Instructional Domains and Video Literacy

After reading this post's title, you might be asking yourself, 'what do those phrases mean'?
I shall give you a brief explanation!

Get it??

All puns aside, video literacy is defined by Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell as "the knowledge and skills needed to consume or meaningfully view video as well as to produce video" (2008, p. 234). 

Instructional domains refer to the four categories learning takes place in. Also called the domains of learning, these categories closely align with Bloom's Taxonomy with the exception of the last domain which is interpersonal. The four instructional domains are cognitive, affective, psychomotor, and interpersonal.

Today I will tell you about how videos can appeal to each of the four domains.

The first, cognitive domain, has to do with how the brain processes. It can also be referred to as the thinking domain.

The text suggests that "video can enhance the textbook by showing processes, relationships, and techniques." It also says that video may be used to interest students in reading about a topic (Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2008, p. 235). Basically, video will help most students understand concepts better and perhaps even more quickly.

The affective domain refers to emotion and mood. It can include what students value or how they feel about a subject.

Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell say that "because of its great potential for emotional impact, video can be useful in shaping personal and social attitudes" (2008, p. 235). Documentaries about historic events can help students feel empathetic towards people groups and understand how people of the past may have felt when going through time of struggle.

Third is the psychomotor domain.

Psychomotor is defined by The Free Dictionary as the "psychology of, relating to, or characterizing movements of the body associated with mental activity". In younger grades especially, psychomotor skills are extremely important. While most students will be able to catch on to basic skills (such as cutting with scissors or using a pencil) easily, certain skills may require extra demonstration or resources. This is where videos can help. Page 235 of our text says, "if you are teaching a step-by-step process with a DVD, you can show it in real time, use fast forward for an overview, stop the action for careful study, or move forward one frame at a time" (Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2008).

The last instructional domain is the interpersonal domain.

"When students are learning interpersonal skills, such as dealing with conflict resolution or peer relationships, they observe the behavior of others on video for demonstration and analysis" (Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2008, p. 235). This domain is mostly applicable to teaching students values and real-life skills, like how to deal with conflict.

I hope that you learned a lot about the four instructional domains and how videos can positively impact students' learning in those areas!

SOURCES

"Psychomotor." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, 2010. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/psychomotor>.

Hannaford, Amber. Joy. Digital image. Free Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <http://www.freeimages.com/photo/joy-1430953>.

M, Art. Shiny Brain. Digital image. Free Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <http://www.freeimages.com/photo/shiny-brain-1150907>.

Makadia, Manish. Friends Forever. Digital image. Free Images. N.p., 3 Nov. 2005. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <http://www.freeimages.com/photo/friends-forever-1438818>.

Scheijen, Jean. Briefcase. Digital image. Free Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <http://www.freeimages.com/photo/briefcase-1421535>.

Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., & Russell, J. D. (2008). Instructional technology and media for learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

Young, Joe. <i>Playing the Piano</i>. Digital image. <i>Free Images</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. &lt;http://www.freeimages.com/photo/playing-the-piano-1533449&gt;.