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Watch and learn

Become a virtual expert by learning a new skill from an online tutorial and presenting it to your friends.

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You’ll need

  • Scrap paper
  • Devices with access to the internet
  • Large piece of cardboard or flipchart paper to create a video 'frame'

Before you begin

  • The activity involves everyone working in pairs to research and learn a new skill online and then presenting it, as though they were on-screen presenting a ‘how to’ programme or video.
  • The person leading the activity should make a cardboard or paper frame to represent the screen for the performance aspect. Either stick pieces of card or paper together to create the frame or cut the frame from a piece of A1 flipchart paper. An old picture frame would also work well.
  • Read our guidance on how everyone can stay safe online while researching their new skill.
  • Check out Play our game for another way to share your skills.

Watch and learn

  1. The person leading the activity should ask each pair to watch a short skill video, and decide on a skill in advance so equipment can be prepared for the activity.

Examples include: how to tie a reef knot, how to make a fruit salad or how to beatbox. Find examples on the Scouts’ website, or search on a video channel for ‘how to’ videos by adding ‘children’ to the end of the search. Check that the videos are suitable for the age of everyone in the group to watch.

  1. Each pair should watch the videos as many times as they need to and then imagine how they’d make their own video to show to their friends.

Pairs could write down some key instructional points in the video and their ideas of how they might present their new skill on some scrap paper.

  1. The person leading the activity should ask each pair to create a short 30 to 60 second tutorial to show to the rest of the group. Pairs should remember to greet their ‘viewers’ and explain what they’ll be showing them. Helpers can encourage the pairs to remember the key points of the tutorial.

Remind everyone that they don’t actually need to make the item but need to remember the steps and give examples.

Share and learn

  1. One pair should hold the video ‘frame’ while another pair stand behind it and present their new skill to the rest of the group.

Remind everyone that it’s important to respect the person or people teaching the skill by sitting quietly and watching carefully.

  1. After each presentation, the rest of the group can congratulate the presenters and ask questions if they need more information. Can the presenters answer the questions, or do they need to check back with the original video?

Reflection

This activity everyone had to try and learn a new skill from an online tutorial and then teach it to others. Congratulate everyone again on their new skills and presentations. Will anyone try out their new skill at home or teach it to someone else? What does everyone think are the pros and cons of learning from a tutorial? For example, you don’t need a teacher and you can watch the video over and over or stop it where you need to. On the other hand, you can’t ask questions and sometimes it’s hard to see properly. Learning something online is a step towards being independent and perhaps starting a new hobby. Remind everyone that they should always check with an adult before watching a tutorial or video online.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Online safety

Supervise young people when they’re online and give them advice about staying safe. Take a look at our online safety or bullying guidance. The NSPCC offers more advice and guidance, too. If you want to know more about specific social networks and games, Childnet has information and safety tips for apps. You can also report anything that’s worried you online to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command. As always, if you’ve got concerns about a young person’s welfare, including their online experiences, follow the Yellow Card to make a report.

Link the focus of the skills videos to a specific topic or badge. For example, learning a few signs of British Sign Language or Makaton or learning how to grow vegetables. The person leading the activity can select the level of difficulty of the videos.

Make sure that the skills videos are visual or have subtitles. If anyone doesn’t feel comfortable presenting or talking in front of the group, let them take up another role such as director or organizing the order of the presenting pairs.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Digital Citizen Stage 1

For a bit of fun, the pairs could present the skills as a ‘helping hands’ game. One person would be the ‘voice’ and puts their arms behind them. Their partner could be the ‘arms’ and stands behind them with their arms in the front. The ‘voice’ explains the skill and the ‘arms’ act out the actions.

The person leading the activity should encourage the pairs to work together to decide what skill they’d like to learn.