School’s back for a new year, if you’re a teacher, you may find student morale a little low, but don’t worry, by introducing video into the classroom you can engage with students and get them doing new projects with this medium. While a lot of teachers show educational videos to their classes, we tried to think a bit more outside the box. Here are a couple of ideas you might like to try:

Based on the…

One for English teachers: If your class is studying a piece of literature like a book, check if there’s a film or tv series based off it and get a copy, young students are more likely to engage with the text if have a visual stimulus as opposed to just text on a page. Using a balance of both book and video is more inclusive. Perhaps you could discuss the differences or which version is best and why?

Making a movie: 

If your school has the equipment, you could set making a short film as a group project; it will help them learn co-operation skills and teach them about filmmaking. Even if the school doesn’t have the equipment, most smartphones have good quality cameras and a range of filmmaking apps available. Why not add film studies to enrich their cinema knowledge?

Captain’s log: 

If your students have a large group project to complete and you need to track their progress, then video diaries can be a great tool, allowing your students to keep you updated on the project as it progresses. Ask students to produce one of these per week or fortnight and see what they’re really up to!

Push off, PowerPoint!

PowerPoints are so last decade! Why not substitute the dreary slog of a presentation for a video piece? They get things across just as effectively and add another technical skill for your students to learn.

Looking for an example of a school-produced video? Here’s one we made with the pupils of Hatfield Academy: STEM Hatfield Academy – Education Video

Get in touch if you would like us to work with your school!