Video has permeated the language classroom as educators around the world have discovered how its combination of visual and audio images enhances learning. (For a more comprehensive look at the use of video in a variety of settings, see Lawrence, 1987; Skirble, 1979; Stempleski & Arcario, 1992; Stempleski & Tomalin, 1990). Despite their satisfaction with the medium, video enthusiasts are constantly in search of short, focused, video segments, more manageable in length than situation comedies, full-feature movies, documentaries, or news programs, yet adaptable to content-based courses (Stoller, 1992). TV commercial messages are part of the answer.
Rationale
Commercials are authentic. Commercials have not been fabricated, arranged, or simplified for the consumption of the language learner, but have been created for native speakers. Watching commercials exposes students to true-life language - "an air of reality" (Lonergan, 1983, p. 69) - demonstrating to them the extent to which they can handle real-world input. Similarly, exposure to commercials in the classroom engenders in students a stronger sense of language autonomy - the feeling that they can actually function linguistically beyond its walls. Finally, in EFL situations, overseas images appeal to students who may not have a chance to travel abroad in the near future, but still want to taste different cultures.
Commercials are short, focused, and thematic in content. In many cases, commercials possess advantages over their video counterparts: They present entire encapsulated and freestanding messages which can be manipulated and digested in less than one lesson. Students tend to stay on task longer and see a clear start and finish to the activity because of commercials' concise aims and brevity. A commercial can easily be found to introduce, review, or wrap up the themes of any lesson, because each introduces one main concept, ranging from sports, cars, and restaurants to AIDS and environmental concerns such as global warming. This variety in concentration is paramount in content-based teaching which intricately interweaves subject matter and language skills.
Commercials contain culturally-loaded slices of modern society. Watching commercials introduces students to many cross-cultural topics ranging from gestures and body language to more probing issues of values, behaviors and ways of thinking, social problems, stereotypes, and idiosyncrasies. Furthermore, CMs are laden with culture-specific imagery, symbolism, and subconscious messages that can serve as vehicles for social commentary.
Moreover, while feature films and television programs do mirror how people live, this material often becomes dated very quickly (e.g., statistics, family roles, fashions). Yet, since the purpose of commercials is to promote products in the forefront of change, their creators expend considerable effort, research, and money to keep them up to date.
Commercials contain visual, verbal, and written images. Video provides the realism and excitement which are so attractive to students (Stempleski & Tomalin, 1990) and, as Rawley and Smith (1995) have noted, CMs are designed to capture the attention of the viewer. Commercials present their messages in words and pictures which complement and support each other. Furthermore, advertisers purposely bombard listeners with key words and slogans to the beat of some catchy tune that stays imprinted in students' minds for days. Some researchers have suggested of closed captioned television programs that the pictures and written words appearing on the screen together provide several sources for drawing conclusions or confirming what the learner has heard (Holobow, Lambert, & Sayegh, 1984; Vanderplank, 1993). The same should hold true of commercials.
Commercials in Content-Based Courses
Yet for all its merits, video can be abused or misused, for example, as a Friday afternoon respite from regular classroom activities. Teachers who rely wholly on the medium to entertain without tying this input to the overall content of the class risk discrediting video or in extreme cases forfeiting this resource if school administrators see it as a tool for unprepared teachers to kill time during the waning minutes of class.
Using video to teach English in content-based classes validates video in the eyes of administrators, parents, and students. Theme-based instruction, characterized by Stoller (1992, p. 25) as the "integration of content with language teaching objectives," emphasizes providing a context where students can use the language to explore current issues and topics.
Students become interested and motivated when they can actually see their English skills convey real communication of topic- or content-based themes, rather than instruction limited to the passive learning of grammatical rules. Students of English for specific purposes will be better prepared with knowledge for the workplace, or in more advanced critical-thinking, presentation, and note-taking skills for academic training or mainstream classes overseas.
The Model: A Lesson in Marketing
The following lesson shows one way I have used commercials to integrate listening, speaking, writing, and presentation skills in topic-based courses. It combines previewing, language processing, and consolidation activities as the scaffolding, keeping in mind the merits of commercials and concerns about using video effectively.
Table 1: What's that Product?
- Purpose To teach critical-thinking skills about marketing strategies
- Level low intermediate and above
- Skills listening, writing, public speaking, and drama
- Class Time 3 hours over two class periods
- Preparation and Materials
Step 1-Previewing (15 minutes): This warm-up activates students' relevant background knowledge and vocabulary, encourages them to anticipate what they will see and hear next, and thus aids comprehension (Helgesen, 1993; Stoller, 1992). This stage is particularly important in EFL settings where students have studied English for several years in a passive learning environment. As Helgesen states, "Listening isn't and can't be passive" (1993, p. 14), so our job must be to activate the students' listening along with speaking, grammar, writing, and reading skills.
Students are told the name and kind of product and then in small groups discuss the type of market (age, sex, socioeconomic class), other competitors promoting similar goods, the product slogan, the main selling points, and the misconceptions that might arise (e.g., Beer commercials encourage drinking and driving). Then the elicited ideas are written on the board. Another method for generating ideas as a class is mapping (Troyka, 1990, p. 31). In this case, the idea map might look like this:
Next, ask students to write down five words they would expect to hear or five sentences containing them: Super Shoes are super comfortable or Super Shoes will help you soar over your opponents. Then they write five images they would expect to see in the commercial: for example a basketball player dunking the ball, a runner leaving the starting blocks, or a tennis player lunging to return a shot.
Step 2-Language Processing (20 minutes): Next, students check their assumptions and predictions about the product. Teachers may choose to create an information gap by manipulating the audience or equipment: facing half the students away from the TV, turning down the sound, or covering part of the screen. This creates a task in which students are on the edge of their seats trying to guess what is missing.
For example, cover the TV screen with dark construction paper with six or seven 3-inch square holes cut at random. Cover these info-windows with adhesive memo paper. Next, the students listen intently, trying both to understand the situation and to confirm whether the commercial mentions any of the words or sentences they wrote down previously. Depending on their level of understanding up to that point, students can remove several of the papers covering the info-windows. The windows provide additional clues while preserving the anticipation and excitement of the exercise.
Step 3-Consolidation (10 minutes): Now that the students understand the situation and language, they watch the commercial again and discuss in small groups any language and cultural similarities or differences that they notice. Facial expressions, body contact, clothing, gestures, culture-specific paralanguage (OOPS, WOW, etc.), market differences, and humor make good points of departure for further discussion to exercise critical thinking. For example, ask students to note four examples of non-verbal communication, with any verbalizations that accompany them, and then guess the meaning of this non-verbal behavior (See Figure 1).
Table 2
- Nonverbal behavior - A man shakes his head.
- Language - Tsk, tsk, tsk
- Meaning - "You are doing something you shouldn't be doing."
Step 4-Going Beyond (Two class periods): Students create their own commercial message or class presentation, depending on time and feasibility. Students form groups of three and write a commercial about their own original product. When possible, students should use library facilities to research the history, development, production, and promotion of similar products to build academic reading and writing skills, and to acquaint themselves with the language of marketing.
First, students prepare a poster of the item using magazine and newspaper clippings, markers, and crayons, including the product's price, customer service, unique features, or benefits. Next, they write a short script for a one-minute commercial and decide if they want to use background music. After some practice, videotape their productions, including the poster. Finally, students grade each other's commercials based on five criteria: (a) originality, (b) quality of the poster, (c) use of English, (d) persuasive arguments demonstrating knowledge of the subject, and (e) presentation skills (delivery), each judged on a five-point scale. Student evaluations and the teacher's evaluation each compose 50% of the grade.
In Summary
While many teachers have gotten on the video bandwagon, the potential of commercial messages remains largely untapped. Authentic content, short duration, and the combination of words and visual images make commercials the ideal source for innovative, enjoyable, and most importantly, meaningful classroom activities. Furthermore, the channeling of this rich video medium into content-based classes will allow students to use their English skills for academic or special purposes. It is one way to get your students hooked on learning.
References
- Helgesen, M. (1993). Creating active, effective listeners. The Language Teacher, 7 (8), 13, 14, 24.
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Holobow, N., Lambert, W. E., & Sayegh, L. (1984). Pairing script and dialogue: Combinations that show promise for second and foreign language acquisition. Language Learning, 34, 59-76.
- Lawrence, K. D. (1987). The French TV commercial as a pedagogical tool in the classroom. French Review, 60, 835-844.
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Lonergan, J. (1983). Video applications in English language teaching. In. J. McGovern (Ed.), Video applications in English language teaching (pp. 69-82). Oxford: Pergamon.
- Rawley, L. A., & Smith, A. (1995, March). Using television commercials to teach listening & critical thinking skills. Demonstration presented at the 29th Annual TESOL Convention, Long Beach, CA.
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Short, D. (1993). Assessing integrated language and content instruction. TESOL Quarterly, 27(4), 627-656.
- Skirble, R. (1979). Television commercials in the foreign language classroom. Hispania, 60, 516-518.
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Stempleski. S., & Arcario, P. (Eds.). (1992). Video in second language teaching: Using, selecting, and producing video for the classroom. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.
- Stempleski, S., & Tomalin, B. (1990). Video in action: Recipes for using video in language teaching. London: Prentice-Hall International.
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Stoller, F. L. (1992). Using video in theme-based curricula. In S. Stempleski & P. Arcario (Eds.), Video in second language teaching: Using, selecting, and producing video for the classroom (pp. 25-46). Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.
- Troyka, L. Q. (1990). Simon & Schuster handbook for writers (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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Vanderplank, R. (1993). A very verbal medium: Language learning through closed captions. TESOL Journal, 3 (1), 10-14.
A shorter version of this article appeared under a different title in TESOL Matters, 4 (6), December 1994/January 1995).