TED-Ed: Flipping a YouTube Video for Listening Comprehension

I am glad to share with you my experience in making a listening comprehension out of a YouTube video, also known as ‘flipping’ a video. The technique is brought by TED-Ed, a website collaborated by YouTube and TED talk allowing users to create customized lessons with engaging videos on YouTube.

The TED-Ed video lesson I made today is about Jamie Oliver introducing ways to chop onions for various dishes. It targets upper intermediate KS3 learners with 4 MC questions requiring them to listen for specific information and 1 open-end question requiring them to judge the attitude of the speaker.

Jamie Oliver – How to chop an onion

There are two main advantages of teachers flipping a YouTube video as a listening comprehension practice. First, teachers can set questions tailor-made for their students according to their understanding of the English proficiency of students. With a good understanding  of the strengths and weaknesses of learners, teachers can make a lesson targeted in drilling specific listening comprehension skills of learners. Also, since students in Hong Kong are rarely exposed to authentic English input and listening practices made by local publishers mostly make use of recordings specially made for testing purposes, TED-Ed allows listening practices with authentic English input. This can enhance students’ understanding of English as a world language.

 

Creative Writing through Video Production

This post explores the use of subtitled video as a stimulant to writing. Creating a video gives students a more purposeful writing task in which they share their experience or thought through captioned pictures.

I have made a video based on a storyboard about the first canoe camping experience of mine when I was in Québec, Canada. Stepping out of my comfort zone, I have experienced many ‘first times’ there with lasting memories. The canoe, the sea of maple leaves, the bonfire and the lake are all staying fresh in my mind, comprising priceless episodes which I shall never forget.

Never have I ever… canoe camping

Podcasting: Develop Listening and Speaking

This is my first time using Audacity in recording a read aloud poem, but I think there will be plenty of chances in the future as I’d love to share my verse speaking and prose reading pieces with my students especially when training them for the speech festivals. Other uses of Audacity include the training and assessment of oral skills of students as it is a manageable software to students and they can then record their own read aloud and send it to me for my comments to improve.

The poem I chose was ‘Clarity’ written by Dee Mcdonald, and the background music was ‘Wonder Boy’ by Yiruma. It is a teacher poem that I like, which is about the clarity in mind and in heart a good teacher can bring to students. Please enjoy!

Clarity
© Dee Mcdonald

The Clarity you gave to me,
It shone like Angel rays,
Like water rushed on golden sands,
And crashed along the bays. 

The questions deep within my heart,
Confused my humble mind,
Yet when you spoke your words aloud
It seemed, no longer I was blind.

The answers all came flooding in,
They touched my inner soul,
The knowledge that you gave to me
Within my heart I hold.

I understood that the events
That troubled me somehow,
Was nothing to be frightened of,
Instead I should be Proud.

I thank You Sir most graciously,
These words I say aloud,
For the Clarity you’ve given me,
Has made me feel quite proud.

 

About Lydia

my semester exchange in Canada

Hello everyone, this is Lydia. I major in English and Education in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Singing, taking pictures and movie-going are all my hobbies, but none can be compared to my love for travelling. As a Christian, I love to travel around the world and be awestruck by God’s amazing creation.

The picture above was taken in Ottawa where I did my exchange program, during which I traveled a lot either alone or with a couple of friends. I truly experienced the power of English and bilingualism there, and this priceless experience surely stays in my camera and my memory.

It’s poll time!