Chapter 8. Design Principles for ELT Video Drama: A Case Study
Jonathon Ryan
Jonathon Ryan
Abstract
The first part of this chapter traces the use of film and video in English language teaching (ELT) and argues that, despite longstanding enthusiasm, the medium has seldom realized its pedagogical promise nor achieved sustained and widespread appeal. Adopting a critical design perspective, it is proposed that the very idea of ‘ELT video’ carries an implicit commitment—here termed the first principles of ELT video—to produce materials that are both engaging and instructionally robust. Repeated shortfalls on both dimensions, it is argued, have constrained the medium’s broader development. Building on these first principles, the chapter then articulates nine secondary design principles at the interface of video and pedagogy. The second half of the chapter then offers an insider account of how these principles have been operationalized at Chasing Time English, a New Zealand-based ELT video and materials production company. It details a collaborative workflow in which filmmakers, applied linguists, and materials writers developed a distinctive process to jointly advance pedagogical quality and entertainment value. The chapter closes by discussing the company’s approach to ensuring authenticity and comprehensibility, and by proposing a set of evaluative criteria for ELT video.
About the Contributor
Jonathon Ryan is Research Operations Manager of Wintec in Hamilton, New Zealand, and is also Head of Materials Design for Chasing Time English. He has taught English in Ireland, Mexico, Guatemala, and New Zealand and completed a PhD in applied linguistics at the University of Waikato focusing on reference and miscommunication. His work appears in journals including Language Learning, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, and TESOL Quarterly. He currently leads a team exploring effective teaching approaches for adults with limited education and he is engaged in transdisciplinary research responding to climate change.
Citation
Ryan, J. (2025). Design principles for ELT video drama: A case study. In A. Leis & M. Wilson (Eds.), Screen media in foreign language education (pp. 182-207). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/37/8
The first part of this chapter traces the use of film and video in English language teaching (ELT) and argues that, despite longstanding enthusiasm, the medium has seldom realized its pedagogical promise nor achieved sustained and widespread appeal. Adopting a critical design perspective, it is proposed that the very idea of ‘ELT video’ carries an implicit commitment—here termed the first principles of ELT video—to produce materials that are both engaging and instructionally robust. Repeated shortfalls on both dimensions, it is argued, have constrained the medium’s broader development. Building on these first principles, the chapter then articulates nine secondary design principles at the interface of video and pedagogy. The second half of the chapter then offers an insider account of how these principles have been operationalized at Chasing Time English, a New Zealand-based ELT video and materials production company. It details a collaborative workflow in which filmmakers, applied linguists, and materials writers developed a distinctive process to jointly advance pedagogical quality and entertainment value. The chapter closes by discussing the company’s approach to ensuring authenticity and comprehensibility, and by proposing a set of evaluative criteria for ELT video.
About the Contributor
Jonathon Ryan is Research Operations Manager of Wintec in Hamilton, New Zealand, and is also Head of Materials Design for Chasing Time English. He has taught English in Ireland, Mexico, Guatemala, and New Zealand and completed a PhD in applied linguistics at the University of Waikato focusing on reference and miscommunication. His work appears in journals including Language Learning, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, and TESOL Quarterly. He currently leads a team exploring effective teaching approaches for adults with limited education and he is engaged in transdisciplinary research responding to climate change.
Citation
Ryan, J. (2025). Design principles for ELT video drama: A case study. In A. Leis & M. Wilson (Eds.), Screen media in foreign language education (pp. 182-207). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/37/8
Information About the Book
Title: Screen Media in Foreign Language Education
Editors: Adrian Leis and Matthew Wilson
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Title: Screen Media in Foreign Language Education
Editors: Adrian Leis and Matthew Wilson
Read more...