To better encourage students to use a language in a meaningful context, to further provide a new learning methodology and experience, and to innovate assessment, a Chinese video project was introduced to students at the Language Centre of the London School of Economics and Political Science. The project, iFilm, asked students to make a short video using as many of the vocabulary words and grammar points they learned in class as possible. Students were given about three months to come up with the video concepts, to film, and to edit. They could complete the project using any themes they wanted and work either individually or in a group. The project was assessed under three categories: writing, speaking, and video production. Many students found the video project interesting and agreed that it helped their Mandarin learning. However, the project also met several challenges. Some constructive suggestions are provided for future application.
TopSetting The Stage
We live in a technology- and media-driven environment, and the abundant use of technology has been integrated into daily life. Many educators and researchers have recognized the importance and possibility of integrating technology into classroom teaching. Masats, Dooly, and Costa (2009, p. 341) noted, “Technology has to be integrated in the regular classroom practices, as children can only become effective communicators if they develop both linguistic and digital competences.”
Teachers have been trying different ways of applying technologies into teaching, such as films, phone apps, and the like. When the author, as a London School of Economics and Political Science coordinating language teacher in Mandarin Chinese, was exploring different methods to assist his teaching, the potential advantages of learning a foreign language through a video-making project caught his attention. Research indicates that students’ language learning can benefit from their own produced videos. Nikitina (2009, p. 168) summarized various views as follows:
The process of making a video in the target language provides an interesting and enjoyable learning experience (Coleman, 1992) that can help the learners to activate the language skills acquired during the language course, providing an excellent foundation for communicative activities (Pearson, 1990). Furthermore, producing their own video encourages the learners to use “real world” language in “real life” situations (Secules, Herron & Tomasello, 1992), stimulates a greater student participation in the learning activities (Phillips, 1982), and enhances the learners’ autonomy and confidence (Charge & Giblin, 1988; Gardner, 1994).