Focus on teaching using video

In my undergraduate course work, I took a class in which we had to do a video tapped lesson. Yes- VHS. And I know that dates me. Once we received our videos back we had to look at them and write a paper about our performance. Unfortunately, we did not have access to any checklists or ideas for what we should be looking for. We were not even novices in the teaching world and that experience proved to not be very valuable. Today some certification programs require video lessons and it is a central component of the National Teaching Board certification process. 

A few years ago I was able to take an online course on coaching that extensively used video as a way to highlight the good things occurring and where challenges occurred. Further since it was used in monthly observations for new teachers, it was able to showcase growth.

Through the years I have thought about recording lessons to help me grow, especially when I have had less than critical evaluations. When Jim Knight's Focus on Teaching: Using Videos for High-Impact Instruction came across my door, I was curious if it could provide some of the guidance regarding using video for self improvement. 

First he is a huge proponent of using video with coaching, team work, evaluation and self development IF the teacher is willing. He does not feel that when it is an imposed structure, it can be nearly so worthwhile and will encounter resistance that may well render it useless. 

On page 13 he quotes Fritz saying," Growth involves two factors a clear picture of the current reality and a clear goal." In order to continue to develop, people need to objectively understand where they stand. In spite of Danielson era matrixes for evaluation, teachers often do not trust the results as accurate and the improvement goals may be impossible to achieve. (I have worked in many districts where top scores are not able to be achieved.) When an individual can watch themselves teach, however, they can spot some of the highs and lows and then formulate goals that will help them improve.

The book contains some simple data gathering charts to use while watching the video. These include areas such as ratio of interactions (positive/negative, male/female), mindset, consistency of corrections, opportunities to respond, types of question, instructional v non-instructional time, time on task. If I had been given a checklist of things to look for when I had been watching my preservice self, the experience would have been far more valuable. Further, it suggests taping only a segment of class rather than the whole thing to facilitate being able to spend the time required to evaluate the video. There may be, however, times to tape a whole lesson- for example, watch interactions with a particular student or group to better understand interactions and plan interventions.

The structure of the book is clear and concise. Each chapter starts with a concept map of the important ideas in the chapter. Then it clearly discusses the work. At the end there is a section on turning ideas into actions- looking at things from the viewpoints of students, teachers, coaches, principals and system leaders. There is a bulleted summary followed by recommendations for going deeper.

Since Jim's area of focus is coaching, he is particularly focused on that through the book. Lots of ways to use video in coaching lessons are presented. That said, this is not a book with an audience of only coaches. He distributes ideas around a variety of roles. Although quotes abound throughout the text, vignettes would have been a great addition. Links to videos of the various aspects of video use could have been super-useful.