Rob Hirschel, ELI Lecturer, discusses a recent student video project in this episode of Best Practice. The project asks students to visually demonstrate a deep understanding of a vocabulary word while introducing them to basic video editing.
Hirschel describes the language aims of the project in detail. He directs his freshmen to explore a vocabulary word’s different meanings in context, collocations, and appropriate usage.
While teachers of foreign languages might find this video project as a useful exercise for developing deep knowledge of vocabulary, any teacher interested in trying video editing for the first time might find Rob’s reflections useful. This was his first time using basic Canon point and shoot digital cameras (not dedicated camcorders) along with Apple’s iMovie editing software. Along the way, he gives advice to teachers interested in creating their own video project: student benefits, project timeframes, and preparation tips.
Feel free to share any tips, questions, or thoughts on video projects with your students!
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ELI at Kanda University of International Studies 
I teach Japanese in NYC using the YouTube videos and my acting and improvisation skills. Film making is a clever way to teach languages. I also shoot videos whenever I go to Japanese events here to be used as my students’ study materials.