Unlock the Magic in Class with TikTok
TikTok, a popular social media platform, allows users to craft and edit short videos. However, if you upload videos from elsewhere, they can be even longer. While TikTok is known for its focus on music videos, lip-syncing, dancing, and comedy sketches, its versatility means you can use it for practically anything you’d like, it’s user-friendly and adaptable.
It is a fantastic tool in the classroom for various purposes, such as creating videos on specific topics, storytelling, teaching concepts, sharing opinions, or summarizing lessons.
For language teachers, TikTok is a treasure trove of short, captivating videos made by (often young) native speakers. Integrating these current, suitable, and entertaining clips in the target language can significantly boost student motivation and engagement. Plus, they make excellent listening comprehension exercises.
Let me share some great activities that leverage this tool to actively involve learners in the classroom.
Magical Activities 🌟🌈
💡 Idea 1: Fun with Comparatives!
Are you teaching comparatives and superlatives? Tell your learners to watch the clips below where Mr. Beast compares several things. Then, ask your students to create similar videos comparing two objects and upload them to the WhatsApp group or padlet.
Video 1
Video 2
💡 Idea 2: Around the World in TIK TOK
Are you teaching present tenses? Places around the world? Ask your students to find a TIK TOK video of a place they’d like to visit and present their clip telling the class important information about the place (location, weather, size, language spoken, and what people can do there). Their video should last between 1 and 1.5 minutes.
💡 Idea 3: Opinion Duets
Ask students to react to a video using the Duet Feature: If your students are practicing how to give an opinion, ask them to find a video they’d like to react to. They should articulate their views clearly and provide reasons to support their viewpoint. After recording their reactions, students can share and analyze their duet videos with the class.
Looking to boost your students’ ability to make compelling arguments when sharing their opinions? Take a peek at this blog post ‘Empower Students with Argumentative Essays’
💡 Idea 4: Student-Led Exam Prep
Before an exam, you can divide your students into small groups (2-3). Each group is assigned one of the topics they covered during the term and create a TikTok video to help other students understand and consolidate content. Then, they share their videos in their WhatsApp group or padlet.
💡 Idea 5: Role Play Challenge
Get your students to practice pronunciation with the Duet Feature. Just have them say the blue lines as if they’re chatting with the actor! For more pronunciation activities CLICK HERE!
Check out these clips!
💡 Other ideas
Create book trailers, story trailers, ADS, etc.
Great Tik-Tokers to recommend to your students!
Like with any social network, I’d use it with moderation and caution, especially in a school setting. What I do in my class is 1) Activities that require my students to use social media are always on my choice board of activities, and they are never mandatory. 2) Whenever we have to publish videos, we do so in a safe setting such as Padlet or WhatsApp.
These activities not only add a fun and interactive element to the classroom, but also offer a creative way for students to practice language skills and express themselves. From practicing grammar content to creating exciting projects, the possibilities with TikTok are endless. By incorporating these activities into our lessons, we can engage our students in a whole new way and make learning a truly magical experience. So why not give it a try and see the magic unfold in the classroom?
Remember to use it with caution and moderation, but also keep an open mind and embrace what resonates with our learners today.
Take care,
Paula.
