Multimedia and Video Presentation in Teaching Research Paper

According to a report prepared by twenty US universities and compiled by Kaufman and Mohan (2009), the usage of videos in the sphere of education is a widely used practice with a great potential in the future. As pointed out by Clark and Lyons (2011), videos are more likely to transfer a clear and realistic image of visual information than text, thus promoting understanding, which is useful both for procedural and social skills development.

Alqahtani, Al-Jewair, AL-Moammar, Albarakati, and ALkofide (2015) and Kaufman and Mohan (2009) mention other advantages of video: it is often a faster means of transferring more information, it is easier to distribute (especially with modern websites like YouTube), and it is typically perceived as more engaging and less boring than text or monotonous lecture (unless it is low-quality). There are some barriers to video usage, but in general, it has a great educational potential (Kaufman & Mohan (2009).

A widely used video-based educational practice is video modeling. It can consist of watching a video with a person performing a model action (Bjerrum, Hilberg, van Gog, Charles, & Eika, 2013) or, in the case of self-modeling, watching oneself perform the same action to analyze possible mistakes (Otero, Schatz, Merrill, & Bellini, 2015). The method is often used for procedural skills training, for example, in nursing, and it leads to apparent improvements (Bjerrum et al., 2013).

As for the social skills, the fact that video modeling can enhance them is proved by the success of video intervention practices that are aimed at children with autism spectrum disorders (Otero et al., 2015). This spectrum of disorders is characterized by challenges in communication, which is why the improvements of video-based lessons are especially visible.

It is also noteworthy that video interventions demonstrate “the most consistently favorable outcomes” among other social skill developing interventions, in particular, because they prove to attract the attention of the students to a greater extent (Otero et al., 2015, p. 103). To sum up, there is clear evidence to video being a very useful tool in education.

Clark and Mayer (2011) focus on the importance of conversational style for teachers and coaches (p. 160) and indicate that a properly developed tone is more likely to promote learning (pp. 162-165). Similarly, Verderber, Verderber, and Sellnow (2008) point out that conversational style demonstrates that the speaker is engaged, interested in the topic, and this attitude typically transfers to the audience; apart from that, the tone helps to avoid boredom, and the listeners find it easier to follow the speaker’s thought. As a result, the development of conversational tone is important for students, teachers, businesspersons, politicians, and basically everyone.

The elements of the development of the tone can be described in varied ways, but some aspects are more or less constant. First of all, it is useless to memorize the speech; instead, Verderber et al. (2008) suggest memorizing ideas and then using appropriate words (that depend on the audience) to describe these ideas. Outlines can be helpful in this respect, and some practice is likely to be required. Apart from the relative spontaneity of the speech, the conversational style is characterized by the presentation of the content: a conversational style speaker is animated.

In the case of online presentation that has no video, the voice can be animated (expressive), but if some visual cues are a possibility, they should be used. The cues include, for example, the posture and gestures; eye contact should be employed as well. At the same time, animated and even heated speech does not have to be aggressive. The speaker needs to respect the audience, and the politeness is important. Another form of demonstrating politeness are good pronunciation and appropriate volume (Clark & Mayer, 2011, pp. 163-168; Verderber et al., 2008, pp. 206-215). All these elements constitute a proper conversational tone.

References

Alqahtani, N., Al-Jewair, T., AL-Moammar, K., Albarakati, S., & ALkofide, E. (2015). Live demonstration versus procedural video: a comparison of two methods for teaching an orthodontic laboratory procedure. BMC Medical Education, 15(1), 1-15.

Bjerrum, A., Hilberg, O., van Gog, T., Charles, P., & Eika, B. (2013). Effects of modelling examples in complex procedural skills training: a randomised study. Medical Education, 47(9), 888-898.

Clark, R. & Lyons, C. (2011). Graphics for learning. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Clark, R. & Mayer, R. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Kaufman, P., & Mohan, J. (2009). Video use and higher education: Options for the future.

Otero, T., Schatz, R., Merrill, A., & Bellini, S. (2015). Social Skills Training for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Child And Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics Of North America, 24(1), 99-115.

Verderber, R., Verderber, K., & Sellnow, D. (2008). The challenge of effective speaking. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.