Why do students remember everything on television or social media and forget what we lecture? The answer is because visual media helps students retain concepts and ideas.

Using media provides a number of advantages. Feature films, music videos, podcasts, and news stories have very high production quality capable of showcasing complex ideas in a short period of time. Media also offers both cognitive and affective experiences. It can provoke discussion, an assessment of one’s values, and an assessment of self if the scenes have strong emotional content.  It can also serve to break up the lecture and vary cognitive load in a way that is conducive to learning and retention.

Movie and TV clips and YouTube videos are a familiar medium to students that helps gain attention and maintain student interest in the theories and concepts under discussion. Students can see the theories and concepts in action. Students can hone their analytical skills by analyzing media using the theories and concepts they are studying. More importantly, the use of media in the classroom enables students to see concepts and new examples when they are watching television, listening to music, or are at the movies with friends.

Use short media clips to highlight key concepts. The goal is to provide a unifying example that the class can use to better understand the material. Give a short introduction to the video so the students have some context.  Ask them to consider particular prompts as they watch, and follow up with a brief time to write their answers before continuing with the lecture or discussion. Give it a try!

Many valuable tips for teaching economics with media and additional media resources can be found at the links below:

https://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/media/using_media_enh.html

https://econ.video/how-to/

https://mru.org/teacher-resources/economics-education-interview-al-bahrani-patel-sheridan