Videos for Change creates an opportunity for students to create for a clear purpose and engage with topics that they care about.
Videos for Changes featured on The Project one night and I knew that it would make for a great Assessment Task for Stage 2 Essential English. Keeping with the competition rules, students were asked to create a 1 minute video about a social justice issue of their choice which allowed them to complete the mandatory advocacy task while also covering the multimodal requirements of the course. It could also see them receive national recognition for their hard work! Winning.
Hosted by High Resolves, an educational provider that focuses on citizenship and leadership, the competition is open to Australian, US and Canadian students in Grades 7 to 12 and aims to empower young people to speak out.
Modelled on Project Based Learning, the Videos for Change website has an array of materials to help you work alongside students, including ‘how to’ handbooks as well as step by step videos. The materials are of a high quality and truly assisted students from the very beginning. As well as this, the site has clips from past finalists which are excellent models.
While the competition supports team entries, the class decided that we would create our videos individually as this suited VET students and those who were ill. After reviewing persuasive techniques and how we best inform others, they were keen to brainstorm topics and research their ideas. Students decided to focus on issues including bullying, body-image, depression, domestic violence and addiction.
Once they had a clear message, they created storyboards and scripts, seeking peer feedback whilst doing so. Filming footage and editing took a long time however levels of engagement were still high. Throughout these lessons we were also able to discuss topics such as copyright, the impact of colour and music on a audience and the importance of representation.
Each finished product was of a high standard with many students demonstrating skills well beyond what they had previously. As well as this, the pride that students felt when they had finished their products was heartwarming. Some found it incredibly challenging but sought advice from their class mates and engaged in a greater number of conferences with me in order to complete the task. It was also great to see their siblings, parents, sporting groups and friends from outside of the class feature in the films!
I gave my students the option to opt into the official competition, which meant that they completed talent release forms as well as other consent forms. They then uploaded their video and forms onto the website and waited to hear the results. This process was a little complicated but we received support from Videos for Change which was greatly appreciated.
If I was to do this task again, I would be more specific about the structure of the video as well as what language features to include so that students could utilise the time more wisely and communicate a clear idea in a more precise way.
I highly recommend participating in this competition as it was motivating and allowed students to show what matters to them. At the very least, have a look at the materials on offer as they can assist you in an array of tasks.
If you have any questions or would like to see a Task Sheet or Unit Plan, please email me.