5 ways to use films and TV series to teach English

By Rubens Heredia

2023-11-08

1 min.

Films and TV series are some of the most engaging pieces of authentic materials and have been used in English lessons for a long time. How often do you use them in class, and do you think you get the most out of your material? Is there anything you would like to do differently?

If you’re curious to see how your ideas stack up, why not take a few minutes to watch Rubens Heredia’s latest vlog? In his newest post, he not only shares the answers but also walks you through five creative ways to bring films and TV series into your lessons. From sparking discussions to encouraging critical thinking, even going as so far to inspiring independent learning beyond the classroom. His tips are practical, engaging and easy to adapt for different subjects. Whether you’re a teacher looking for fresh ideas or simply interested in how pop culture can support education, this vlog is well worth a watch.

References

Bress, P. (2002). ‘The culture question’. English Teaching Professional, 24. Shoreham-by-Sea: Pavilion Publishing.

Januzzi, C. & Zanini, G, (2021) ‘Extensive listening through film 1’. English Teaching professional, 134. Shoreham-by-Sea: Pavilion Publishing.

Ogut, S. (2022). ‘Fostering autonomous language learning’. Modern English Teacher, 31 2. Shoreham-by-Sea: Pavilion Publishing.

Roell, C. (2022). ‘Using videos’. Modern English Teacher, 31 2. Shoreham-by-Sea: Pavilion Publishing.

Zhuo, M. (2023). ‘Literature circles: fun, creative and meaningful’. Modern English Teacher, 32 5. Shoreham-by-Sea: Pavilion Publishing.

More articles

Recent articles

Rubens Heredia has been a vlogger for Pavilion ELT since December 2019. His vlog posts draw upon his experiences as a teacher and teacher trainer, as well as the ones as a student of Catalan and they provide a huge variety of teaching tips and techniques to use in the classroom, in flipped learning and in live online classes. Rubens is currently working as a freelance CELTA trainer, based in Barcelona, and he is the co-founder of whatiselt.com, a website and social media platform dedicated to helping English teachers and teacher trainers with definitions of common ELT concepts as well as examples and tips on how to use them more effectively in lessons. He began his teaching career in Brazil, where he taught one-to-one lessons and groups of children, teens and adults. Rubens has been involved in teacher training and course design for the last eight years. He's also a frequent speaker at international conferences and you can catch more from him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @whatiselt.

MORE STORIES