Abstract:

The article deals with the applications of various video materials at the classes of English language for EFL (English as a foreign language) learners at Kazan Federal University, Russia.

Authentic videos of different kinds (tutorials, short educative films, feature films, and documentaries) are traditionally perceived as the way of acquiring good listening and communication skills since they artificially create the English language environment.

The paper discusses the experience of applying video materials for both teaching students in the classroom, and as a way of self-study for the most motivated learners. The issue is topical due to the recent reduction of the classroom hours and consequent increase of the time given for self-study. The article also argues the educational potential of the self-made videos, presented at the English classes as students’ projects. Furthermore, creating video courses for teaching EFL is explored. The paper specifies the students’ needs in terms of the new learning environment.

The listed ways of implementing videos to the English class are described from the point of view of their applicability and efficiency in developing English language skills.

The results of the research could be applied by the teachers of English as a foreign language, who include videos as the source of authentic language into their courses.

Keywords:

Video, video course, film, EFL, self-study, learner, language skills, teacher, project.