Learning through video has become a widely popular medium of learning especially amongst those who prefer to self-study any particular subject. This phenomenon is extensively used by students learning English as a second language. Many a student will resort to borrowing, purchasing or downloading a learning English video to help them to learn the subtleties of the English language. The reasons for its rise in popularity as a medium of learning are many, as we will soon explore below, however the underlying benefit of this particular format is its ability to combine audio and visual stimulants to engage and retain the attention of any audience irrespective of age.
Lessons in video format successfully combine both audio and visual stimuli making the information accessible and understandable to a wide audience including children who have not learned to read or write yet. Video also offers students the unique ability to control their learning, i.e. students can stop, pause, rewind or even seek out a particular segment of the video, depending on their requirement. Further to this, videos are also especially helpful as a medium for learning intricate aspects of the English language such as pronunciation. This is because it allows viewers to see the speaker’s facial expressions and muscle movements as well as hear the various stresses, intonations and rhythm of the words as the subject speaks. Videos also stimulate and engage viewers. Videos that emulate traditional television programming will successfully retain a viewer’s attention as they will be drawn to the context of the programme which improves retention of its content both on a conscious and subconscious level.
Learning English video lessons has become a very powerful and successful medium to date, providing students with content and context to aid the learning of English. Students searching for such “Learning English” videos can find many valuable resources online that cater to such requirements. One of the most attractive and efficient providers of such videos is English Club TV. It is a website that is dedicated to teaching foreign students of any nationality to use English as a second language. The site is structured in a unique and engaging manner in that all its programmes for learning English are formatted to resemble TV shows. Programmes such as “ECTV Simple News” (formatted to resemble a news report), “E-lab. Survival English” (In game show format) and “City Grammar” (in travel documentary form) are a prime example of the sites use of familiar programme formatting to ensure students absorb the content of these lessons due to the context they are presented in. Making it one of the best sources of learning English videos are available to international students today.