The first few minutes of class is so important. We need to start on time and with a purpose. We need to hook our students and get them engaged in learning. And we don’t have to do all of the singing and dancing to do that. Youtube is the greatest little teacher’s helper. There are so many short clips out there that we can use for discussion, either to start class off with in an engaging way or to focus the students on a topic that you are about to begin. I’m posting some of my favourites here. I’d love to have you add some of your own in the comments!
Videos to start discussions about education:
Taylor Mali on the importance of speaking with conviction:
Shane Koyczan on Bullying:
Videos on labels:
Cameron Russel on Body Image:
Videos that ask teens to look at themselves:
Videos on our obsession with social media:
An interesting look at perspective:
A dad shows how to be accepting:
Videos to inspire students at the beginning of the year:
Oh my goodness! You've posted so many videos here that I'm going to have to set aside some time to watch them all. I love using videos to start class, to reward students for hanging on and working diligently all week, or for Motivation Monday. Everyone can use some motivation on a Monday, right? Here's a short animated video that I like. I show it to students and then ask them to retell the story as a police officer writing up a report. They like it, and they always end up writing more than I expect!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq9yPrLWMyU
~Maryann from Secondary Strategies