Viewsonic Video-Assisted Learning “Clips”: Using Educational Videos to Teach

Educational videos are now more accessible than ever and teachers are increasingly making use of this readily available resource. But with increased use of screen-time comes increased controversy and debate.

While videos are great for things like social-emotional learning, cognitive ability, and inclusivity, if not properly utilized in the appropriate setting, videos will not be used to their full potential and can even hinder academic performance.   

This article will give you the information you need to make sure you can implement video-assisted learning successfully and continue forward with good judgement for a variety of students and different situations. Keep reading to learn more and don’t forget to check out ViewSonic’s education solutions to grow your educational toolbox.

Video-assisted learning at its core is simply using videos in lessons. But as technology has advanced, so has the dynamic between student and teacher. This means that nowadays, many schools are beyond the times where all students simply strive for the same goal of just a job and merely just sit quietly and listen. We want them to become innovators and creators, to argue and question the things around them, and to grow up to be better well-rounded and happy individuals.

Videos, television, and movies are nothing new, but how we can optimize them for learning is relatively new. Videos can help students perform better not just academically but also emotionally and socially. Videos can provide students a completely new world, even if the scope is still quite limited.

Knowing how to implement successful video-assisted learning is not especially challenging, but it is important to be well-informed on both the benefits and disadvantages of screen-time so that you can make the best choice for your students.

What is Video-Assisted Learning?

Video-assisted learning (VAL) is defined as a strategic teaching approach to using videos – either educational or conceptual – to improve a student’s comprehension, cognitive ability, or social-emotional skills. What that means is that videos are more than just a way to pass time or provide additional information on a specific learning objective. Video-assisted learning takes videos and transforms them into an important part of both general education and student wellbeing.

Videos – whether they are short, targeted clips or television programs – have some proven benefits to different aspects of a student’s development and educational progress. How this impacts the student depends on the type of video you use and the practices you wish to use. Video-assisted learning is not ideal for isolated use but rather should be an addition to already existing curriculum or individualized education plans (IEP).

This is because videos – educational, conceptual, or entertaining – can have negative consequences for student progress if not managed properly. This article will help you identify which video type is best for your students as well as how to manage and prevent common negative side effects associated with screen-time and skewed or inappropriate content.

What Counts as Video-Assisted Learning?

One thing that is great about the term video-assisted learning is that it is explained in the term itself! Videos are learning aides, not the main pedagogy of learning. VAL can be as simple as watching a documentary on the water cycle at the end of a lesson all the way to more complex and complete forms like video-modelling.

It is important to be well-informed when making decisions related to video-assisted learning. Especially if you plan to use videos as a supplementary form of education outside of the usual classroom ”movie-day.” Using videos for social-emotional learning, for example, needs to be done with caution as videos can give a limited world view to a topic that is quite vast.

Video-assisted learning can be used to supplement any of the following areas of education:

Educational Supplements

Educational supplements refer to the videos, short movies, or films where the primary purpose is to educate on a particular topic or learning objective. Common types of educational videos are short clips, documentaries, tutorials, some cartoons, and other forms of video media with intent to teach. These videos are used purely for supplementary materials to help reinforce ideas taught in the classroom.

Many teachers are probably familiar with this form of VAL as they are an easy and effective way to enhance lesson plans that may be lacking in otherwise physical materials. Most modern classrooms are equipped with a projector or laptop, and even if you are a true ‘old school’ teacher, you probably at least have a TV with a DVD, Blu-ray, or VHS player where you can play an educational video.

One of the biggest benefits to using educational videos is that it gives students another viewpoint or teaching style to the same topic. For example, if you taught a particular learning objective using gamification, it may be beneficial to also show a video that breaks down the objective step-by-step to give students an additional option to learn from.

Social-Emotional Learning

Social-emotional learning is the process of developing social-emotional skills like self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and general life success. This type of learning also includes things like self-discipline and emotion management but can also overlap with other cognitive abilities.

Videos targeting social-emotional learning often involve things like moral storytelling or demonstrations of practical life skills. A great example of this is video modelling. Video modelling is unique in that it is an evidence-based practice. Video modelling is often used primarily for students with autism but it has practical uses for other types of students and even adults. The core value of video-modelling is using a video, either pre-recorded or created by yourself, to help teach desired behavior such as putting away toys, interacting with friends, or other social-emotional expectations.

Other types of videos that can fall under social-emotional learning are PSA videos about drugs, bullying, or other harmful activities that require schoolwide awareness. Be aware, that when using VAL for this intent, sometimes the way people do things may not necessary be wrong. For example, a left-handed student does not need to be taught to be right-handed just so that they fall under the normal expectation of pencil-holding. Use good judgement and be thoughtful about the behaviors you target.