Using
DVD in class
by
Viv Quarry (www.vivquarry.com)
The DVD has revolutionized EFL teaching in the same way as replacing cassettes with the CD for textbook tape scripts has. With a DVD player, the teacher can easily select a specific scene in a film, and, usually, decide when to switch on subtitles, and in which language they can be viewed. The following options are generally available, most of which were inaccessible with the VHS cassette player.
· 1 Original version without subtitles
· 2 Original version with subtitles in English
· 3 Original version with subtitles in the students' native language (mono-lingual classes only)
· 4 Dubbed in the students' native language without subtitles (mono-lingual classes only)
· 5 Dubbed in the students' native language with subtitles in English (mono-lingual classes only)
· 6 In English, or the students' native language (mono-lingual classes only) with closed captions (white subtitles on a black background for people suffering from deafness - these often indicate background noise and music as well as dialogue).
Watching films with subtitles in English has the additional advantage of helping to increase student reading speeds. They will automatically have to read faster to see what's written before the subtitle disappears.
Cinema is very popular and most of your students will regularly watch films in English, subtitled in their own language (either at the cinema or on video/DVD). However, they will be used to just 'reading' films - just like an English speaker does with foreign language films. Doing this results in the following:
Few people can read and listen simultaneously so, in effect, listening and communication analysis skills will be 'turned off' while the student is reading the subtitles.
A large part of the visual content of the film will be missed while subtitle reading takes place
The student will be unable to use non-verbal communication factors, like the expression on the speaker's face and any gestures he/she may be making to aid understanding. This is the major advantage that video has over audio, and is, therefore, a considerable loss.
The versatility of the DVD player can enable the teacher to help the student to become less dependent on subtitles, forcing them to 'switch on' their listening skills while watching. This attempt to break the dependency on subtitles could have a very beneficial effect, especially for higher level students, who may find themselves, for the first time, actually watching a film at the cinema instead of reading it.
In order to help achieve this objective, I have designed three DVD activities based on the same film. I've chosen one of my favourite films, because doing the activities with all my students involves watching the damn thing over 20 times!!! :-))
As with the other activities I have designed, for practical purposes I have divided English language learners into three categories:
· 1 Elementary and Pre-intermediate students.
· 2 Intermediate students
· 3 Proficiency, Advanced and Upper-intermediate students
The effectiveness of this kind of activity for beginners is, I believe, limited, therefore I recommend using shorter, perhaps EFL designed, material for this level.