Flip Video Response

Students record short asynchronous video responses to a prompt on Microsoft Flip (formerly Flipgrid). Peers watch and reply with their own videos. Builds speaking practice across the week, removes the synchronous-speaking anxiety, and creates a visible record of fluency progress.

Procedure

1. Teacher creates a Flip topic and shares the join code or link.
2. Set a prompt: Describe a tradition in your family, 60–90 seconds. / Give your opinion on this week's article.
3. Students record their video response between lessons. Can re-record until satisfied.
4. Each student must watch 3+ peers and post a short video reply.
5. Teacher comments on selected responses, highlights strong language.
6. In the next class, discuss themes and vocabulary that emerged across the videos.

Why It Works

• Asynchronous speaking: shy students get unlimited prep and re-record privileges, removing performance anxiety.
• Spoken production volume: every student produces a 60–90 second monologue — far more than a typical lesson provides.
• Authentic listening: peers watching peers is higher-interest than coursebook audio.
• Progress record: a student's Flip videos across a semester form visible fluency progress.

Good Prompts

• Narrative: a time you got lost / your earliest school memory
• Opinion: should social media platforms verify real names? Why?
• How-to: teach me a 5-step recipe / explain how to do a hobby of yours
• Reflection: what did you understand from this week's lesson? What's still unclear?
• Interview-style: if you could interview any living person, who and why?
• Reading response: your reaction to the reading passage, not a summary

Variations

• Chain response: each student's video must begin with a paraphrase of the last student's video. Listening + paraphrase.
• Multi-modal: students can attach images, stickers, or draw on the video. Good for vocabulary.
• Role-play: students record two videos as two different characters in a dialogue. Drama across the platform.
• Critique round: after initial videos, students record a second round responding to peer feedback.

Tips

• Require a minimum of 3 peer responses per student. Without it, the platform becomes a teacher-only feedback channel.
• Use the sticker and text-overlay features to lower production shame — dressing up the video makes recording feel less intimidating.
• For large classes, assign response partners in advance so everyone gets at least 2 replies.
• Phone-friendly: many students record more freely on their phone than on a laptop.

Source

Microsoft Flip platform (retired the Flipgrid name in 2022). Hockly (2022) and Peachey (multiple) on asynchronous video in language teaching. Research on video-response pedagogy in Green & Green (2018) on classroom applications.