5 ways to use video analysis for teacher reflection
Posted by Art Recesso on Tue, Mar 01, 2011 @ 06:08 PM
Video analysis technology is an easy to use but powerful tool to promote teacher reflection. Here are five ways to use it in your school or program:
1. Watch Video through Common Standards Frameworks.
Use the standards for teaching or other observation instruments to look at pre-existing video of practice (not necessarily your own practices ...they could even be commercial videos). The frameworks help to focus the discussion and develop an understanding of the critical attributes that make effective practice. It is recommend practitioners preselect from a small subset of standards and avoid a "fishing" expedition of trying to find many at once. Can you find the standards in practice? Are they occurring as expected? A next step could be to capture your own practices to compare and contrast to what you see in the pre-existing videos.
2. Compare Written Belief Statements to Video of Practices
Have teachers write belief statements (or expected outcomes if you prefer) about their practice, attributes they expect to be demonstrating, and have them capture on video instances where these beliefs should be apparent. Have the teachers compare the statements to what they see on video. What are the differences and similarities?
3. Video Capture Practices Demonstrating Standards of Teaching
Begin with a framework for teaching, teaching standards document, or other instrument defining high quality content knowledge, pedagogy, or pedagogical content knowledge. Ask the teacher to capture the standard in practice. Can they capture it? When? And, what does it look like?
4. Share Videos of Your Practices and Reflect with Others
People enjoy getting feedback that helps them grow professionally -- especially when the opportunity is provided outside of the required evaluation. Capture video and using a video analysis system you can share what you've been experiencing in the classroom or share your reflections on success and areas needing improvement.
5. A Learning Community of Reflective Practitioners
A learning community can form around the use of the video analysis of practices. Select a focus, capture video of your practices and either reflect and share about practices invidually to the group or as a group review practices and provide feedback. Again, it's helpful to use standards frameworks and assessment instruments to guide the instructional and keep it centered on growth and development.
All of these activities are easily integrated into your preparation program or school based initiatives (e.g.., mentoring, instructional lead teacher efforts, even the evaluation). The vide analysis tools help desconstruct the teaching and learning events and make it manageable to discuss success and improvement in way that gives the practitioner a sense of direction along their career continuum.
