Recently I've been teaching an academic writing unit. My students need to research and write an academic essay, something they are not familiar with in the exam-heavy education system in China.
Usually, I would try my best to describe the writing process to them and urge them to get started as soon as possible, but this semester I think I've actually managed to get them excited about the assignment. How? Through another student.
We watched a video by a university student in the UK, Jack Edwards, who described and demonstrated his essay planning and researching process as he worked on an actual essay. When we reflected on the video together, I saw a reaction to their own assignment that I hadn't seen with previous cohorts.
Students were excited! They found the advice given valuable. But even more than that, the fact that it came from a peer -- studying the same major no less -- motivated them. They saw Jack wrestling with a topic, trying to determine a particular question, researching, keeping track of ideas and sources in a document which he explained, and describing his method of organising his essay.
The students got so much out of it. Much more than from my explanations or professionally-made resource videos. Somehow, hearing it from a fellow student going through the same experience was inspiring. I even got messages about it after class.
- Pre-watching: Show the title and thumbnail of the video. Ask students to predict what the video will tell us. (E.g. What do you think Jack Edwards's essay planning and research steps are?)
- Watching: Students watch the video with their predictions in mind. This helps them have a focus when watching.
- Post-watching: Elicit the content from the video that you asked the students to focus on; in other words, check their predictions. (E.g. What is Jack's essay planning and researching process?) And let them share their own reactions and thoughts.
- Have you had experiences like this in your class?
- What videos have your students appreciated?
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