Showing video material or having children create their own videos while being homeschooled can be a lovely change of pace from the normal routine.
It is important to keep kids engaged, so using video in homeschooling lessons adds an exciting new dimension to your child’s studies. The teaching style used in the video may be different from the parents’ teaching style, and could be a novelty to in-home learners.
So, when it comes to homeschooling, the right type of video material will keep your child’s curiosity engaged and effectively broaden their knowledge. In addition, video may also invoke emotional appeal, which may aid in both memory retention and motivation.
Effective Learning
Video material used in conjunction with other tasks (worksheets, practical tasks, or projects) will aid in retention of ideas and concepts. We learn through sight, sound, and touch; and usually one of these learning styles are more prominent in any given individual. Therefore, people are typically visual learners, auditory learners, or tactile-kinesthetic learners.
Video can be used effectively for teaching all 3 types of learners. To the visual learner, the benefits of using video are self-explanatory. However, videos that include auditory explanations through verbal teaching will also optimally benefit auditory learners. Lastly, videos that include demonstrations or having learners make their own videos will optimally benefit kinesthetic learners.
Subject Specific
Subject specific topics relating to STEM, especially sciences and math, are great for video creation. Your child can visualize a complex or abstract concept easily using video. History and literature are also perfect areas to incorporate video as it helps to make historical events or literature creations real. Plus, if your child’s second language is one that you are not familiar with, video is definitely the answer.
Finding Video Material
Just by browsing around the Internet you will find great resources for your kids to learn from. There is so much to choose from: lectures, explainer videos, documentaries, docu-dramas etc. YouTube is the most popular video site, and material found there or on YouTubeEDU can be used not only in your kids’ education, but also in your own preparation for a topic.
Using Video In Homeschooling
There are various ways to teach with video. You could start a topic by showing a video clip as an introduction. When you get to the end of a topic, a good video summarizing the content could be shown or the student can make a summary video using mysimpleshow. A fun cartoon on the topic studied could also provide a meaningful variation in a lesson.
Some videos may give you ideas for practical follow-up activities. Be mindful of this possibility – look out for potential tasks that could go hand-in-hand with watching a video. It may be a worksheet that your child can do after watching a specific video. It may be an arts and crafts project that aligns perfectly with the video content. Follow-up tasks may even involve using transcripts of YouTube video to write an essay or a review.
Making Your Own Videos For Homeschooling
Also consider incorporating self-made videos into your children’s education. You can make your own videos to help teach your kids! It may be as simple as a recording (recorded ahead of time) of your own lecture. Your child can look at the recordings and watch them several times, if necessary. Or, you create your own video material without having to worry about the production side of things using online tools like mysimpleshow.
The ultimate use of video in homeschooling is probably letting your kids make video material for their own learning! It would mean them doing the research, writing the script, putting it together in video format, and then watching it. Over time, they can even start critiquing their own creation! Video as an artistic medium and the making of videos is a powerful way to help a child internalize concepts and facts. Again, mysimpleshow comes to mind.
It is an easy-to-use online tool that allows anyone to make explainer videos. After doing research on the topic of study, your child simply needs to follow the online instructions and mysimpleshow will gently guide them through the process of making a video. The writing of the script can be done with templates, provided by mysimpleshow. (So, no need for you to teach your child how to write a script!) Once the script has been completed, the mysimpleshow tool suggests video images and does the production and animation for you. The voice-over for your child’s video can be a recording of their own voice, or you could make use of the automated voice-overs provided by mysimpleshow.
The reasons why videos should be used in homeschooling are plentiful, and there are so many options when it comes to finding and creating video material. If you’re homeschooling or know someone who is, try using video to spice up your lessons.
