Video Creation as a Learning Tool

When I was an ESL teaching assistant in Hawai'i, one of the major assignments that I helped with was a Listening/Speaking class video project. This one class of beginning level students were divided into groups and had to plan, write, act, film, and edit short films. They had a blast doing it and their movie sharing night was a big hit with them and all of their friends.

It had always been my intention to do a similar project in the future, but it just never seemed to work into the curriculum. Until this week. This summer I have been teaching a beginning level Listening/Speaking class and we finished with our required tasks last week, so either we could spend a whole week reviewing grammar or listening to sample dialogues (in preparation for their final on Thursday), or we could do something productive.

I proposed the film idea to the class yesterday and they jumped at the opportunity. I was a little concerned about the feasibility of planning, practicing, and filming a movie in 2 days, but I figured we would at least give it a shot. Worst case scenario: we don't make a film, but they get lots of practice reviewing the phrases and tasks for their final exam.

So when I arrived to class this afternoon and found the chalkboard filled with their storyboarding, I was impressed. They managed to find a story that used a wide variety of their L/S tasks while involving all the class members into a naturally progressing and cohesive story. We already film the major scene today, and we will finish it up tomorrow. I'll edit the whole thing over the break, and their movie will become one of the samples for the *ALL NEW* ELC Film Festival Night 2007 (a new activity that we are hoping to try out this fall).

If the project works out, I will suggest the idea to other L/S classes. It's a motivating project and it encourages students to use productive language in near-authentic situations.