Using Video for Professional Improvement

I enjoyed the article Bridging Classroom Practices to the Professional Development: Let’s Video-Coach, Shall We? by Meral Guceri because it was quite clear, and somehow reflected many of the musings I entertained when I read the article about peer observation.

So, I think the authors of this article should not be so concerned that the population sample for the study was too small, and wonder how applicable the conclusions regarding benefits of videotaping as a tool for professional growth might be.

So many miles away from the source of the study, and in a different culture, I find their results applicable here too. For instance, journal keeping is a positive activity to help organize your thoughts, so you can reflect upon your experiences and gain some new insights, just by mulling over a certain topic. But it is a hind side look based on memory of perceptions. A video shows plain facts, unadulterated by your mind’s justifications.

For someone who has developed the capacity of self-criticism, just by watching a video, the amount of information could be significant. If you compound this with another pair of eyes who are ready, willing and able to provide appropriate coaching, the benefits multiply.

Another advantage of videotaping over live peer observation is that it is less intrusive for the students and, class dynamics tend to remain more authentic.

One of the suggestions the authors of the study make, is for the teacher to have the power to decide which video clip to share with his or her peers. I’d add that students should also be brought in to watch themselves “in action”, because many times they are not mature enough to make the connection between their acts and their consequences.

Watching themselves, they can recognize the positive and negative behaviors that influence their learning process, and provide each other with feedback.

One thing to be careful about is to be able to communicate clearly the objective of the videotape, and to make sure that the class feels comfortable with it. If there is a student who feels threatened by the activity, he or she should be free not to participate, without being made feel guilty.

Once you introduce the possibility of videotaping a class, you have to have an agreement with regards to the sharing of the various video clips. Students tend  to put everything on the web, and doing so without previous acquiesce from all the ones that appear in the clip, could be considered a grave breach of conduct.  

another recommendation I’d make is to try to keep the taping as “fresh” as possible. Discussing what to look forward to, but without providing too many analysis criteria beforehand, will help avoid undue influence on the students’ behavior. Otherwise, some might be tempted to “please” the teacher, while others might try to “sink” him or her.

Videotaping can work not only to assess the performance of both teachers and students, but as a research tool when the teacher has difficulties identifying why something didn’t just work out as he or she expected. In that case, peer analysis might be able to offer a diagnosis, and alternatives to attain the learning goal. Different approaches might be tested, and compared to reach the most desirable for the goal, class, or particular student.

Video recording the same class group with different teachers, and then the same teacher with different class groups, could help to obtain more data regarding how teacher (or student) induced are the observed patterns.

As teachers, we are required to stay professionally updated on the methodologies and resources available. The more we learn about ourselves, the more we can find better strategies to coach our students in their own process of self-discovery, and in the development of skills necessary to live, thrive in, and improve our society.  

Embracing the appropriate use of technology is part of the lifelong learning curve we are immersed in.