This document discusses using entertainment video in English language teaching. It finds that video can be an effective pedagogical tool when structured properly into lessons. Short authentic video clips without subtitles are highly motivating for learners. Lessons should include pre-tasks to introduce vocabulary and context, exposure to the video clip, and post-tasks like comprehension exercises, practice games, and discussion to develop listening, vocabulary, grammar and other skills. When packaged with exercises, online platforms can provide large selections of video lessons at different levels on diverse topics to engage learners.

1. Using Entertainment Video in EFL
Oh Edward… I don’t
think I’ll ever get the
hang of these irregular
verbs!
Paul Maglione, Co-founder, English Attack!
EFL Techniques 26 November 2013
Unfortunately there’s no other
way to learn them than just
being exposed to them and
drilling. But it will be fine Bella
darling…

2. Video Lesson Experience To Date
Q1 –Q2 2009
Comparative review of
Video-based EFL pedagogy
Q3 – Q4 2009
Creation of English Attack!
Q1 2010 – Q2 2011
Beta version with 350+ Video
Boosters, tested by 25k Beta
users
July 2011
Launch of site
January 2012
Launch of Premium
Subscription;
Schools Platform
November 2013
• 1000+ Video Lessons
• Launch of Coaching
functionality

3. Why Video?
• Our brains are wired for it  hunting / danger
• Closest to life, to human experience
• The human eye is attracted to
movement, even more than our ears are
to sound
• YouTube, Facebook, smartphones, tablets have
made short-form entertainment video
ubiquitous and available 24/7  no longer a
special occasion, but a must-have.

4. Graded or Authentic?
• Can be tightly targeted at specific
skills or tasks
• Created for specific levels /
consistency re level
BUT:
- Production values / entertainment
often lacking
- Can be perceived by learners as
“talking down” to them
• Better at sparking emotion  creates the
intellectual opening for learning to occur
• Huge choice omeans we can motivate
anyone according to their interests
BUT:
- Impossible to shoehorn into structures like
CEFR
- If not packaged properly, can be too difficult
for beginners

5. Subject Matter of Authentic Video
(in order of popularity with English Attack! users)
1. Current Movies
1. TV Series
1. Music Videos
1. Documentaries
2. How-To

6. Other topics of interest
• News (“evergreen” best, normal
headline stories age fast)
• Business (movie scenes can be
effective)
• Advertising (especially creative /
humorous extended ads)
CHOICE = AUTONOMY = MOTIVATION

7. Ideal length
• Too short (sub-1 minute): little chance
to build up dialogue in context
• Too long (4 minutes+) : to many
linguistic elements upon which to
focus  confusion
• Ideal length is between 1 and 3
minutes
– Average length of Youtube video is 3+
minutes
– 87% of video shared on Facebook is
between 1 and 4 minutes long

8. Difficulty Level
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Subject matter
Vocabulary
Speech speed
Speech clarity
Accent
Idioms
Slang
Visual clues
Is there a story or an
understandable context?
Related exercises need to be
calibrated to the video’s intrinsic
difficulty level

9. Difficulty vs Content
• Our experience to date shows that the
content type is the primary motivator.
Learners don’t mind a difficulty “stretch” if the
video content is of interest to them.
Google France searches:
(learn English)
5,580,000 searches
22,000,000 searches
(songs in English)

10. Subtitles?
English
Can help with comprehension
but creates listening “tune out”
in favor of reading.
L1
Great… if you want learners to
improve their L1 reading skills.
None
Full emotional impact of
source; no skills confusion;
forces learner to focus and to
look for visual / tone clues.
So call me maybe..
Donc appelle-moi peut-etre…
♪ ♬♭ ♫ ♪ ♬♭ ♫
♭
♭

11. • Be clear on purpose of
providing: to work
reading skills
• Thus, do not mix with
gist comprehension
exercises  provide only
sequentially, after
listening skills have been
covered
• Can be used for Detail
Comprehension and to
practice scanning for
information.
• Buttresses development
of Listening Skills
Video Transcript?

12. Structuring the Video-based lesson
• The fun-factor of video should not obscure the
need for a pedagogical structuring of the
video-based lesson.
• The sequencing of video-related activity must
be planned as carefully as any other lesson
Gist
Comprehension
Listening
Skills
Detailed
Comprehension
Vocabulary
Grammar
& Usage

13. Structuring the Video-based lesson
• Pre / Tasks / Post  jumping-off point for
class discussion
PRE
• Summary
• Target Vocab
TASKS
POST
• Practice Games
• Discussion

14. Structuring the Video-based lesson
• Error Correction / Positive Reinforcement

15. Structuring the
Video-based lesson
Score vs Grade:
integrating the
motivational dynamics of
gamification into the video
exercise scoring logic

16. Structuring the Video-based lesson
• Providing assistance  dictionaries, translation

17. Structuring the Video-based lesson
• In-class vs. Homework
Requirements: interactivity, good design,
visibility, stimulating content
Requirements: large selection of
stimulating content, Teacher Tools for
assignment and compliance monitoring

18. Achieving Repetition for Memorization
Practice Game: Swap Mania
Practice Game: Word Rescue
Practice Games are
dynamically driven by
target vocabulary
items in learning units

19. Making video-based
learning Social
• Posting comments
• Facebook
• Twitter

20. Sample
Video
Lesson

21. Pre-Task
Task Set-Up Instruction
Clip Summary
Target Vocabulary

22. First Exposure to Video Clip
Learners can start, pause, and
replay video as often as desired

23. Gist comprehension exercise set-up

24. Gist comprehension exercise
Optional word-for-word translation tool
Instant error correction
Expandable vocab resource
Video resource

25. Gist comprehension exercise debrief
Interstitial Score
Encouragement regardless
of segment performance

26. Listening exercise set-up

27. Listening exercise
Gap-filling from three similarsounding alternatives actually
completes the transcript, which
will be available for next exercise.
Learners can do the exercise
simultaneously with video
playback

28. Listening exercise debrief

29. Detail comprehension exercise set-up

30. Detail comprehension exercise
Full video transcript now available as a
resource; learners can either review
video or scan transcript to find details
in exercise.

31. Detail comprehension debrief

32. Vocabulary exercise set-up

33. Vocabulary exercise
Vocab exercise: using
target lexis in similar
story context
Vocabulary
resource
automatically
switches to selected
answer option

34. Vocabulary exercise debrief

35. Grammar / Usage exercise set-up

36. Grammar / Usage exercise
Sample line of
dialogue taken from
video clip
Explanation as to
why this form was
used
Exercise working same
grammar or usage concept
(with instant answer
feedback)

37. Grammar / Usage exercise debrief

38. Final Video Booster Debrief screen
“Learnometer”
Points breakdown
Coaching instructions
Progression metric
Points total

39. Post-task Practice Games: Swap Mania
Lexical items from the
video clip
Definition clues and
sample sentence
reveal
Pedagogical function: vocabulary

40. Post-task Practice Games: Word Rescue
Lexical items from the
video clip
Definition clues
and sample
sentence reveal
Pedagogical function: vocabulary

41. Post-task Practice Games: SayWhat?
Lexical items from the
video clip
Pedagogical function: listening skills, vocabulary, spelling

42. Post-task: In-class or Online Messenger discussion
Sample Class Discussion Topics
• What are some of society’s
“distractions” you can think of?
• What could possibly cause a
rebellion in your city or country?
• Is there anyone you would
consider to be a “mentor” of
yours?
Pedagogical function: comprehension, vocabulary, speaking

43. User feedback

45. Conclusions
• Video is a powerful, emotive stimulus to learning.
• Short-format authentic video without subtitles can be a highly
motivational and effective pedagogical tool for helping build EFL/ESL
competence.
• Video-based lessons need to be engineered just as carefully as any
classroom lesson, with pre- and post-tasks and a natural flow from
exposure and gist comprehension through to more detailed or
nuanced skills.
• Specialist online learning platforms such as English Attack! package
authentic video together with exercises to offer a huge choice of
learning units of all difficulty levels across many topics and
categories.

46. For more information:
paul.maglione@english-attack.com
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