Video In K-12 Classrooms: 5 Ways To Use Them

Revitalizing Outdated Instruction Through Video

According to a 2024 report by The Harris Poll for Discovery Education, 46% of teachers say student engagement has declined compared to 2019. A prominent contributor to the engagement crisis was the pandemic, which forced students worldwide to learn solely from their laptops. But there are still other factors that have contributed to this decline. Namely, “outdated and ineffective” teaching methods which the Center on Reinventing Public Education at Arizona State University found have hindered learning recovery since the pandemic. There are various ways teachers can modernize their instruction, but one simple step is to incorporate video into the classroom—whether by using platforms like YouTube or leveraging advanced EdTech tools. In this article, I’ll explain how teachers can leverage video to boost student engagement. I’ll also suggest six best practices for using video in K-12 classrooms.

Why Teachers Should Use Video In K-12 Classrooms

The popularity of video among Gen Z students is but one reason K-12 teachers should incorporate video into their instruction. A 2024 Pew Research Center study found that 73% of teens visit YouTube daily. Meanwhile, a 2018 Pearson survey discovered that 59% of Gen Z students cite YouTube as their preferred way of learning.

If this data is convincing enough, there’s also the fact that educators themselves recognize the value of video. In a 2019 article for Edutopia, University of California, Los Angeles instructor Rebecca Alber wrote, “Video clips can be a great tool to assist students in gaining that deeper understanding of content.” Alber pointed to how video can build learners’ background knowledge on a topic, enrich texts, and reinforce what students have learned.

As a former student and zillennial (meaning I straddle the line between Gen Z and millennials), I can personally speak to Alber’s point about how video reinforces student learning. For an illustration, allow me to quickly flash back to when I was in the eighth grade.

One day, after learning about gerunds in Ms. Miller’s ELA class, I thought of a So Random! skit I had seen on Disney Channel. The skit featured a rapping character named M.C. Grammar (cleverly modeled after the ’90s rap star M.C. Hammer) breaking down gerunds and other grammar concepts in the middle of a rap battle between two fellow rhymers.

I suggested that Ms. Miller screen a video clip of the skit for our class, which she did the next day. The result? My classmates and I enjoyed the video and thought it solidified our understanding of gerunds and other key concepts. To this day, without having seen the skit in years, I can still remember M.C. Grammar’s words: “When you take a verb and add ‘-ing,’ that’s when it becomes a gerund, baby!”

How Video Boosts Student Engagement

I’ve already taken you back to my days in school. Now I want you to think about yours. Didn’t your mind wander and eyes glaze over when your teacher stood in front of the class and droned on and on about…what was it exactly? Well, if you don’t want to inspire the same reaction in your students, leverage video in your K-12 classroom, which engages learners by doing the following:

1. Using multiple mediums to cater to diverse learning styles.
2. Providing information in a quick and digestible format.
3. Allowing students to view content multiple times and at their own pace.
4. Making learning accessible for English-language learners and students with disabilities.

5 Ways Teachers Can Use Video To Boost Student Engagement

Discover how teachers like yourself can leverage video content to enrich and accelerate learning for students.

1. Reinforce Learning With Relatable Explainer Videos

Video content can reinforce learning in multiple ways. It can make cultural connections that resonate with students and strengthen their understanding of a key topic—as the So Random! skit’s use of rap did for middle school me.

Or, videos can give students a fresh perspective on the class material they’ve been working on. If students have been learning about probability the traditional way—calculating numbers on a worksheet—they’d appreciate the new insight gained from watching an animated video connecting probability to the rolling of dice. You could even take their video learning a step further by giving them dice to roll themselves!

2. Check For Understanding With Video-Based Questions

According to curriculum and EdTech consultant Monica Burns, videos can help teachers check that students understand lesson content. “Asking questions before, during, and after watching a video can ensure that students grasp the different layers of information presented in this format,” Burns stated in a podcast.

To use video in this way, teachers can embed questions into their video lessons using tools. These tools allow students to answer questions about lessons in real time and get immediate feedback. You can also use video clips from YouTube and other video-sharing platforms in your presentations and feature key questions related to the video.

For example, say you’re doing a presentation on literary devices for your ELA class. You might include a YouTube clip in your slides and then feature relevant multiple-choice questions. One question could be, “Based on the video, what is the correct definition for alliteration,” with a list of possible definitions to choose from.

3. Promote Reflection Through Video Responses

A 2019 research paper published in the Online Learning Journal found that reflection helps students deepen their knowledge, identify weak areas, and make connections between what they’ve learned. Monica Burns recommends using interactive journaling tools to facilitate student reflection. For example, you could have students respond to topics featured in a video or answer questions about video content.

Students can also reflect through video. Have them record a short response to a prompt for homework. You could ask students to reflect on today’s lesson by connecting it to something they saw or experienced in their own lives. For instance, for a lesson on To Kill a Mockingbird and the character Atticus Finch, you might ask students to record a video reflecting on a time they stood up for someone or something even if it wasn’t popular to do so.

4. Support Independent Learning With Video Tutorials

Educators can use video to create and share tutorials with students. Teacher Tan Huynh wrote about the benefits of using video in this way in a blog post. In the post, he talked about how he and his sixth-grade students began a geography unit. Throughout the unit, his students would create fictional worlds as well as maps to accompany these worlds. To create the maps, students would use functions in Google Slides.

Although Huynh modeled how to perform the functions in class, multiple students were still confused. So, he recorded videos for all of his lessons as well as tutorials for each lesson. “Each student watched the video they needed–no more waiting on me to individually remodel the steps,” Huynh wrote. “I felt no frustration since I didn’t have to re-explain the same set of instructions for each student.” Ultimately, learners felt confident to work on their tasks, giving Huynh more time to support the students who needed help the most.

5. Test Knowledge Through Video Assessments

Students don’t always want to be assessed through the traditional written tests. If you want to bring more creative testing methods into the mix, try video assessments. These could take either of the following forms:

1. Asking students to present a project.
2. Asking students to solve a problem.
3. Asking students to conduct an experiment.

Let’s take a look at some examples for each one:

• Presenting a project
  Your ELA students are reading the historical novel Sadako and the Paper Cranes. You ask them to record a video presentation summarizing the book, assessing students for content and understanding, organization, and creativity.
• Solving a problem
  Your algebra students are learning about linear equations. You ask them to record a video where they solve the equation “3x – 6 = 9” and then grade them on accuracy, problem-solving process, and explanation of their reasoning.
• Conducting an experiment
  Your science students have been learning about crystal formation. You ask them to record a video where they conduct a crystal-growing experiment using a saturated solution, container, string, and pencil. You assess them for their understanding of key concepts, experiment setup and execution, and explanation of their results.

6 Tips For Effectively Using Video In K-12 Classrooms

Before you introduce video into your classroom, you should keep in mind six best practices.

1. Tailor videos to the subject
   Use problem-solving videos for math, animated videos for science, short documentary-style videos for history, and explainer videos for all subjects.
2. Make videos brief
   A 2022 research study found that short videos improve engagement by 24.7%.
3. Speak clearly and enthusiastically
   Keep students engaged by explaining information simply and showing your excitement. Research shows that teacher enthusiasm motivates students and improves recall.
4. Use closed captioning and text-based alternatives
   Make videos accessible for English-language learners and learners with hearing impairments by enabling captions. Provide transcripts so students can engage with the material through reading instead of watching or listening.
5. Repeat key concepts
   Help students retain information by including key takeaways or recap sections at the end of your video lessons.
6. Couple videos with guiding questions, interactive elements, and assignments
   A study on effective educational videos found that this promotes active learning, strengthens memory through the testing effect, and helps students assess themselves more accurately.

Banish Blank Stares By Using Video In K-12 Classrooms

Gen Z students already spend hours a day consuming video content. They’ve also expressed a desire to learn through YouTube and other video platforms. So, give them what they want!

Integrate video into lessons, assignments, and assessments. Use EdTech tools to make video adoption seamless and remember to follow best practices like using closed captioning and complementing video content with active learning strategies. You’ll soon witness the transformation of your students from passive pupils with blank stares to engaged and enthused learners who take an active role in their education.