A Few Tips from a Prep School Instructor on Recording Video Lectures
Introduction
As a COVID-19 countermeasure, more and more schools, cram schools, and prep schools are choosing to temporarily suspend in-person attendance and substitute with video lectures. The prep school where I primarily teach has also chosen this format for the time being.
However, some teachers might be thinking, "I've never recorded a video lecture before! I don't know how to teach this way!"
Therefore, as someone who has been teaching video classes for a long time and has even been complimented by the academic and filming staff at my current prep school saying, "You're really good at being filmed!" (Note: I am not a gravure idol), I would like to briefly summarize 〈more effective ways to convey messages to students〉.
Please note that this content is based on the premise that it can be applied to all subjects and practiced immediately by anyone, so to be blunt, it ends up being 〈limited to superficial, formal elements〉. I ask for your kind understanding in this regard.
Directing Your Delivery
〈How you speak〉 is, in itself, an important medium when trying to convey any kind of message, and this is not limited to video classes. Whether or not a message is conveyed depends significantly on the skill of your 〈delivery〉. So, what exactly should you be conscious of...?
① Utilizing "Pauses"
→ Intentionally place a "pause" between sentences, clauses, words, or even characters. For example,
"A-I-U-E-O" ➡ "A... I............ U-E-O!"
By doing this, during the "............" part, the listener will think things like (Hmm? ...They said "A-I", so next should be "U-E-O"... why is this person silent? Could something other than "U-E-O" be coming!?). In other words,
directing "pauses" serves as an opportunity to prompt the listener to think. This is actually quite important in video classes, where students tend to listen passively.
② Utilizing "Inflection" →
Add variety to your speech by lowering or exploding your volume. For example, "What is this sentence trying to say?
(←whispering voice)" ➡ "In short,
(←super whispering voice)......... it means XX, right!? (←loud voice)" Sometimes, there are instructors who think, "Just use a loud voice to keep students focused!" but no matter how loud you are, the listener will eventually get used to it. And once they get used to it, their concentration will drop. Conversely, intentionally inserting a whisper can actually evoke a sense of needing to listen carefully.
③ Make your reactions exaggerated, even overly so!
→ For example, when taking a "pause" as mentioned in ①, if you scan the camera's field of view from left to right during that silence, you can make the students realize, (Oh, they want me to think about something now...). However, this is truly important:
〈even if you think you are acting deliberately, when you actually watch the video, the movements are surprisingly lackluster!〉 Please keep this in mind. Including the above, gestures and facial expressions will not be reflected in the video at all with mediocre acting. Discard the concept of being embarrassed, and direct your reactions with the image of being as exaggerated as possible plus a little more. Be bold and over-the-top, enough to reach someone on the other side of a large river!
Points to Keep in Mind When Writing on the Board
1. Half-turn? Forget it!
→ You often hear the "advice" that "you shouldn't show your back to students when writing on the board. Turn sideways and keep your eyes on the students while you move the chalk." Well, if you can do it, go ahead, but for those who can't (like me), you really don't need to do that at all. Go ahead and show your back as much as you want. In fact, let your back do the charming.If you are conscious of twisting your body toward the students every now and then while writing on the board with your back turned, you can recover just fine. Yeah!
2. Keep chalk colors simple!
→ This depends on the image quality, but in the case of video, it seems that color-coding on the board is often harder to distinguish than in a regular classroom. Basically, use white (or black for a whiteboard) as a base, and fluorescent yellow or fluorescent orange, using clearly visible colors only sparingly is a good approach. If there are color-blind students in your target audience, you need to be even more careful..
2. Write big! Just make it big!
→ <10cm square = one character> is a good image to keep in mind. In any case, since many students will be watching video lectures on their smartphones, this point should become quite important.
3. Don't fear mistakes!
→ In face-to-face classes, you can get by with a classic joke like "Oops!" or "I was just waiting for you guys to notice the mistake!" when you make a mistake on the board. However, in video classes—especially when recording in advance rather than live—the instructor tends to feel the pressure of "I absolutely cannot make a mistake!"
I declare:
Even if you make a mistake, it's no problem at all.
You just need to correct it properly.
In fact, this is my personal theory: <"Noise" such as mistakes in writing or explanation followed by corrections can actually be a positive factor that stimulates students' attention and helps solidify memory.> Just accept that. You can just play it off with a "I was waiting for you guys to notice... wait, this is a video class, lol. You guys can't point it out even if you notice! Sorry!"
4. Talk while you write!
→ In face-to-face classes, the silence while the sound of chalk scratching on the board echoes can actually help provoke a sense of tension in students. However, in video classes, depending on the audio quality, this scratching sound might not echo well. In that case, you end up with a period of silence while the instructor shows their back, which creates a very anxiety-inducing time for the students.
So, when writing on the board, I recommend talking while you write, even if it's just reading out what you are writing. Of course, it's even better if you can talk about something other than what's on the board, but that takes practice...
However, there are some teachers who just can't "talk while writing!" In that case, preparing the board in advance and touching on it at the appropriate timing is a good method. However, in this case, <don't forget to give students time to copy the board!> "Okay, I'm going to explain this board now, so please pause the video, copy it into your notebook, and then listen to the explanation!" Be sure to give specific instructions like that.
5. Don't block the board
→ Actually, this happens quite often, but you must avoid at all costs the situation where the board you worked so hard to create is blocked by the instructor's body and doesn't show up in the image. lol. In a face-to-face class, students can lean over to peek at the blackboard, but that doesn't work in video. Make sure you understand your standing position and the position of the board during the lecture.
Other points to note
1. Watch your eye contact!
→ This is the point for which I was most praised by our filming staff, haha. You should be quite conscious of where you place your gaze while filming so that it looks like you are making eye contact with the students on the other side of the camera, as this is very important.
If you aren't careful, from the perspective of the students watching the video, it might end up looking like, "Where is this person looking while they're talking!?" It is a good idea to film a few test shots, check the footage, find the optimal position to align your gaze, and mark it.
2. Be careful with your clothing!
→ Is it called halation? The thing where the screen flickers if you wear clothes with checks or stripes. That is really distracting, so it is better to avoid those kinds of patterns. Even if your shirt is solid-colored, ties and such can often look cluttered, so be careful. If the video quality is poor, afterimages of patterned clothing may drift around when the instructor moves.
However, if you are using a blackboard, black or dark-colored clothing, or if you are using a whiteboard or electronic blackboard, white shirts and the like might blend in quite a bit with the background. In either case, a solid blue or pink shirt will be fine. I recommend it.
3. Use questions frequently!
→ The biggest drawback of video classes is that they become one-way lessons in the true sense of the word. No matter how unfocused the students look on the other side of the camera, the instructor cannot notice. In that case, as mentioned in "Directing Your Delivery," it becomes important for the instructor to prepare various mechanisms to encourage student concentration. The key to this is,
just ask the students on the other side of the camera questions, anything at all!
.
Honestly, it could even be something strange like, "Okay, let's do Question 2 next. Um, Question 2, what does it say?" or "Now, let's go back to underlined part A... wait, where was underlined part A again?". Regardless, by throwing out questions, a dialogue is created, however pseudo it may be. Having students feel that "the instructor is talking directly to me" is a very important factor in stimulating their willingness to listen, isn't it?
Finally
This year's spring course made me keenly aware that, while I won't say it applies to everyone, the students' concentration... or rather, their "eyes locked onto the instructor's explanation" was stronger than in previous years.
I think there are many factors for this, but my conclusion is that with school closures continuing,
students are starving for classes!
and I think that is a major reason.
I have introduced various "clever teaching techniques" up to this point, but the most important thing is to
carry out your lessons while savoring the "fact" that there are many children who are craving your classes to the marrow of their bones!
. If you do that, the quality of your lectures will naturally improve.
And lastly, I have a request.
The act of watching a video lecture tends to be more mechanical for students than you might think. However, the teachers standing in front of the camera in this situation are truly standing there because they are worried about the students' present and future and want to do something about it.
Please, do not be shy about putting those feelings into words.
Please declare proudly, "I will resolve all of your anxieties!"
I believe that is likely the greatest thing the children of today are looking for.
I apologize for rambling on about nonsense. I hope this has been even 1 millimeter helpful.
Let's all pool our wisdom and overcome this difficult situation together.
Because the future of our society depends entirely on education...!