Although it has not proven to be the panacea for EFL teachers that it was touted to be (like so many other technological 'advances' in the ELT world), video is a valuable resource for the judicious and eclectic teacher. Literary purists may decry screen adaptations for one reason or another. Film critics may claim that a director or actor brings out hitherto unknown nuances from the text. However, the teacher is aware of the advantages of being able to show scenes which may otherwise remain inaccessible for those students whose level of English does not reach the required standard in order to be able to read the original text version. Add to this the general motivation induced on moving out of the course book, the catering to different learning styles, the contrast of verbal and non-verbal communication, the visual cultural input, and actually seeing language in 'real' use and not some sort of dismembered body in a course book, and we have a healthy list of reasons for using video.

Over the years, various techniques have been developed which allow us not only to focus solely on screen versions but also to interact between screen and text. Nevertheless, I hope to show that there are moments when the 'book-was-better-than-than-the-film' (and vice versa) type of argument should take a temporary`back seat in the ELT classroom and we can exploit both media for the benefit of the students.

The Acid House - Irvine Welsh

Irvine Welsh is obviously not for the squeamish and he presents various challenges for the ELT classroom, not least of which is his realistic representation of the Scots language as spoken in Edinburgh. But this is a classic situation where the old ELT philosophy is amply demonstrated - it's the grading of the activity which grafts on difficulty not the text itself.

The scene in question is where the chief protagonist, Boab Coyle, has an interesting encounter in his local after a particularly troublesome day. Up to this point, he has been booted off his local football team as his chronic smoking and drinking have been affecting his performances. His girlfriend ditches him for exactly the same reasons. His mother and father want him out of the parental home as he is getting under their feet (and their unusual sex life is suffering as a consequence). Boab is arrested as he takes his frustration out on a BT telephone box. The station sergeant is a BT shareholder and as a result Boab gets a good kicking for his troubles. The proverbial icing is added when Boab is sacked from the removal firm where he works. Enter God.

The attached worksheet can be used in a couple of ways. First of all, pre-teach the following: radge - idiot; ken - know; whae - who; tidy - pretty; cowp - sex. Depending on your teaching situation, you could ask the perennial 'What happens next?' question (before revealing that Boab meets God in a pub). Alternatively (and obviously taking into consideration local and student sensibilities), ask the students to come up with a physical and character description of what they imagine God to be like. I've had some interesting feedback to this question: a leather-clad 'God's Angel' on a Harley-Davidson was one answer and a Margaret Thatcher-like God interested in keeping those in power in power was another.

The activity is simplicity itself. The Scots language sometimes throws students off-guard on the first watching, so stress the instructions before watching. Having said that, the fact that most students catch at least one word from each sentence generallý ensures a high rate of achievability. Depending on your personal teaching preferences, a couple of extension activities are available. With some classes I have successfully asked the students to translate the Edinburgh Scots into a standard southern English. Alternatively, Boab's quote: 'If ah hud your powers …' opens up the field for a debate on how the students would change things in the world if they had the powers. Depending on the students and the type of course, this sequence offers possibilities for in-depth analysis of religious philosophy and why Welsh chose to depict God as he did. With high-level classes a further option is to contrast this passage with a Welsh extract written in standard English and explore the whys and wherefores of his choices.

This activity shows text and screen are complementary and not in opposition. The ping-pong effect of moving between the two media creates a class dynamic which stimulates student involvement and if students were previously unaware of both authors, hopefully, they will be intrigued enough to go and find out more about them and their works.

About the author
Gerry McIntosh teaches at the British Institute in Barcelona.