With the proper approach, the use of videotape materials in the EFL classroom can be
motivational, educational and enjoyable. This paper introduces a video-based activity that
can be used by Composition and Conversation instructors who wish to provide a
motivationall} positive experience that builds the leamer's listening, speaking and writing
skills and like\\;se encourages social skills necessary for in-group cooperation. In the hands
of an experienced professional, this activity can be adapted for use with any level, from basic
to advanced. It also presents an unusually comfortable combination of both student-centered
and teacher-guided activities, with an emphasis on goal-oriented communication and
grammatical correctness. Equally encouraging is that the activity makes use of commercially
produced videotape materials readily available throughout Taiwan. Called "Synopsizing" for
lack of a better term, this exercise asks students to re-tell the action of a previously viewed
short scene excerpted from a larger film. Instructors can prepare students by teaching
necessary vocabulary and phrases, and training pupils in the recognition of what information
must be included or excluded in order to make their narratives comprehensible and concise.
Once a satisfactory narrative is achieved, instructors can conclude with a focus on correctness
in a non-threatening manner that even encourages student participation.
Relation:
第十六屆中華民國英語文教學研討會論文集=Proceedongs of the Sixteenth Conference on English Teaching and Learning,頁519-523