said student involvement had decreased compared to 2019. A prominent contributor to the engagement crisis was a pandemic that forced students around the world to learn only on laptops. However, there are still other factors that contribute to this decline. That is, there are “outdated and ineffective” teaching methods that the Center for Reforming Public Education at Arizona State University is hampering learning recovery since the pandemic. There are many different ways teachers can modernize instruction, but one simple step is to incorporate videos into the classroom by using platforms such as YouTube and leveraging advanced Edtech tools. This article explains how teachers use videos to increase student engagement. We also propose six best practices for using videos in K-12 classrooms.
Why teachers use videos in K-12 classrooms
The popularity of videos among Gen Z students is just one reason why K-12 teachers should incorporate them into their teaching. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 73% of teens visit YouTube every day. Meanwhile, a 2018 Pearson survey found that 59% of Gen Z students cited YouTube as their preferred learning method.
It is also the fact that if this data is sufficiently persuasive, educators themselves recognize the value of the video. In a 2019 article for University of California Edotopia, Los Angeles instructor Rebecca Alber wrote, “Video clips can be a great tool to help students gain a deeper understanding of content.” Alber pointed out how videos build learners’ background knowledge on topics, enrich texts, and enhance what students have learned.
As a former student and Zilennial (I mean that it spans the boundary between ZZ and millennials), I can personally talk to Alber’s points about how videos enhance student learning. Please flashback immediately about illustrations when you are in 8th grade.
One day, after learning about verbs in Miller’s ELA class, I thought it was very random! A skit I saw on the Disney Channel. Skit featured a wrapping character (cleverly modelled after the 90s rap star MC Hammer) in the middle of a rap battle between two fellow Reimers.
Miller suggested screening video clips of class skits that he had done the following day. result? My classmates and I enjoyed the video and thought it solidified our understanding of gerunds and other important concepts. Until today, I still remember the words of MC Grammar, without seeing skits for years.
How videos increase student engagement
I have already brought you back to my days at school. Now I want you to think of you. Your mind wandered, and when your teacher was standing in front of the class and droning about it many times, you didn’t gludge your eyes… what was it exactly? Well, if you don’t want to stimulate the same response from students, take advantage of the video in the K-12 classroom.
Use multiple media to meet a wide range of learning styles. Provides information in a fast, digestible format. Allow students to view content multiple times at their own pace. Ensuring learning access to English learners and students with disabilities.
Five ways teachers can use videos to increase student engagement
Discover ways your favourite teacher can use video content to enrich and accelerate student learning.
1. Strengthen your learning with relevant explanatory videos
Video content can enhance learning in multiple ways. It can create cultural connections that resonate with students and enhance understanding of important topics. The use of the snap wrap used me for middle school.
Alternatively, the video can give students a fresh perspective on the class material they have been working on. If students are learning about probability, the traditional way of calculating numbers on a worksheet is appreciated for new insights gained from watching animated videos connecting probabilities to the rolling of dice. You can also take their video learning a step further.
2. Check your understanding with video-based questions
According to Monica Burns, a consultant at Curriculum and Edtech, the video helps teachers ensure that students understand the content of the lesson. “Questioning before, during and after watching the video allows students to grasp the different layers of information presented in this format,” Burns said on the podcast.
To use videos in this way, teachers can use tools to embed questions in video lessons. These tools allow students to answer questions about the lesson in real time and get immediate feedback. You can also use video clips from YouTube and other video sharing platforms in your presentation, or even address important questions related to the video.
For example, let’s say you are making a presentation on an ELA class literary device. We may include YouTube clips on the slide and then post related multi-select questions. One question can be chosen from “What is the correct definition of similarities based on the video?”
3. Promote reflection through video response
A 2019 research paper published in the Online Learning Journal found that reflection can help students deepen their knowledge, identify weak areas, and create connections between what they learn. Monicabins recommends using interactive journaling tools to promote student reflection. For example, students can respond to topics featured in the video, or answer questions about video content.
Students can also reflect through videos. Have them record a short response to your homework prompt. Students can ask them to look back on today’s lesson by connecting it to what they saw or experienced in their lives. For example, you might ask students to record a lesson on killing Mockingbird and character Atticus Finch, even if it wasn’t popular, which would reflect the time they stood up for someone or something.
4. Supports independent learning with video tutorials
Educators can use videos to create and share tutorials with students. Teacher Tan Huynh wrote about the benefits of using videos this way in a blog post. In the post, he talked about how he and his sixth grade students started the geography unit. Throughout the unit, his students created fictional worlds and created maps to accompany these worlds. To create a map, students use the feature in Google Slides.
Huynh modeled how functions were performed in classes, but multiple students were still confused. So he recorded videos of all the lessons as well as tutorials for each lesson. “Each student was watching the necessary videos. I’m not waiting for me to modify the procedures individually,” writes Huynh. “I didn’t feel frustrated because each student didn’t have to replicate the same set of instructions.” In the end, learners felt confident in working on their tasks, giving Huynh more time to support the students who were most helpful.
5. Test your knowledge through video assessments
Students don’t always want to be evaluated through traditional written exams. If you want to bring more creative testing methods into the mix, try the video ratings. These can take one of the following forms:
Ask students to present their projects. Ask students to resolve the problem. Ask students to conduct the experiment.
Let’s take a look at each example.
Project announcement
Your ELA student is reading the historical novels Sadako and Paper Cranes. You ask them to record a video presentation summarizing the book and to record the students to assess their content and understanding, organization and creativity. Solve the problem
Algebra students are learning about linear equations. Record a video solving the equation “3x -6 = 9” and then ask them to record the video they evaluate with their inference accuracy, the problem-solving process, and explanation. Perform an experiment
Your science student is learning about crystal formation. Ask them to record a video of experiments in which crystal growth is performed using saturated solutions, containers, strings, and pencils. Evaluate them to understand key concepts, the setup and execution of the experiment, and explanations of the results.
Six Tips for Effective Use of Videos in K-12 Classrooms
Six best practices should be taken into consideration before introducing videos to the classroom.
Match the video to the theme
Use problem-solving videos for mathematics, animated videos for science, short documentary style videos for history, and explanatory videos for all subjects. Make the video concise
A 2022 survey found that short videos improve engagement by 24.7%. Please speak clearly and enthusiastically
Engage students by briefly explaining the information and showing excitement. Research shows that teacher enthusiasm encourages students to motivate and improves recalls. Use closed captions and text-based alternatives
Enable captions to enable hearing impaired English learners and learners to access the video. Provide transcripts so that students can engage with the material through reading, rather than seeing or listening. Repeat important concepts
Help students retain information by including a major takeaway or summary section at the end of the video lesson. Videos with guide questions, interactive elements and challenges
A study on effective teaching videos found that this promotes active learning, strengthens memory through test effects, and helps students to assess more accurately.
Use video in K-12 classroom to expel blank stares
Gen Z students already spend hours a day consuming video content. They also expressed their desire to learn through YouTube and other video platforms. So give them what they want!
Integrate videos into lessons, assignments and assessments. Don’t forget to use edtech tools to seamlessly adapt video adoption, use closed captions, and follow best practices such as complementing video content that complements your active learning strategy. We soon witness students transform from passive students with blank stares to enthusiastic and enthusiastic learners who play an active role in education.
