Instruction verbs are an important part of English communication, especially English in relation to academic skills development. They are key to understanding what action you are required to perform, either in an essay or within daily life. One way which I often teach this is through the use of instructional videos. These videos show a variety of actions being performed in a step-by-step manner which gives the student an opportunity to practice writing accurate instructions based on what they see. The key in making this kind of activity a success is that the students watch the video with no sound and therefore must interpret the actions before transferring them on to paper. This not only makes the learning process fun but also requires the student to reflectively analyze the instructions they produce by asking other people to follow the instructions. Alternatively, this can also be reversed and incorporated into a listening class where students listen to the instructions in the video but cannot watch the actions on the screen. In such a case the student must perform the action based solely on what they hear paying particular attention to all of the instructional verbs. This is a great test of accuracy and clarity which involves all class members.

 Last year I discovered a website which supports such classroom activities. I was trying to find instructions on how to tie a perfect tie knot. By chance I came across www.videojug.com which presented me with a step-by-step instructional guide on how to tie the perfect tie knot. It wasn't until a few months later when the potential of this website hit me - such a high-quality resource of 100's of instructional videos could be modified in a manner which would make them valuable as educational tools for non-native English speaking students.

Click here to watch a multimedia tutorial style video of the videojug website

The videojug website also provides the viewer with written instructions to accompany the videos. The possibilities are endless and teachers will enjoy the flexibility which this website offers. The type of video available on videojug is varied and the excellent organization of the website makes navigation simple and addictive.

The videos below are a small selection of the ones which I have used in class. They can be performed in any classroom with minimal preparation on the part of the teacher. One newer features of videojug is that you are able to download the videos on to an ipod or a mobile phone. Excellent.



Remember - the content, academic or not is a secondary matter, the aim is to get students to follow instructions in order to succeed in a task by listening for instructional verbs. Although, in saying this it might be helpful to know that videojug also offers academic videos focusing on a range of study skills which are great for international students.

How to tie a tie - half windsor knot

How to make an origami swan

How to do a maths magic trick

How to fold a shirt

How to play solitaire

How different is studying at university to studying at school ?

What role will my tutors play in my university career ?

How much independent learning will there be ?

Who can I ask for help if I am having trouble with my studies ?

How many essays will I be expected to write ?


In addition to videojug there are also a number of other websites which offer the same kind of services although videojug is by far the best. Once such website is www.tvlesson.com. This site does not feature supporting written scripts like videojug does nor does it have a search engine function. If you navigate to the language learning area using the menu on the left of the page there are 100's of videos with lessons in grammar and real life street interviews etc. There is enough here for some creative lessons but after coming from videojug this website is not of the same standard.


Another website which offers instructional and educational videos is www.sutree.com. This website is very similar in design to videojug although the contents of this website are generally hosted on other external websites. What this means is when you click to watch a video you will be directed to the videos original source in another website. The downside of this is that you will be waiting a lot longer for your video and the quality can vary quite a lot although the positive aspect is that the range of video hosted on this website is vast.


Although the number of 'how to' websites is growing the quality of many of the newer ones is nothing compared to videojug. www.monkeysee.com , however, is also a high quality attempt, the navigation is a lot easier than videojug as the content is significantly less - I would recommend this website as your second stop after having a good luck through videojug.



If you like the idea of introducing multi-media activities into your classroom but want to follow up with some multi-media homework then http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/aboutfilms.htm is the website for you. This is a UK governmental website which features public information films from as far back as the 1940's. These films have both historic and nostalgic value and are especially useful for teaching students from a UK perspective. Most of the films also have screen shots and text, which you can use for pre-reading and pre-listening activities. They can also be viewed using either Windows Media Player or Quicktime player.





There are hundreds of films and I have spent many hours watching them for my own amusement and interest. Some of the best films which I have found to be useful and enjoyable with a range of students are:


Pedestrian Crossing - a 1948 safety video teaching people how to cross the road.




Journey on a London Bus - a 1950 video about travelling on a bus in London.




Don’t Spread Germs - A 1948 public broadcast about good hygiene.




Heathrow Airport in 1949 - The story of the world's busiest airport.




One possible way in which these films can be used for homework assignments is for teachers to pre-design worksheets asking questions about the film. Of course these questions can range from simple observation questions to more complex questions dealing with understanding and opinion.