Using Educational Video in the Classroom Theory, Research and Practice

 
How is video best used in the classroom? 
 
Successful and productive school use of television and video has increased 
dramatically over the last decades. As the technology continues to grow both more 
sophisticated and more user-friendly, teachers continue to become more adept at 
integrating these media into their instruction. Over a period of 20 years, the Corporation 
for Public Broadcasting conducted surveys of classroom uses of television and video that 
reveal increased use of and satisfaction with video in the classroom. In the most recent 
survey, 92% of teachers said that using TV and video helped them teach more effectively, 
and 88% said that “it enable[d] them to be more creative” in the classroom (CPB, 1997).
As with all educational technologies, the value of video relies on how it is 
implemented in the classroom. Reviews and meta-analysis of the research indicates that 
positive learning and affective outcomes are greatly enhanced and extended when the 
video is integrated into the rest of the lesson (CPB, 2004; Mares, 1996). Effectively 
integrating video into classroom instruction involves preparation and activities before, 
during and after viewing (Reeves, 2001; Rogow, 1997; National Teacher Training 
Institute, undated).
Purpose and Expectations for Viewing

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Teachers can prepare for using video by previewing the content, establishing clear 
purposes for viewing and deciding what selections will best support that purpose. The 
value of video “is highly correlated to its integration within the curriculum—in other 
words, how closely the content fits into the overall instructional sequence” (CPB, 2004, 
p. 11). For instance, video may be used at the beginning of a unit to pique interest, during 
a unit or lesson to bring demonstrations into the classroom that might not otherwise be 
possible, or as a means of reviewing or reinforcing content.
Supporting students to engage with video as active learners requires creating the 
right setting for such learning to occur. While this may seem an obvious truism, a six-
year study of mass media usage in two Massachusetts school districts reveals that film 
and video are still often used for non-optimal purposes, including filling time, keeping 
students quiet, as a break from learning or as a reward for good behavior (Hobbs, 2006).
Using video as “edutainment” in this way reinforces “the passive viewing and 
unquestioning acceptance of received material that accompanies growing up in a video 
environment” (Paris, 1997, p. 2).
Setting expectations for students and providing a context for the activity, 
beneficial with any learning tasks, may be especially crucial for viewing of video with 
content that is highly emotionally-charged. Denning (no date) fears that without proper 
instructional context and guidance, “video, like television, may condition viewers to be 
insensitive or to feel helpless in the context” of events being watched (p. 1).