Professional Development through Video

With the annual TESOL convention around the corner, many of my thoughts lately have centered around professional development. I’ve already mentioned webinars that can benefit us teachers. This week I’d like to highlight another type of resource. I’ve received a few requests for teacher training videos recently. I’ve only dabbled in that area in the past, so before I consider how exactly I could meet this current demand, I thought I should list some quality video resources already available.

• [FREE] Pearson ELT Videocasts. This is a small but growing collection of videos that cover both broad and specific topics, from the use of technology to successful lesson plans. Featured teachers include Jeremy Harmer and Jamie Keddie.

• [FREE] Lessonstream.org. Jamie Keddie has produced a whole lot more on his own site (formerly TEFL Clips). Here you’ll find a generous offering of classroom activities, modeled by Jamie himself.  His style is clear, simple, natural, and fun. The numerous ideas are nicely organized by level, learner type, topic, time frame, language aim, and materials.

• [FREE] TeacherTube. This resource is not limited to ESL/EFL, but you can filter your search and find videos on topics such as the stages of language acquisition (defined and illustrated) and videos modeling warm-up activities.

• [FREE] Shaping the Way We Teach English by UOregon. This is a well-made teacher training series produced in cooperation with the University of Oregon. The creators describe it as a 14-module series that builds a pedagogical foundation and improves classroom practices. David Deubelbeiss (M.Ed, B.Ed) offers a free Basic TEFL Certificate Course based on this video series.

• [Subscription] TEFLVideos. This site also makes professional development on-demand. You can watch a few free clips demonstrating dos and don’ts in the classroom as well as strategies for teaching specific skills, like vocabulary and reading. Through a subscription, members can watch a mock interview to prepare for a job search. If you already have a job, but want to know what other job choices are like, there’s a video showing the life of an EFL teacher in Shanghai, China.