Some people believe that storytelling is a gift – that some are born with it while others are not. But speaking from experience, I can tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. In this post, I share my story of how I came to storytelling through video.
In January 2007, I received an email from my mum with a message: 'Please watch this video'. Below the message was a link to a mysterious 15-second video of two panda bears.
About an hour after the email, my mum phoned me on my landline to make sure I had watched the video. She thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. This was how we used to do the internet!
Teaching before YouTube
Some of you might remember the old days when teaching with video meant wheeling a bulky TV set into your classroom and relying on episodes of Mr Bean, Fawlty Towers, Wallace and Gromit or whatever DVDs were on offer.
But in 2005, the world was introduced to YouTube and things would never be the same again.
Online video was exciting, unpredictable and full of possibilities. Virtually anyone could upload anything, and that changed everything – new genres, creative techniques and responsibilities for educators. Videos became shorter, more interactive and sometimes chaotic. We were no longer bound by the familiar schedules and categories of film and TV. On YouTube, you never really knew what you were going to get.
As a newly qualified teacher, I was blown away by the changes. In February 2008, I started a website called TEFLclips – a place for me to explore ideas for using online video and share them with other teachers.
In my very first post, I shared an idea based on my mum's favourite viral video. My suggestion was for a simple video prediction activity that went like this:
- Position the screen so that everyone in the class can see the two pandas. If anyone has seen the video before, make sure they do not spoil the ending.
- Play the first few seconds of the video, then press pause.
- Tell your students that something unexpected happens next. Ask them to guess what it is and get everyone to write their idea on a Post-it note.
- Ask students to stick their Post-it notes on a designated area of the classroom wall.
- Go over their ideas and offer praise and/or corrections where needed.
- Finally, play the full video and see who came closest to predicting the actual outcome.
What happened next?
As I continued exploring online video, I began noticing a change in my teaching habits. Instead of going straight for the play button, I would add a short introduction – a quick explanation about how I had found the video or why it had caught my attention.
Small changes like this seemed to make a difference. Students appreciated the personal touch. They were more curious to see the video and more invested in the activity. With the panda video, for example, it was no longer just a clip of two animals. It was a connection to Jamie’s mum.
Over time, this shift became more deliberate. I began taking a few minutes to offer some context, just as a museum guide might do with an exhibit.
Without realising it, I was starting to think of video not just as content, but as a kind of story with characters, context and connection beyond the screen.
Videotelling
In this previous LessonStream Post, I wrote about my father and how many of his stories seemed to originate from the screen. He would regularly tell me and my siblings about funny adverts, TV moments, comedy sketches, film scenes and, more recently, viral videos – an everyday human act that I refer to as videotelling.
Jack Keddie, some time around 2012
Perhaps influenced by this, I began to apply the same technique to the videos I used in the classroom. To give you an example, the panda prediction activity might have started like this:
I want to tell you about a YouTube video I saw recently
It involves two pandas at the zoo: a mother and her baby
The baby is lying on the floor, sleeping
Dreaming about whatever it is that babies dream about
Meanwhile, the mother is taking advantage of this moment of peace
She is sitting in the corner eating a snack
And after a few seconds, something unexpected happens
Can you guess what happens?
Think carefully and write down your ideas on a Post-It note
This approach changed not just how I introduced videos, but how I thought about my role in the classroom. Like a museum guide, I was learning to create connections, build anticipation and offer the human context that made the experience meaningful. Museum guides do not just point at objects – they tell stories, share discoveries and invite us to care.
Over time, videotelling became the hallmark of the lesson ideas I was sharing on TEFLclips – a site that went on to win a British Council ELTons award and eventually evolved into what is now LessonStream.
Me, pre-grey, with Neil Kinnock –
the greatest prime minister we almost had!
Learning storytelling
As I developed this approach, I realised something important: I wasn’t just becoming a better teacher – I was becoming a better storyteller. Each video became a chance to practise the craft: to spark curiosity, ask good questions and respond to students' answers. It wasn’t the technology that made the difference – it was the human connection.
Teacher-led storytelling is not about taking the spotlight. It is about setting the stage. But too often, we hand over our power to the screen. We press play and step back, hoping the video will do the work. We become button-pushers instead of creators of meaningful experiences.
But our role is more than that. We have to keep students engaged and motivated. We have to immerse them in language and give them real reasons to communicate. We have to encourage them to explore ideas and develop fluency.
For me, all of this became possible when I embraced storytelling. That’s my story, anyway.
You might also be interested in this post: How I Became a Storyteller
👉 Your storytelling journey starts here!
Storytelling is at the heart of great teaching. It’s how we connect, make ideas stick and inspire learning.
Some people believe storytelling is something you’re born with. But that’s just not true.
Like playing an instrument, it’s a skill you can learn with the right kind of practice
My course, LessonStream Videotelling, is designed to help you put storytelling basics into action – with support, feedback, and zero pressure.
The Masterclass Plan includes two 90-minute online workshops (a maximum of six participants per group), all the materials you need to recreate the workshops with your own students, and so much more.
'This training has the potential to revolutionise my English teaching. It has opened my mind to the possibilities of using video and storytelling to boost classroom conversation. I’m absolutely convinced it’s key to motivating my students and getting them talking. It really was revolutionary – one of the best trainings I’ve attended.'
Sheila Marie Jakobsen
