TV commercials (TVCs) are fun, persuasive, and memorable communication devices that can not only capture the attention of language learners but also stimulate them to think critically about the linguistic and cultural connotations found in TVCs. This article presents our research findings and experiential reasons for using TVCs in language classrooms and highlights ways to acquire, manipulate, and prepare them, as well as ideas to teach culture/values as well as language.

It has been well documented among educators that short materials are good for second/foreign language learners, especially when they are novice learners. TVCs are ideal short videos for teaching language students. One reason is that learners can watch TVCs as many times as they wish because they are short. In addition, because TVCs are made in English-speaking countries for the purpose of targeting native speakers, they are ripe with authenticity. A third reason is that TVCs are inherently entertaining. TVCs often contain humor or other entertainment value to capture the attention of the audience. Moreover, they provide visual support for learners to understand the message (e.g., nonverbal communication). This is a form of scaffolding for L2 learners. Fifth, researchers such as Davis (1997) and Smith and Rawley (1997) suggest that using TVCs is a stepping stone to viewing the target culture. Learners exposed to TVCs can discuss/develop hypotheses about the culture and improve their critical thinking skills as well (Smith and Rawley, 1997; McGee & Fujita, 2000). Learners can also analyze TVCs and discover cultural elements and values embedded there.

PUTTING TVCS TO WORK IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

Thanks to the Internet, watching TVCs online is now possible and common. People can download them using Internet browser extensions such as Downloadhelper. This kind of tool allows teachers to download videos―including commercials―from dozens of sites like Very Funny Ads and YouTube; teachers can link to or download from these sites and use them to develop TV-commercial-based materials. However, anyone downloading materials should be aware of the rights of the copyright holder. We encourage the fair use of materials; nowadays, many companies actually offer their TVCs online for people to view free of charge.

After acquiring a suitable TVC, language teachers need to know how to teach the language and culture found in them. In the past, culture was viewed in a more stereotypical way and taught to students through bits and pieces of information about the target culture; however, in recent years, the learning of intercultural skills has been more emphasized in language learning as the view of culture has evolved and become less static. The strong emphasis on intercultural competence translates to greater interaction with the target culture, and using TVCs is one way to offer manageable chunks to acquire insights into the target culture.

One cannot acquire intercultural competence overnight. But teachers can introduce the target culture through a process approach instead of merely teaching facts. An excellent description of this approach includes Seelye’s (1993:31) six instructional goals. These goals should be helpful when creating lessons using TVCs and introducing the culture and values in them.

1. Goal 1 (Interest): The student shows curiosity about another culture (or another segment or subculture of one’s own culture) and empathy toward its members.
2. Goal 2 (Who): The student recognizes that role expectations and other social variables such as age, sex, social class, religion, ethnicity, and place of residence affect the way people speak and behave.
3. Goal 3 (What): The student realizes that effective communication requires discovering the culturally conditioned images that are evoked in the minds of people when they think, act, and react to the world around them.
4. Goal 4 (Where and when): The student recognizes that situational variables and convention shape behavior in important ways.
5. Goal 5 (Why): The student understands that people generally act the way they do because they are using options their society allows for satisfying basic physical and psychological needs, and that cultural patterns are interrelated and tend mutually to support need satisfaction.
6. Goal 6 (Exploration): The student can evaluate a generalization about the target culture in terms of the amount of evidence substantiating it, and has the skills needed to locate and organize information about the target culture from the library, the mass media, people, and personal observation.

A SAMPLE LESSON PLAN

The first thing we do is find an article that matches some linguistic and cultural components we want to introduce. For this sample lesson (see Appendix A) we chose to use one of Apple’s “Think Different” commercials entitled “Here’s to the Crazy Ones”. The commercial includes images of world-famous people who changed the world in some way because they were not the status quo.

The script is as follows:

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble makers. The round pegs in square holes.
The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things.
They push the human race forward. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

The class starts with a prelearning activity in which students are asked about being different or standing out in their culture. Next, they watch the TVC several times to comprehend it and review the language and values. After the basics are completed, the teacher helps students analyze the TVC by asking questions in line with Seelye’s approach. For example, we ask students who the intended audience is and what the intended message was. We ask them why the advertiser is presenting the ad. What is the advertiser’s goal? And what beliefs does the advertiser have regarding what is good and what is proper? After linguistic review and TVC analysis, students are encouraged to compare the cultural aspects of its culture with their own through writing and reading activities that may culminate in a paper, discussion, or presentation.

We believe that good teacher-student interaction, rather than the teacher being the authority, would broaden the range of culture and values learning because culture is better under understood via discovery. If identifying values might be challenging to students, the teacher can start with anecdotes or examples relevant to the TVC and give guidelines to find/discuss values (e.g., introducing “life is a gamble” as learning from a lottery TVC). We also provided worksheets with checkpoints and questions to assist them in asking questions such as those suggested by Seelye (1993). In addition, acquiring a knowledge of advertisement development strategies will help create a rich learning environment to help them critically evaluate the cultural values and purposes of TVCs.

CONCLUSION

TVCs are an excellent short, authentic language content that teachers can use to teach language, culture, values, and critical thinking. They provide rich information about culture and values in one minute as well as give great opportunities to teach language through a variety of different activities. Moreover, incorporating TVCs in a curriculum is a motivating factor for students, especially those who have limited access to the target culture. And because the major obstacle of acquiring them has been eliminated, we recommend that teachers take advantage of these motivating materials in their classes.

REFERENCES

Davis, R. (1997). TV commercial messages: An untapped video resource for content-based classes. The Language Teacher, 21(3), 13-15.

McGee, K., & Fujita, T. (2000). Playing the semiotic game: Analyzing and creating TV commercials in an ESL class. The Language Teacher, 24(6), 17-24

Seelye, H. N. (1993). Teaching culture: Strategies for intercultural communication. Chicago: National Textbook Company.

Smith, A., & Rawley, L. A. (1997). Using TV commercials to teach listening and critical thinking. The Journal of the Imagination in Language Learning and Teaching. Vol. 4. Retrieved July 29, 2005, from http://www.njcu.edu/cill/vol4/smith-rawley.html

APPENDIX A

Apple – Think Different – The Misfits

Video Activity

Warm up (15 minutes)

Directions

Discuss in small groups or as a class the topic of heroes and fitting in. Interview a partner and ask him or her who his or her hero is and why. Then ask whether he or she believes heroes fit in or not and why.

View the TVC (30 minutes)

Directions

View the TVC several times to allow students to hear and try to get the gist of the story. While viewing the TVC, perform some linguistic checks for unknown or hard-to-hear words and phrases and unknown spoken grammar.

Discussion #1

After completing the listening for the gist and linguistic checks, discuss the TVC. In particular, ask the students what they perceive the purpose of the TVC is. Have the students discuss who the intended audience is, what the commercial is trying to say, and why (or why not) the TVC was effective.

Homework

Using the Internet, find out who the people are in the TVC. Also try to discover why they are famous. Bring a summary list of the people in the TVC and be prepared to discuss them during the following class.

Reading (30 minutes)

Directions

View the TVC again, this time with the script in hand. The script can simply be the completed text or the script in the form of a CLOZE.

Read and follow along:

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes…the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules…. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things.… They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

CLOZE

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the _____ , the troublemakers, the round pegs in the _____ holes…the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of _____…. You can quote them, _____ with them, glorify or vilify _____, but the only thing you _____do is ignore them because they change things…. They push the _____ race forward, and while some _____ see them as the crazy ones, we see _____, because the ones who are crazy enough to _____ that they can change the world, are the ones _____ do.”

Focus on Form Exercises (25 minutes)

l Vocabulary practice

l Grammar practice: noun and adverb clauses

Discussion Activities (40 minutes)

Discussion #2

Begin a discussion on the cultural components found in the commercial. Have the students work in groups to discuss issues like group and individual think, leadership and gender, and peer pressure. Encourage the students to think about the cultural differences between their culture and the commercial’s culture of origin

Production (30-60 minutes)

Option 1

This is a good commercial. But, can you make it better? What would you change to make this a better commercial? Who would you add or remove? Modify this commercial. Then in small groups, share your modified commercial and discuss why you made the changes you made.

Option 2

Create your own top 10 list of the people that you respect. Make your list and rank them. Then in small groups, share your modified commercial and discuss why you made the changes you made.

Option 3

Make your own commercial. Using presentation software or a video recorder and audiovisual software, work with a team of students to make your own commercial. You can present the commercial as a live session commercial or record it and produce it.

Ann Junko Young graduated from the University of Sao Paulo with a bachelor’s degree in Japanese and Portuguese and a master’s degree in TESOL from Biola University. Her research interests include inter cultural education, second language reading, and writing.

Keiko Mori graduated from Biola University with a master’s in TESOL and now teaches ESL and TESL at Tokyo Christian University. Her interests include learner motivation, autonomy in language learning, and ESP for Christian-based programs.

Dr. Frank Tuzi, associate professor and director of e-learning at Tokyo Christian Institute, teaches ESL, TESL, English composition, and computers. His research interests include SLA, e-learning, and program development. More of his presentations are available at www.ituzi.net.