Explainer Videos in the EFL Classroom – Workshop with Melanie Borchers

A field report by Melanie Borchers

We are all familiar with explanatory videos – be it through our experience in face-to-face or distance learning or through the numerous tutorials that we regularly use on the well-known video platforms. But what makes a  What makes a good explanatory video for English lessons and how can it be implemented in practice? Melanie Borchers, full-time head of English studies at the IQSH and teacher at the Klaus Groth School in Tornesch, provided answers to this question in her workshop on May 20, 2022  Explainer Videos in the EFL Classroom at the English Department of Kiel University. 

Why use explanatory videos in English lessons?

On the one hand, explanatory videos tie in with the daily surfing and streaming habits of young learners; on the other hand, the planning, production and reflection of explanatory videos are an important element in promoting media skills – for both teachers and learners. Furthermore, producing their own explanatory videos offers learners a meaningful opportunity to speak in the foreign language. The in-depth examination of the learning content and its preparation also promotes the learners’ own understanding.

Course of the event

A total of ten participants, including students, research assistants and support staff, discussed exemplary explanatory videos and possible quality criteria such as design, content, structure and language. Despite different preferences regarding the design and conception of explanatory videos, important results were recorded: Supporting  scaffolding and the preparation of information in simple language are particularly important for good explanatory videos, whereby multimodal elements in combination should also support comprehension. Furthermore, practical effects of linguistic presentation were also highlighted, such as the fact that fast, lively speech motivates learners, or that an educational video should ideally be six minutes long in order to  avoid information overload . After an extensive look at various video formats (such as  stop-motion, time lapse and green screen), the advantages and disadvantages were worked out and recorded before practical suggestions were given for implementing an explanatory video project in English lessons. 

Transfer into practice

In this final practical phase, all participants were taken back into the classroom and worked in groups to record short sample sequences. Melanie Borchers is particularly familiar with the hesitant behavior when deciding who should record the videos – both from the classroom and from previous training courses. Her conclusion: it is important to put yourself in the role of the learner from time to time in order to understand what we as teachers are asking of them – advice that we should certainly all take to heart.

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