Video Self-Reflection

As I watched my video the first time, I thought that I probably should have done something different for my video. I went around with my phone in my hand and asked my students questions while I videotaped them. I asked them questions about what they were doing and had them explain to me some of the reasoning behind it. I wrote down a few things I noticed and then didn’t come back to it until the next day. Before I rewatched the video, I reread the Video Selfie article and realized that I needed to set a goal. For my second watch, my goals were to look at the types of student-to-student and student-to-teacher interactions that were had and on my student’s engagement. When focusing on engagement, for the one activity, students were out of their seats putting their sticky notes on the board and many were playing around or taking the long route back to their seats while others were calling out, “Do we have to put our name on these?” and “Can we put our notebooks away?” But while this controlled chaos was going on, some students were still focused on finishing their assignment, at their seat. This made me realize that the students wanted to participate in the activity by adding their thoughts on the four topics to the class chart, so they worked to get theirs completed too. On the second watch, I realized that my students have great student-to-student interactions. When talking with one student, M.Y., about his fact, another student, N.G., jumped in and said, “It’s 5 categories? I put down 4.” M.Y. helped clarify N.G.’s thinking and then N.G. said that she meant ‘phases’ or quadrants of a hurricane and had just used the wrong term. L.S., another student at the table group, jumped into the conversation and asked a question about Hurricane Matthew’s category level. M.Y. again responded and answered L.S.’s question. The students in this table group all get along well and are not afraid to ask each other questions and want to learn. They trust one another and know that they will not be made fun of for asking a question or even if they are incorrect in a fact.

From the video recording and trying to identify what was important, I felt that the interactions my students were having with one another were great, but my student-to-teacher interactions are in need of improvement. When talking with my students, I answered clarifying questions they had, but noticed that with one student, I did not fully answer her question. She asked me a question, then I turned it back around on her, and asked her to think about what I wanted her to do, she gave a response, and then I walked away. Watching her facial expression and the tone of her voice, I realized after watching that she was really not sure of what she was supposed to be doing and really just wanted some affirmation that she was doing her research correctly. So I plan on going back to her to actually clarify any questions that she has.  With other students, I listened to what facts they had learned and recorded in their chart and with others, I asked them to tell me about what they were doing, and they were able to tell me about the research and how they were recording their facts. We had less of a conversation, yet I was able to see what my students had already learned on their own. I was very focused on students being engaged, and less on making sure they were understanding what they were researching, which is the point of learning. So, I plan to hold more conversations with my students and really make sure that they understand their research. As without understanding, they will struggle through their project.

From what was recorded in the video, I was able to make a few connections to broader teaching.  As I walked around with my video, I was serving as the facilitator in the classroom. The students were in charge of their own learning, though we had previously discussed, as a class, what the students needed to learn in their research. We discussed our prior research in the classroom, and the students were amazed at all the research they had already completed, with planets, explorers, and writing a seasons book (which I had forgotten myself until a student brought it up). The students had choice in the resources and storm to research for the day, so I was free to wander and help students as needed. Some students did not need any guidance and were able to get started immediately. Other students needed some more focused encouragement, while two needed me to sit down with them in order for them to focus and get going on their research.   

I believe the reason for my student’s great interactions with one another stems from a few factors. One, they are sitting in table groups of 4 or 5 students. The students have been in these same table groups for a number of weeks, so they are comfortable with one another. They have also worked with their groups, and other mixed groups, on a number of activities, from STEM challenges to sharing their writing. Their experience, and the kindness that they exhibit in the classroom, helps create the positive, stress free learning environment where all students know that they can learn.  I believe my student-to-teacher interactions were less informative because I was concerned with moving around the room in order to help with classroom management and to make sure I got to check-in with everyone. I asked students to tell me what they were working on, what sites they were using to gain their research, and what they were doing with their notes and thinking they were writing down. After seeing that they were indeed working, I moved on to the next student.  

For my next steps, I plan to work on my student-to-teacher interactions. I want to spend more time with each student and ask them deeper questions regarding their learning.  I tended to ask very basic questions, or general, ‘how’s it going questions’ of the students, but would then not go further. If they told me a true fact, I would say good, and then move on. I now know that I need to ask deeper questions or ask them to elaborate on their facts. The facts that they will be learning from book and internet sources are all likely going to be true, so I need to make sure that my students are understanding the content that they are writing down.