The following sections outline some of the ways that instructors can integrate clips from the site into their lesson plans. The clips on the site can be embedded into a course management system as part of a discussion board assignment or with a low-stakes comprehension quiz. Geerling (2011) provides a variety of ways that educators can integrate clips directly into their classroom presentations while Calhoun and Mateer (2011) provide a summary of integrating media and technology in a chapter of the International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Economics.
To download any of the clips from this site to your computer, sign up for a free educator account with Critical Commons.
Classroom Response Systems
One of the most popular ways to integrate media into lectures is with classroom response systems (clickers). After showing a scene, pose a short question to students as a review of the content in the clip or ask them to predict some outcome. The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative has a Clicker Resource Guide that can help educators with writing good questions.
Think-Pair-Share or Group Work
If you have developed multiple questions associated with a particular topic or clip, you could frame the questions through a think-pair-share activity. Play the appropriate clip, then have students answer the questions on their own. Afterward, have students partner with someone nearby and review their answers. Finish by having students sharing answers with the class. If the clips are long enough or if there are multiple segments in one clip, consider weaving the questions between the scenes.
Teaching Guides
We have developed a variety of short teaching guides over particular topics covered in principles-level economics courses. The intent of these guides is to more directly show how these clips can be integrated into a lesson plan along with material that is already prepared. Each guide should take between 5 – 10 minutes of class time, depending on the structure of the class or guide.
Teaching with Superstore 