Filming seemed to be quite difficult for me. It was very unnatural and forced for both me and the students. I was almost like a robot and my students were very mechanical in their responses as well. So, as for teaching styles and methods I did not learn much from the video. However, I did learn a great deal about what was happening during non-instructional time.
During the portion of the class when they were creating their poster I was attentive to make sure I went to every table. However, I became hyper-focused on that table and their needs. In most cases I was unaware about what was going on in the other groups. You can see in several cases where my back was turned to the entire class and sometimes I did not know what was happening behind me. As I watched the video I could tell when a group would get too noisy and off track. However, there were several instances where the students would hop in front of the camera to dab, make silly faces, or even dance. But, if the camera was not there then would they have been silly?
I also learned exactly how fast I talk and how loud I really am. The wife, students, friends, and teachers next to my room have been telling me for a while about those three factors. How loud I am I do not foresee as a problem but I do see a problem with how fast I talk. For some students when I talk that fast the instructions could be unclear.
Hi Scott,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching your video and appreciate your thoughtful analysis and reflection. You shared how videoing your instruction was not natural and I understand exactly where you are coming from. Whenever I am videotaping my instruction and student learning I become more self conscious and my delivery isn't natural...it's more forced. With our video analysis, focusing on your student application of your instruction is where the value is. That is where you can determine your impact on student understanding, application, and achievement. I am glad in your blog post you wrote about how watching what the students were doing was beneficial to you. In your presentation you shared how you learned which students received the most attention and how you wanted to monitor more effectively. After watching your entire video, one major positive I wanted to point out was how immediately after your directions your students dove into their task and began working with their peers on their rough draft. This shows two things... 1.) that your task was in their zone of proximal development because they understood the content and what you were expecting them to do with it, and 2.) your students are comfortable with collaborative learning. This wasn't their first experience. I know you were disappointed with some of their antics in front of the camera. This is normal with adolescents especially when the video camera is first introduced. Everyone wants a little camera time. Thank you Scott for the time and thought you give all you do. Sincerely, Dawn