Videos in the Classroom

Videos in the classroom can be a very useful tool. One way that they can be used is to personalize the subject for the students. I believe that this is especially true with history students. By showing clips from movies of dramatized history, the students can feel more personally connected to the material and it can help them feel that it is more relevant to their own lives. Movies can also be used to show examples of activities or demonstrations that you could not perform in the classroom. This opens a whole world of possibilities for classroom experiences. I also think that video from real life can be very useful for students when you are teaching material that is from the last 60 years. It can really help students to get a better picture of what was really happening at this time. I do think, however, that you should not simply put in a movie for an entire class period. Teachers need to engage their students in the movie, perhaps by stopping the movie and asking questions or having the students fill out a work sheet. This will ensure that they get involved rather than falling asleep.