Using videos to stimulate discussion of abstract concepts

It is often difficult to use a proper springboard for discussion of abstract concepts. In the exams normally the stimuli are either visual or short questions.

The point is that different learners would respond differently to the same stimuli depending on their temperaments and personalities.

However, there are occasions where I would be happy as a teacher if, rather than a long utterance, I managed to elicit some words for qualities or concepts which do not exactly come naturally to a foreign learner regardless of their level of English though perhaps more closely related to their age.

Using videos of any kind that a teacher thinks relevant can be effective in motivating students and in serving as the basis on which to build a conversation.

Here is a video of Yann Tiersen’s Porz Goret and a couple of ideas about how to use it.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z3jCiCrsx0

First simply show it to the students and allow them to indulge in the beauty of the movement. Since it is a short video of under five minutes, it could be replayed. This second time ask the students to write down a few nouns and adjectives which come to mind while watching the video. Make it clear that the nouns could be concrete as well as abstract.

If the yield is satisfactory, you could proceed by requiring the students to use their nouns and adjectives in order to verbalise their feelings about the video – images and music.

Otherwise, here is a list of nouns and adjectives and a task to perform, which will hopefully get the students to reflect on their possible use in a short speech that they can ultimately prepare.

nouns	adjectives
rhythm	soft
perseverance	smooth
discipline	mesmerising
agility	synchronised
gracefulness	intense
perfectionism	otherworldly
coordination	seamless
freedom	dreamlike
skill	elegant

Now ask the students to divide the nouns into causes and results and the adjectives into those that would qualify the music and the ones that would describe the movement.

The question now is what verbs to use in order to include the above nouns in their speech. Perhaps you could refer the students to a good online dictionary where they would search for verbs collocating with their list of nouns. (a very productive process at all times)

exert discipline

require perseverance

display skill

driven by perfectionism

Another idea is to show the students how to arrange adjectives in a sentence so as to create a climax.

You can use some of the adjectives on the list to demonstrate this stylistic device:

The music is soft, mesmerising, almost otherworldly.

You have now reached the point where the students are ready to prepare their speech using all the ideas suggested above to produce a meaningful response to the video.