Learning With Television

It takes two -- WQED and you!

Television is a powerful medium that most of us use everyday of our lives for various reasons--it entertains us, informs us, shocks us, and often breaks through the boundaries of our imaginations. Children, in particular, continually learn from the things they see and hear on television. Unfortunately, the lessons they're learning are not always positive ones. As the primary adults in kids' lives, parents and teachers have the opportunity and responsibility to use the incredible power of television to teach productive and worthwhile lessons.

But for television to be an effective, non-passive, interactive partner in education, you as a teacher must become a master of the medium. Teachers who can harness the power and "magic" of television can bring into their classrooms people, places, things, and events their students might otherwise never experience. You can choose television segments to make abstract ideas come to life, to demonstrate phenomena that can't be recreated in the classroom, to introduce a new unit on far-off places, to review concepts through vivid, memorable images, or to function as your assistant in a multitude of other ways.

As you teach with television, you are teaching children to be discriminating television viewers. A bonus of using video effectively in the classroom is that children learn to watch television-all television-in a new way, to discuss what they have seen, to question the information presented, and to make judgments for themselves.

7 Steps for Teachers Using Television in the Classroom

Elizabeth Reeves, KQED-TV

Reprinted with permission

Public television offers educators an unrivaled array of primetime and in-school programming and is the number one choice among teachers using television in the classroom.

Television programs can add a new dimension to your classroom and promote active learning among your students. The following steps can guide you in preparing a lesson using instructional television any of PBS's quality general audience series such as SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS.

For more information on programming or educational resources, contact the education department at your local public television station.

1. Learning Objectives

Start with specific, identified objectives. For ITV lessons there are two considerations: 1) Your objectives for the lesson, tied to your school and district's curriculum; and 2) the learning objectives of the ITV program, stated in the teacher's guide for each program. Most ITV programs have several layers of information, so during previewing you may determine what specific information you wish to emphasize to enhance your lesson.

2. Lead-In Activities

Lead-in activities should set the tone for viewing and let students know how the program material relates to previous lessons or subsequent activities. Some generic suggestions for previewing activities are:

• Review vocabulary or key concepts in the program.
• Do a "story mapping" type of activity. Tell students the main topic of the program and ask them what they think will be included. This can tell you what your students already know about the topic and make viewing more interactive-students are watching to see if their ideas are included.

3. Focus Viewing Activities

Focus questions can make viewing more interactive by involving the students in the information presented. You may ask students specific informational questions which will be answered in the program; ask intuitive or interpretive questions such as assigning students to identify with various characters for discussion following the program; or ask students to develop questions unanswered in the program, concerning topics they'd like to know more about.

4. Segmented Viewing Activities

Segmenting (showing only a portion of the program at a time, or pausing the video during viewing) can be a valuable technique to enhance students' learning while enabling you to adapt the medium to your teaching style.

There are many instances when segmenting may be appropriate. For example, you may choose to show only a brief section of the program that illustrates a specific lesson objective. You may also want to get students' reactions to individual bits of information in the program, or give separate focus questions for each segment.

It is recommended that ITV programs be viewed with the lights on (or sufficient natural light) so that students may take notes during the program. This also allows you to watch students' reactions to various parts of the program. Segmenting activities may include:

• Pausing the video for a still picture to point out background visuals, characters' expressions or a longer look at an object (note: try this with your VCR prior to class, not all machines give a clear still picture.)
• Using frame advance/slow motion for an extended view of a process.
• Pausing and having students predict what will happen next, projecting possible solutions or stating what they would do in the given situation.
• Giving an activity or question for one segment, then a new question for the next segment.

5. Post-Viewing Discussion

To give students an opportunity to react to the program, express opinions or questions about what they have seen, and to review, reinforce, and elaborate on the concepts presented, plan time for discussion following the viewing. "Tell me what you saw" is a good starting point for discussion. It's a non-threatening question that all students can answer. Also, as each student talks about the part of the program they most remember, a review of the concepts presented comes from the students rather than the teacher.

This type of response also gives you information about which concepts caught the interest of various students, allowing you to gauge follow up activities to expand on students' interests.

Post-viewing time may also be used as an opportunity for instilling critical viewing skills, discussing technical quality, the transfer from print to video, character portrayals and the use of visuals or sound effects to enhance the content.

6. Follow-Through Activities

Activities should be planned to reinforce and integrate concepts presented, and provide "hands on" experiences with the information. Activities may include:

• Role-playing
• Research
• Small group work
• Field trips
• Producing a class video
• Reading
• Anything your imagination and experience recommends!

Teacher's guides include suggestions for class activities including experiments, worksheets, additional reading suggestions, writing topics and creative projects. Students may develop their own post-viewing activities based on ideas presented in the programs.

7. Evaluation

Your evaluation of the success of the lesson is an important part of any instructional process. Consider whether the objectives were met and if additional information was (or could have been) highlighted. Was the video used as effectively as possible? What additional activities might you integrate next time? What techniques worked well and could be incorporated into future lessons?

Evaluation of each component of the lesson can provide valuable insight into the use of video with your students and enhance your use of the medium.

Using Video in the Classroom

PBS and Extended Taping Rights: During the 1990s, PBS has worked to obtain greatly extended educational rights for the majority of its general-audience programs, both prime time and children's programming. As a result of these efforts, extended educational rights of a year or more for the majority of PBS primetime and children's programs have been made available to preK-12 schools. Some 90 percent of PBS's primetime, general-audience programming and close to 100 percent of PBS's children programming are now covered by extended rights and agreements.

PBS's extended videotaping rights intend to provide a free preview of programming to give teachers adequate time to review videotapes, evaluate their appropriateness for classroom use, and either schedule that use or purchase program videotapes. But since these rights are negotiated on an individual basis with program producers and copyright owners, the effective length of the free preview may vary. In some cases, PBS has secured for teachers permission to use off-air recording for the life of the tape (in perpetuity). More commonly, however, the agreement covers a specified time period, sometimes three years but more frequently one year. The time period is usually defined from the date of the broadcast from which the recording was made, although sometimes it is defined from the date of the national, original broadcast on public television. On occasion there may be a fixed expiration date for the rights granted.

Click here to link to a list of record rights for this month's programs!

10-Day Fair Use Guidelines

The 10-Day Fair Use Guidelines apply to all public and commercial television broadcasts. Remember that many PBS programs offer the more liberal rights (see above). A congressional committee has adopted the following guidelines for schools:

1. Any recording must be requested by a teacher and used for instructional purposes only.>
2. Any classroom use of a taped program must come within 10 calendar days of its original off-air recording.
3. A recording may be used once, and once again if review is necessary.
4. A teacher may retain the recorded program for an additional 35 days--but only for private review/reference (not for use in the classroom).
5. At the end of 45 days, the recording must be erased.

A Reference Guide to TV Parental Guidelines Television program ratings can never replace good parental judgment. However, the new V-chip ratings system developed by the TV industry offers parents general warnings about programs to avoid. Parents should look carefully for shows that both educate and entertain their children. All of WQED's children's programs are rated TV-Y, appropriate for all children.

All Children. This program is designed to be appropriate for all children. Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2-6. This program is not expected to frighten younger children. Directed to Older Children. This program is designed for children age 7 and above. It may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes and elements in this program may include mild fantasy violence or comedic violence, or may frighten children under the age of 7. Therefore, parents may wish to consider the suitability of this program for their very young children. Note: For those programs where fantasy violence may be more intense or more combative than other programs in this category, such programs will be designated. The following categories apply to programs designed for the entire audience. General Audience. Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages. Although this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended. It contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations. Parental Guidance Suggested. This program may contain some material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Many parents may want to watch it with their younger children. The theme itself may call for parental guidance and/or the program contains one or more of the following: moderate violence (V), some sexual situations (S), infrequent coarse language (L), or some suggestive sexual dialogue (D). Parents Strongly Cautioned. This program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age. Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in monitoring this program and are cautioned against letting children under the age of 14 watch unattended. This program contains one or more of the following: intense violence (V), intense sexual situations (S), strong coarse language (L) or intensely suggestive dialogue (D). Mature Audience Only. This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17. This program contains one or more of the following: graphic violence (V), explicit sexual activity (S), or crude and indecent language (L).