Using videos in lessons: how to make every clip count

A good video clip can show what words alone can't: a volcano erupting, a chemical reaction, a historical speech, a native speaker in conversation. But pressing play is not the same as pupils learning. Without a clear purpose, a video becomes a few minutes of passive watching.

Here's how to choose clips well and turn watching into thinking.

Choose the right clip

Before the lesson, watch the whole clip yourself and ask:

• Is it accurate? Check facts against a trusted source, and be wary of channels you don't know.
• Is it the right level? Pace, vocabulary and assumed knowledge all matter.
• Is it the right length? Often you only need one or two minutes of a longer video.
• Is it appropriate? Check the whole clip, the comments if visible, and what plays next.
• Will it work in school? Some sites are blocked on school networks. Test it on the classroom computer.
• Does it have captions? Captions support pupils learning English and pupils with hearing difficulties.

Give pupils a job before you press play

Active viewing starts before the video does. Give pupils a reason to watch:

• A question to answer: "Watch for the reason the bridge collapsed."
• Things to look out for: three key words, two examples, one surprise.
• A note frame: a simple table or diagram to fill in while watching.
• A prediction: "What do you think will happen when the two liquids mix?"

Tell them you will ask about it afterwards, and then do.

Pause, don't just play

Short pauses keep pupils thinking:

• stop after a key moment and ask a question everyone answers
• ask pupils to predict what comes next
• replay a crucial ten seconds and ask what they notice
• check the note frame halfway through

Watching a clip twice can work well: once for the overall picture, once with a specific task.

Follow up after watching

The learning happens after the video too. Follow up with:

• the question you set before playing
• a short written summary in pupils' own words
• a discussion: "What surprised you? What would you ask the person in the video?"
• a quick quiz a few days later, as retrieval practice

Play just the part you need

You don't need to play a whole video to use the best two minutes of it.

• Start at a set time. On YouTube, use Share and tick "Start at", or add &t=90s to the end of a watch link to start at one minute thirty.
• Write down the end time in your notes or on the slide, so you know when to stop.
• Avoid the sidebar. Use full-screen mode or embed the clip in your slides, so pupils don't see unrelated recommendations.
• Check for adverts. Ads can appear before or during videos. Preview the clip shortly before the lesson.

Use videos at different points in the lesson

• As a starter or hook: a short, surprising clip to spark questions. Our lesson starter ideas include "what happens next?"
• During teaching: to show a process you can't show in the classroom.
• As a model: an expert performing a skill, such as a scientific technique or a piece of music.
• For discussion: a news clip or historical footage to analyse.

Copyright and sharing

Showing a video from a legitimate source such as YouTube in class is common practice, but downloading, editing or redistributing videos may be covered by copyright and by the platform's terms. Follow your school's policy, and use the platform's own sharing and embedding tools where you can.

Finding the right clips faster

Searching for a good clip, watching several to find the right one, and then finding the best two minutes takes time. Lesson Dino's Videos feature searches YouTube for your topic and year group, picks the clips that fit best, and for each one suggests the part to play, things for pupils to watch out for and a question to ask afterwards. You still watch the clip before the lesson, but you start from a shortlist rather than a search page.

Once you have found clips, you can add a video slide to your Lesson Dino deck that plays one of them. Our tips for teaching slides cover how to keep the rest of the deck clear.