I’ve talked a lot about using Youtube in the classroom, but I wanted to know what experts have to say. I did some preliminary research, and while there didn’t seem to be a lot out there, I was able to find some good sources. Here are a few themes that I kept seeing:

Immersion 

Jon Watkins and Michael Wilson did some research on ESL instruction in Japan, and they stated that Youtube was the best way to immerse students in their second language without actually travelling to a foreign country. While travel is amazing, it can be inconvenient and very expensive, not to mention nerve-wracking if you don’t really speak the language still. James York, another researcher in Japan, said it can even help language learners to read body language and non-verbal cues. These things are steeped in cultural norms, yet they can be so important for understanding.

Cognition

We all know that “learning styles” are a myth which have been debunked, and although they were actually mentioned in some of the articles I read, it’s still valuable to learn through two modes at once rather than just one. York states that watching videos can help students to visualize word meanings and remember them better.

Motivation

Watkins and Wilson talked about the term “learner autonomy.” It refers to the idea that students should take charge of their own learning. They note that with Youtube, learners have a wide variety of choice in terms of what video content they’re interested in watching. They can watch at home on their own time. York adds that students probably already watch Youtube sometimes in their free time, and therefore have positive associations with Youtube. It’s already something that they enjoy, so bringing it into the classroom will be more engaging and motivating than opening up a textbook. The content is fresh, new, and relevant.

Overall, these are just 3 good reasons to use Youtube videos in the language classroom. It’s backed up by experts, and it’s a valuable resource that shouldn’t be discredited.

Works Cited:

Watkins, J., & Wilkins, M. (2011). Using YouTube in the EFL Classroom. Language Education in Asia, 2(1), 113–119. doi: 10.5746/leia/11/v2/i1/a09/watkins_wilkins

York, J. (2011). Reasons for using YouTube in the language classroom including practical usage examples. Jaltcalljournal, 7(2), 207–215. Retrieved from https://journal.jaltcall.org/storage/articles/JALTCALL 7-2-207.pdf