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An Evaluation of the "Look Ahead" Upper Intermediate Video |
| Contents |
| Introduction |
From email to satellite TV language students have far more access to their target language than ever before. In conjunction with modern communicative approaches to the teaching of languages, technology appears a natural teaching aid as it widens the range and scope of material available. Wright and Haleem (1991: 1) point out that "Appreciating the character of the media we use or which surround us helps us to be more inventive, dynamic and efficient". Effective material and its exploitation by teachers and students can be a very positive contibution to the language learning process.
One of the earliest examples of recent technological advances was that of video. Lonergan (1991) gives an summary of how video in language teaching developed from the seventies to the point where it has lost the novelty factor and become a standard tool for language teachers. Today it is increasingly common to find course books including video material in their overall package. Look Ahead Upper Intermediate falls into this category.
Video can have a varied contribution. It can be motivating, encourage cross-cultural comparison and stimulate further discussion and practice (Stempleski and Tomalin, 1990: 3-4). Allan (1985: 19) makes similar claims while Sheerin (1982: 122-124) notes the opportunities video offers of providing listening practice of language in an authentic context.
The use of video in language teaching is not surprising as the visual element is extremely important for effective communication. Ur (1984: 29) for example says "I would go so far as to say that some kind of visual clue is essential in any language-learning activity based on face-to-face communication" and Willis (1983a) examines the role of video in potraying this visual aspect of communication in detail. An evaluation of any video for language teaching purposes needs to consider the treatment of these visual clues and the manner in which they are exploited.
How video is used will vary from level to level as discussed by Allan (1985: 73-74) moving from highly controlled exposure to language at basic level to video as "the provider of real world experience" at advanced. Typically, with higher levels there are more opportunities for authentic material, and for exposure to the wider aspects of language and culture. Look Ahead Upper Intermediate aims at more than language presentation and practice; it also intends to illustrate aspects of British and United States lifestyles and therefore place language within a cultural context, a step in other words towards this 'real world experience'.
| The Material |
There is a video segment of six to eight minutes for each unit in the course related in topic to the coursebook. The material is suitable for reinforcing "language and skills work in the Students' book as well as for more extensive listening practice." (Marsden, Hopkins & Potter 1995a: 3). Documentary in style the material is also intended to be "a rich resource for cross-cultural awareness" (Marsden, Hopkins & Potter 1995b: back cover)
The video workbook provides up to twenty exercises for each unit. There are Before You Watch (prediction and vocabulary activities), While You Watch (including gist and detail listening practice, silent viewing, language focus) and After You Watch (cross-cultural comparison encouraging additional skills practice) sections. The final task Last Words at the end of each unit is a further opportunity for students to compare the target language culture with their own and encourages additional skills development activities.
An accompanying teachers guide to the video workbooks is provided. The introduction gives a brief idea as to the purpose of certain tasks and how they could be used. The unite by unit material consists of the tape scripts and correct answers for each unit but provides no further guide for more specific exploitation.
| Evaluation |
The following evaluation is based on experience using Look Ahead Video in conjunction with the course book and also with one specific unit (Unit 2, Schools and Rules) as a complement to different text books. Central to the evaluation will be the potential of video described in the introduction along with the comprehensibility of the material as outlined by Arcario (undated: 109-121), and the exploitation of this medium as discussed by Willis (1983a & 1983b).
Three presenters introduce each video unit from a studio background. Throughout individual units one presenter returns to introduce changes in focus such as in Unit 2 when there is a move from discussing the school in general to describing the school uniform. This is achieved through an unintrusive graphic effect and serves to visually divide the material into clearly defined blocks.
The units centre around a person speaking to camera from their office or similarly neutral background. This is interleaved with scenes illustrating what is being discussed. Unit 2, for example, has three people (head mistress, a student and another teacher) speaking to camera interlaced with shots of the school, students at different activities, classes etc. The latter provide some real world cultural information and allow for freeze framing, silent viewing, prediction and cultural comparison.
Visually, the video is neatly packaged into clear segments, and is of high quality at all times. It also includes an on screen timer at all times and quite clearly complies with Arcario's (undated: 109-121) criteria of "Comprehensibility" on a visual level. Heavy reliance on a single person speaking to camera, however, does prove a little repetitive and boring to students. This style of presentation also reduces the power of video to represent the visual aspect of everyday communication as outlined by Willis (1983a: 29-38). Glimpses of real life situations of people speaking are rare and very brief even though students show a lot of interest in them.
The majority of the aural input is based on individuals speaking, one at time. They provide information and opinions on a variety of topics intended to illustrate life in Britain and America and provide some range in terms of accent. Occasionally, (e.g. Unit 2 when there is a segment of a conversation between students in the canteen) there are fragments of real life language but they are fleeting and clearly secondary to the overall content.
While, as the authors say, the material is of a documentary nature it is not 'off-air' or completely authentic in terms of content, level and delivery. The material has been devised for this particular course and returning to Arcario (undated: 109-121), this careful preparation means that density of language, speech delivery, language content and level are all carefully controlled and for most students never provided any difficulty. The problem is the lack of authenticity this implies in terms of language and the variety of contexts it is provided in. Apart form simply being presented with a single student speaking, listening to this student interact with fellow students or teachers would be stimulating and provide examples of more natural language.
With the Look Ahead videos the visual material works in conjunction with the aural, supporting the dialogue, actively highlighting vocabulary and language items and thus facilitating overall understanding. Nevertheless, this combination is not necessarily effectively used for video at this level.
As the language level gets higher Willis (1983b:45) sees the role of video as moving from focus on language forms to focus on message. Despite being aimed at Upper Intermediate level, with Look Ahead the visual and aural combination are far stronger when emphasising the former rather than the latter. The visual element in reality is only exploited on a basic level: in Unit 2 we hear a description of school uniforms as we see them on screen primarily emphasising (rather simple) vocabulary. We are never presented with real or varied language contexts and students are not put in situation where the aural component may be difficult but where the visual clues aid understanding and motivation and indeed provide the essential visual aspect of communication Willis (1983a) and Ur (1984: 29) both refer to. A group of students could, for example, have been filmed describing and discussing the school uniforms. The resulting conversation, even if semi-scripted, would be closer to the real world while the visual element could be exploited to provide valuable information about the uniform but also about speakers' perceptions, opinions, reactions and language.
Initially, there is a wide range of tasks and techniques which attempt to exploit the video material to its full, moving from a holistic overview to a more detailed analysis. In general, students are guided into an active viewing scenario, (Lonergan 1995: 11) and encouraged to practise a range of skills, and to use the video as a springboard to more general discussion as outlined by Willis (1983b:45) when referring to video as "stimulus". Nevertheless, a more detailed analysis highlights certain weaknesses.
The first task, A Quick View, is highly effective in providing a holistic overview of the complete video stimulating discussion, allowing revision or introduction of language items for this unit. Last Words at the end of each unit tends to provide useful ideas for further discussion and skills work. Students were frequently motivated by these tasks.
While You Watch tasks requiring silent viewing vary in results. Exercise 5 (the following all refer to Unit 2), required students to view without sound, describe the school uniform and later view with sound to see if their description matched and thus linked sound and vision. Students found this interesting and challenging. Exercise 9, on the other hand, required answers to questions such as the number of parked cars and thus appeared to be an exercise for its own sake with no link to the aural content and left students a bit bewildered as to the purpose. Exercise 10 (while incorporating sound) was equally unchallenging in asking Upper Intermediate students to order events they had just seen.
Listen for Detail, exercise 11 required the reading of a large text in the workbook while listening to the video to find ten factual mistakes. While intended to focus attention on language points the result is a 'heads down' approach with students unable to watch the video as they work. This is a poor use of video but frequent with Listen for Detail exercises throughout the workbook. Exercises 9, 10 and 11 together illustrate a more serious weakness: had they been used together, with the same segment of video they may have complemented each other with silent viewing leading on to intensive listening but were not.
Listen for Gist activities tend to be better encouraging constructive use of video as combination of sound and video although again these activities tend to concentrate on small chunks, often of the person speaking to camera only. This means students are not offered a variety of valuable visual aids. Again, Listen for Gist are never followed up by other activities relating to the same segment.
Certain tasks exploit the material well both as a stimulus for skills practice based around cross-cultural exchange and in providing a global impression of the material. More detailed tasks tend to be frequently un-connected, excessive in number and often unchallenging for this level. Moreover, this they also frequently fail to take full advantage of the visual and aural combination video offers.
Effective use in class therefore required editing. Nevertheless, the teacher's book appears to rely heavily on the students' workbook being self evident in its purpose and procedure; there is little help for a teacher who may not have used video in classrooms before.
Through language practice, to offering variety, entertainment and as stimulus for further skills development Allan (1985: 48-50) outlines how and why video can be effectively linked to a language syllabus. Look Ahead links very closely to the course book providing extra language practice and further cultural exploration of topics in the book. One of the most interesting developments was the availability on video of more extensive interviews with people who were also present on the class cassette. Students found it stimulating to see and listen to someone they had previously only heard. Over time, however, the material lost its motivating potential largely because of the repetitive format but also because it did not prove challenging.
Topic-based, the Look Ahead Videos can easily be used in conjunction with other language courses when the themes coincide.They have then proved useful additions to classes increasing motivation and providing some skills practice and occasionally revision of language points. The material has also worked quite well with groups below upper-intermediate level.
| Conclusion |
Through a range of topics and tasks the Look Ahead video material fulfils its own claims, and indeed those of video usage at this level, to an extend. It provides material which, along with listening and language skills development, provides cross cultural information and stimulates further skills practice. There are elements, however, which could be improved.
The print material needs consideration. It is not necessary to have such a range of exercises and techniques for each unit and many would benefit from being more closely inter-related. Individual teachers using the material can of course adapt it but for teachers with less experience in using video a more detailed video guide would be useful.
Teachers cannot unfortunately alter the video contents which is why so much care needs to be taken over this element. Possible improvements would include more variety in presentation, both within and across units, and less reliance on one person speaking to camera. A wider selection of situations and language in context would help to exploit more fully the value of video by exploring the powerful role of the visual element in normal spoken discourse as outlined by Willis (1983a: 29-38). This would also keep the material stimulating over long-term or more frequent use.
The fact that the material is semi-scripted proved relatively unchallenging for students suggests that more demanding or authentic material could be included. Allan (1985: 30) says that one of the advantages of students viewing authentic material is that "It puts the learner in the same position as that audience and demands the same exercise of language skills" and this in itself tends to be motivating, challenging and therefore productive. If Look Ahead fails it is on this point: it is not daring enough, playing safe rather then risking plunging students into something more difficult, more authentic, but possibly more rewarding. Some of my students would have appreciated that challenge and video can be an ideal medium to provide it. While carefully designed, the material fails overall to utilise the full potential of video as a provider of 'real world experience' and of the visual element of language and communication mentioned in the introduction.
| Bibliography |
Allan M (1985) Teaching English with Video Harlow; Longman 1985
Arcario (undated: 109-121) in Motteram G & Slaouti D (1996-97) University of Manchester School of Education Distance Learning Educational Technology for ELT: MD355 Unit 4 p.30
Gower R, Phillips D & Walters S (1995) Teaching Practice Handbook London; Heinemann
Harmer J (1993) The Practice of English Language TeachingLondon; Longman 1993
Lonergan J (1991) 'A decade of development: educational technology and language learning' in Motteram G & Slaouti D (1996-97) University of Manchester School of Education Distance Learning Educational Technology for ELT: MD355 Unit 0
Lonergan J (1995) Video in Language TeachingCambridge; CUP
Marsden B, Hopkins A & Potter J (1995)a Look Ahead Upper Intermediate: Teacher's Guide Video Workbooks London; Longman
Marsden B, Hopkins A & Potter J(1995)b Look Ahead Upper Intermediate: Video Workbook London; Longman
Sempleski S & Tomalin B (1990) Video in Action Prentice Hall International 1990
Sheerin (1982) in Motteram G & Slaouti D (1996-97) University of Manchester School of Education Distance Learning Educational Technology for ELT: MD355 Unit 3 p.12
Ur P (1984) Teaching Listening Comprehension Cambridge; CUP
Willis J (1983a) 'The Role of the Visual Element in Spoken Discourse: Implications for the Exploitation of Video in the Language Classroom' in McGovern J (ed) ELT Documents 114: Oxford; Pergamon Press
Willis J (1983b) "101 Ways to use Video" in McGovern J (ed) ELT Documents 114: Oxford; Pergamon Press
Wright A & Haleem S (1991) Visuals for the language classroom London; Longman
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