Teaching with Video
by Neil MacQueen, Sunday Software, www.sundaysoftware.com

(some notes from my seminars on the subject)

Appreciate the Power of this Medium

You'd think that would go without saying, but a lot of folks think "showing videos" is a form of babysitting. Handed a video, they'll just show it to the kids and not engage the kids with it. Advice: Recruit somebody who wants to teach, and give them a copy of this introduction!

Don't underestimate the power of visually presented materials. The brain is built to soak them up. The kids are not "just sitting there doing nothing." Realize that the humor found in many of these videos is also an important learning tool. The brain loves to remember things with emotional content. Visually presented stories and ideas speak to our ears, eyes, and heart.


Create the Fun Viewing Space

Churches are bringing in cushions, popcorn, even theater seats if you can dedicate a room as a "theater". Kids and adults pay attention better when our physical, emotional and creature-comfort needs are taken care of. Some kids watch better when sprawled on the floor. Some need to be close. Most need the screen at eye level or below, not above. (pictured right: a photo from my church's AV workshop circa 1994)

 Pick Good Video --

Well that seems pretty obvious. But it is amazing how often folks pick lousy videos, or age inappropriate videos, or show a good video in a bad way.

"Age Appropriate" ...Some videos contain vocabulary, grammar, and visual content that's difficult or not suitable for younger children. Yet sometimes circumstances demand that you use it beyond its natural age range. Note the difficult words and concepts ahead of time, and describe them to the class before you show the video. When you get to a particularly challenging scene, use the pause button to help students understand what they're seeing and hearing, and use the skip button when needed.

Violence and sexual content issues.  Different kids and teachers have different sensitivities about violence and sexual content, even in Bible stories. Always preview your video and decide what to skip, or what needs some additional explanation. Years ago I blundered into a wonderful Christmas video with a multi-age group -forgetting about the scene of Herod's slaughter of the innocents. It was tame by most standards, but too much for our Kindergartners who had to sit through it because my remote battery was dead.

Take note of theological, cultural and gender role issues. Most videos are produced by ecumenical publishers, so you should expect they will contain some variant beliefs and ideas that you will need to address.  Cultural and gender role problems tend to occur in older videos. Newer videos tend to be more sensitive to these issues.

Help students understand when a video is "adapting" or taking "artistic license" with content.  Some videos add to the stories to make them more kid friendly. That's not bad, it just needs explained.  Make sure students know the difference between what's in the Bible and what's in the video

Prepping the Video--

Always preview! Some videos are simply too long to fit into your class period, so you'll want to skip content in order to make sure the KEY sections get viewed and discussed afterwards.  As you preview the video, take notes. Write down vocabulary words to explain and key scenes.

I rarely use every part of a video. And often I'll use some parts TWICE in the same lesson. Knowing what to show, what not to show, and what to show again are a big part of teaching with videos. Less is usually more.

Write an outline. Note pause points, places to comment, places to watch twice. Create a set of "talking points" and Key Questions to pose.

Open the lesson WITHOUT the Video--

Always introduce the video before showing it.

Show the Video

1. Use the PAUSE button at key places. It's your most powerful "video" teaching tool, not only to make sure they get it, but to give their brains time to process what they've just seen before they move on. Some kids videos are breathless in pace.

2. Don't be afraid to view an important scene a second time. Kids (and adults) watch movies over and over all the time. Point out facial expressions, reactions, things happening in the background, etc.

Always Debrief & Process the Video after showing it.

This is one of the most important, yet most neglected parts of teaching with video. Too often the video runs long and class time is up. If that's the case, you need to skip some things in the video so that you are not neglecting the all important step of processing and reflecting on what they've just seen.

Immediately following a video, I will often ask the class to shout out what they saw, -writing on a whiteboard, then ask them to help me put it in the correct order. This is a very important step because not every student will have a quick memory of all that they have seen. Then I will add things that I saw and begin to ask a bunch of questions.

Some good process and reflection questions:

What was your favorite part?
What was your least favorite part or character?
What part was confusing to you?
What do you think this character meant when he said .....
What part would you love to see again.

Did anyone notice when this happened... __________?
What was the reaction of this character when this happened.... _____________?
How did ________feel when you saw......?
What would you have said to so-and-so in the story?
If your mom asks you to tell you what you learned from the video, what would you say?

More Ideas for follow-up...

Working in teams, have them create a storyboard of the video, putting different scenes on different cards. Then play a "memory" game seeing who can get them in the right order. Have teams trade their memory cards.

Role-playing:  Show a scene from the video with the sound turned off. Have different students stand near the screen and attempt to narrate.

Create "movie posters" for the video to hang on the wall. These will have the title, characters and key ideas/scripture.

Note to Rotation Model Sunday Schools:

When the Video Workshop was first conceived in the Workshop Rotation Model for Sunday School, it was known as the "Audio Visual Workshop." This was intentional. We didn't believe that the only thing we should do in there was show videos. Rather, in addition to watching videos, we created media using video cameras, still photos, transparencies, and lots of other time-tested AV techniques (many of which we culled from ancient CE resources and idea books).

It is quite possible that the videotape/dvd portion of your lesson might only last 10 or 15 minutes. Kids can spend the entire class creating their own AVs, or creating an AV in response to what they have seen.

Important Equipment Tips:

1. Get an LCD Projector for your DVD player. Projecting a video LARGE on the wall really attracts the mind's attention and creates a more immersive experience.  That projector can also be used with a computer which can play DVDs as well.

2. If you are still using VHS tapes, use a 4-head VCR --it will give you a clearer picture when you hit the pause button.

3. Buy a good set of large amplified Computer Speakers to plug into your DVD player or VCR. Then, go to RadioShack and ask them for a plug that converts the computer speaker plug into an RCA-type plug so that you can connect your DVD/VCR's AUDIO OUT to the computer speakers for sound that fills the room.

4. Attach a BIG KEY RING to your remote control so it doesn't walk out of the room or end up lost between cushions or papers. Keep the remote locked up with the DVD player or VCR is not in use, and keep an extra set of batteries handy.


Copyright Issues

"Fair Use," "Public Performance" vs "Teaching Situation"-- Using Blockbuster videos, etc.

In general, it is perfectly legal to use ANY video in a "face to face teaching situation" no matter what the publisher's copyright wording says.  All video content rights and protections are subject to  Federal Copyright Law --and the Federal Copyright Laws specifically GRANTS PERMISSION to use any video in a "face to face teaching situation." Of course, you must have paid for that video. What you CANNOT do is use copyrighted video (such as a dvd from Blockbuster) in a "PUBLIC PERFORMANCE" manner --for entertainment purposes -like at a lock-in or family film night, unless that right is granted to you by the publisher (which in the case of some Christian videos, is granted. Read the copyright!). Creating your own "public performance" puts you in competition with theaters and networks.

You can also legally make compilations of videos your OWN, ie, you can edit what you own to create a compilation of content for TEACHING purposes.


Video Resources:

I have a web page listing all my favorite videos at http://www.sundayresources.net/biblevideos

This document was written by Neil MacQueen and posted at www.sundaysoftware.com. Permission granted to use it and/or reproduce it for local non-profit teaching uses only. Copyright 2002, 2006 Revised in 2010. Neil MacQueen is a Christian educator, Presbyterian minister and founder of Sunday School Software. Contact Neil at neil@sundaysoftware.com