A Pandemic-Era Innovation: Teaching Mathematics with Video Clips

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional teaching faced severe disruptions, especially in mathematics, where students at Sonamthang Lower Secondary School (SLSS) struggled. To address this challenge, I explored the use of video clips as a teaching tool for eighth-grade mathematics. This blog highlights the key insights and findings from my study, published in Educational Innovation Practice by Samtse College of Education.

The pandemic shifted education online, but online classes via Google Classroom proved ineffective for many students, leading to a noticeable decline in mathematics performance. For instance, only 6.7% of eighth graders scored above 80% in 2020, compared to 27.6% in 2019. Poor results in handling integer operations further highlighted the need for innovative teaching approaches.

Video clips, popular among SLSS students for learning and entertainment, offered a promising solution. Guided by constructivist learning principles, I hypothesized that these clips could improve engagement and comprehension, particularly with abstract concepts like integer operations.

The experimental design divided students into two groups:

  • Experimental Group (EG): Taught using carefully curated video clips.
  • Control Group (CG): Taught using traditional methods.

Pre-tests and post-tests assessed their performance, while an opinion survey captured students' perspectives on video-assisted learning. The study found: 

  • The EG's post-test mean (7.88) was significantly higher than the CG's (6.96).
  • Video lessons notably enhanced higher-order thinking skills, as seen in quiz results.
  • 85% of EG students preferred learning with video clips that paused for discussions.
  • They felt more motivated and engaged, with strong agreement on video lessons' effectiveness.

Time constraints and limited peer collaboration during video selection were notable limitations. Nevertheless, the results strongly support using videos as a teaching tool, paving the way for future studies with extended durations and broader collaboration.

This study confirms that video clips enhance mathematics learning, fostering better comprehension and critical thinking. Teachers are encouraged to incorporate video content tailored to lesson objectives. Beyond mathematics, this approach has the potential to revolutionize teaching across subjects. For educators, the pandemic reinforced the value of innovation. This experiment shows how digital tools can transform challenges into opportunities, ensuring students thrive despite disruptions. The paper can be accessed HERE. 

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