Teaching with TV and Film: 5 Practical Tips for 2025–26
As teachers step into a new academic year, lesson planning often comes with the challenge of keeping content engaging, relevant and accessible for every learner. The ERA Video Streaming Platform (VSP) provides a powerful way to enrich your lessons with curriculum-aligned TV and film clips to engage students, illustrate complex ideas and support diverse learning needs.
Here are five practical tips to help you make the most of the ERA VSP in your classroom this year:
Use clips to spark curiosity at the start of a lesson
A short, engaging clip can serve as a powerful lesson hook. Whether it’s a science experiment in action, a historical reenactment, or a scene from a novel adaptation, starting with a video instantly captures students’ attention and primes them for deeper discussion. With the VSP’s curriculum alignment, you can feel confident the clip connects directly to your learning objectives.
Support different learning styles
Not every student processes information the same way. Some thrive with text, others with visuals or sound. Incorporating clips into your lesson can provide alternative entry points into the material, making learning more inclusive. Consider pausing clips to add commentary, ask guiding questions, or utilise subtitles (where possible) for students who benefit from extra support. As Assistant Head of Faculty, Shuheda Ahmed tells us regarding her English lessons,
“When having students read aloud, they aren’t necessarily using intonation so it can be difficult for others to comprehend. With ERA, we can access different adaptations, breaking barriers for students who might struggle to understand Shakespearean English.” (Full case study)
Encourage critical thinking with pause-and-discuss moments
Avoid “press play and walk away.” Pause at key moments to ask students to predict what will happen next, reflect on a character’s decision, or connect what they see to prior knowledge. This active approach transforms passive viewing into active learning.
Extend learning with creative assignments
Use clips as a springboard for assessments and projects. Students could:
- Compare a scene with the original text.
- Use a documentary excerpt as a source for evidence-based writing.
- Storyboard or script an alternative ending.
By linking clips to practice tasks, you reinforce critical thinking and creativity while making evaluation more engaging.
Build your own resource bank
Dedicate time early in the year to browse ERA VSP and bookmark clips by topic or unit. Having a ready-to-use library of TV and film extracts means you can easily enrich your lessons without last-minute searching during busy weeks.
How teachers are applying TV and Film in the Classroom
Analysing the nature of Earth Sciences at GCSE and A-Level
From Page to Stage: Enhancing Literature learning with the BBC Shakespeare Archive
