(R)evolution of Video Tasks in ELT: New Horizons, Coursebook Realities
by Armanda Stroia
March 12, 2025
In this post, Armanda Stroia summarises her talk at the MaWSIG Webinar Series where she questioned how mainstream localised coursebooks present students with video tasks based on mechanical comprehension checks, suggesting ways to foster 21st century skills and multimodal literacies.
“The world is changing faster than ever before, and we are flooded by impossible amounts of data, of ideas, of promises and of threats.”
(Harari, Homo Deus. A Brief History of Tomorrow, 2017, p. 461)
The current disruptive technological trends from the digital arena are reshaping the ELT landscape in ways that were previously unimaginable. For instance, the emergence of text-to-video technologies, even in their embryonic phase, opens new doors for innovation in how we design and implement video-based tasks, allowing learners to easily generate content which reflects their own views. Yet, this comes with a significant number of challenges. To better understand both the potential and critical issues entailed by video production tasks, it is useful to first reflect on how video tasks have evolved in ELT.
Looking back: a pedagogical glimpse into the history of video-based tasks in ELT
Imagine the following scenario: the 1980s, that phase in ELT when videos were treated as “glorified audio”, “a way of doing listening comprehension tasks” with visual aids (Goldstein, 2017, p. 24). Video was typically limited to functions such as providing cultural input, most often serving as a heavily scripted model dialogue for students or as a source of entertainment. This meant that learners were often passive consumers of the content and had little opportunity for meaningful engagement or active use of language.
However, in the early 90s’, as pedagogical approaches transitioned towards the more communicative side, the role of video gradually began to transform. This shift was most likely influenced by the seminal contribution of Cooper et al.’s Video (1991), considered “the first one to establish the principle of active viewing” (Donaghy & Xerri, 2017). So, now, with the idea of a more actively involved learner during the viewing experience, several tasks and techniques have emerged: sound on/sound off, split viewing, freeze framing, slow down or fast forward the action, and information-gap (see Goldstein, 2017). Many of these tasks are arguably still familiar to ELT practitioners today, leading to an inevitable reflective question: How far have we come since then?
It is the same question I asked webinar participants after they had received a taster of classical video tasks (prediction and comprehension checks), but with a twist: they were based on a student-produced video.
From present to new horizons
Fast forward to our more recent decades and we are witnessing how historical shifts like the rise of the internet, YouTube, Vimeo, smartphones, apps, and more recently, the AI-powered revolution have substantially redefined the role of videos. For example, learner-generated media such as (collaborative) digital stories, how-to videos, mash-ups, unboxing clips, walkthroughs, mini-documentaries, react videos, vlogs – to name just a few – are in the spotlight through the lenses of multimodal pedagogy and technology-enhanced task-based learning. As active prosumers – both producers and consumers of media content – students can now create and share videos in a matter of minutes using their phones. If guided accordingly, with the right support materials and graded tasks, student-led video projects can promote essential 21st century skills such as collaboration, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, empathy and digital literacies (Stroia & Xerri, 2024).
In the realm of pedagogy, this shift towards student-led creative exploitation of video started to be visible a decade ago. I have in mind a few impactful resource books advocating for a critical and creative use of moving images: Ben Goldstein and Paul Driver’s Language Learning with Digital Video (2014), Jamie Keddie’s Bringing Online Video into the Classroom (2014) and Kieran Donaughy’s Film in Action (2015). The emergence of Task-Based Language Teaching and flipped approaches provided pedagogical solutions that eased the shift from mechanical exploitation to video production tasks.
Building on current pedagogical trends which foster learner agency and empower students as active prosumers who switch to the director’s seat (Kearney & Schuck, 2005, 2006), I invited MaWSIG webinar participants to explore a key question: Is this shift reflected in the classroom realities, still regulated and filtered by coursebooks?
Video tasks in coursebooks: the reality check
In my session, I examined a section of the Romanian EFL context to understand the nature and variety of video-based tasks present in coursebooks
The findings of this preliminary investigation reveal a clear gap: while pedagogy is moving towards promoting creative exploitation of learner-generated content, local coursebooks seem to lag behind. Most coursebooks still prioritise video as input—cultural, visual, or informational and thus include video tasks based on comprehension and language focus —such as predicting, gap-filling, or watching for specific information. However, there are minimal instances of creative uses of video, particularly in terms of production tasks (creating a newscast or a short video on responsible travel). This leaves much of its potential as a tool to foster creative and critical thinking and enhance learners’ multimodal literacy largely untapped. To bridge this gap, I will outline some proposals for video-production tasks that not only enhance language skills but also promote critical media literacy and empathy.
Suggestions for video-production tasks which promote critical media literacy skills and empathy
Empowering learners to question problematic media messages and create their own is timelier than ever, given the present context of a highly biased information-saturated world. Despite living in a media-rich environment, young learners and teenagers often lack the skills and critical awareness to navigate its challenges. What if we flipped the script, equipping them to question and deconstruct media messages while creating their own? Drawing on critical media pedagogy (see Kellner & Share, 2019), an approach that encourages learners to analyze, critique, and actively engage with media rather than passively consuming it, we could design video-production tasks that not only develop language skills but also foster critical media literacy.
Where are we heading? A gaze towards the AI-powered future
As AI continues to significantly reshape our daily lives and choices, it is only a matter of time before it radically transforms how we create videos. Take, for example, the groundbreaking emerging text-to-video technologies, such as Sora, Open AI’s most sophisticated tool. Even if it is still in an embryonic phase and available only in certain countries now, Sora can generate an incredibly realistic, high-quality, one-minute video from detailed prompts in a matter of moments. This advancement could disrupt traditional video production workflows, especially in creative industries. In the pedagogical context of video-production tasks, the implications are clear: these technologies can shift learners’ roles from passive consumers to active content creators. With the production and post-production stages (see Fig. 10) taken out of the picture, learners’ effort will be channelled on the process of scriptwriting and prompt engineering (Xerri, 2024), in other words, they will be able to produce videos based on specific instructions given to generative AI.
Undeniably, text-to video technologies offer an indisputable advantage in simplifying the video creation process. However, this also raises important concerns about how it impacts learners’ roles and skills development. Producing and editing, traditionally perceived as challenging and time-consuming yet enriching stages (Stroia & Xerri, 2024), might lose their value if displaced by AI. For instance, learners could be deprived of some vital benefits of collaboration (enhanced communication skills, problem-solving, social and emotional learning, leadership etc.) if stages such as team-based filming and joint production are removed.Traditional roles like director or actor, once at the heart of any video projects, might now become superfluous in the context of technological innovation. This shift could significantly limit the interactive and richly creative dimensions of the learning experience.
Reflecting on my years of implementing student-produced video projects, the highlight of my experience was the level of enthusiasm, connection and energy the collaborative process used to generate, despite its challenges. In fact, many learners allude to social engagement and collaboration as powerful benefits during video projects (Stroia & Xerri, 2024).
Final reflective thoughts
Video has significantly reshaped the ELT landscape, evolving from a source of entertainment and mere mechanical comprehension checks to a powerful medium able to promote 21st-century skills and multimodal literacies. Thus, the current video (r)evolution has many implications for material writers. First, given this clear shift from passive consumption to critical and creative use, video tasks should no longer be limited to ‘watch and answer’ exercises. Instead, these tasks should stimulate learners to create, reflect, and collaborate. Additionally, we need to be aware of potential risks such as enhancing digital divides in certain contexts if learners or teachers lack access to technology and adequate training in multimodal pedagogy.
As education struggles to “surf the wave of innovation” (Mishan, 2022, p.502) and keep up with the accelerated pace of technological progress, traditional coursebooks are less likely to survive in their present form. However, rather than becoming obsolete, they might morph into AI-enhanced digital textbooks, a concept already implemented in South Korea (Gamvrelis, 2024); ultimately, whether integrated into a traditional coursebook or an AI-enhanced digital alternative, materials for video production tasks should be a chance to engage learners more actively and promote key literacies, offering rich learning opportunities.
Dr. Armanda Stroia is an ELT professional with a Ph.D. in Philology and over 15 years of teaching experience. She actively contributes to the field through teacher training, action research, and materials development. Her current research interests include collaborative multimodal composing, digital and emotional literacies, critical media literacy, ecomedia pedagogy, and the neuroscience of atomic reading habits. Armanda has presented at numerous international conferences and contributed to several publications on these topics. Her most recent publication is a peer-reviewed chapter titled “Examining the Pedagogical Value of Collaborative Multimodal Storytelling Projects” (IGI Global, 2024, co-authored with Daniel Xerri). She is also the author of the book Linguistic Clichés in Romanian Media Discourse (2020), which focuses on media literacy.
Passionate about innovation in education, she designs materials and courses that support teachers in integrating multimodality and critical media literacy into their practices. She is the founder of the Academy of Creators Who Teach to Inspire (https://acttoinspire.com/articles/), where she shares resources to support educators worldwide.
References
Cooper, R., Lavery, M. & Rinvolucri, M. (1991). Video. Oxford University Press.
Donaghy, K. (2015). Film in action. Delta Publishing.
Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2019). The critical media literacy guide: Engaging media and transforming education (2nd ed.). Brill.
Gamvrelis, M. (2024, December 4). Knowledge engineering: The next frontier for educational publishers: Moving beyond traditional coursebooks. Leap. https://getleap.ghost.io/knowledge-engineering-the-next-frontier-for-educational-publishers/
Goldstein, B. (2017). A history of video in ELT. In K. Donaghy & D. Xerri (Eds.), The image in English language teaching (pp. 23–31). ELT Council.
Goldstein, B., & Driver, P. (2014). Language learning with digital video. Cambridge University Press.
Keddie, J. (2014). Bringing Online Video into the Classroom. Oxford.
Kearney, M., & Schuck, S. (2005, June). Students in the director’s seat: Teaching and learning with student-generated video. In EdMedia+ Innovate Learning, (pp. 2864-2871).
Kearney, M., & Schuck, S. (2006). Spotlight on authentic learning: Student developed digital video projects. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 22(2), 189-208. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1298
Mishan, F. (2022). The Global ELT coursebook: A case of Cinderella’s slipper?. Language Teaching, 55(4), 490-505. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444820000646
Stroia, A. R., & Xerri, D. (2024). Examining the pedagogical value of collaborative multimodal storytelling projects. In R. Vurdien & W. Chambers (Eds.), Technology-mediated language learning and teaching (pp. 121–145). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2687-9.ch005
Xerri, D. (2024, Winter). Prompt engineering in language education: A practical guide. ETAS Journal, 41(2), 34-36.