The Power of Video

I'm now 1 1/2 weeks into my maternity leave. Although I've spent the bulk of my time doing non-productive things like watching TV and checking Facebook (in addition to spending time with Lucy), I've also spent a small amount of time reading educational articles. One of the items I stumbled upon recently seemed to resonate with me, which is the power of video.

Jim Knight (the Instructional Coach guru out of the University of Kansas) did a webinar back in May on how videotaping yourself teaching can be a powerful tool. He said that we should periodically videotape ourselves because we do not have a clear picture of our practice and it is an easy tool to utilize.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I HATE watching myself on video. Many times it seems to be counterproductive for me, as I spend the length of the video noticing physical flaws and cringing at the sound of my voice. But...I do see the value of the experience.

I remember back when I was student teaching I had to video tape myself, and my student teaching co-hort would analyze my teaching. I really thought I did a great job with the lesson; the students seemed to understand the material, my timing was good, and I was able to answer the students' questions. It wasn't until I watched the video with my classmates that I noticed some key areas for improvement. Mainly, I saw that as I talked, I like to stand behind the podium and rock back and forth. I was highly embarrassed, and I wondered if the students also noticed this during the lesson. I learned a valuable lesson from the experience, though, and to this day I always make a concentrated effort to walk around the room when talking to students for an extended period of time.
Jim Knight says when you videotape yourself, you should watch the video twice. Identify an area of focus during the first viewing, and analyze the area of focus during the second viewing. From there, you can identify a goal and method of practice to make improvements in your teaching.

When I return from maternity leave, I plan to videotape myself  (with teacher permission, of course) in order to grow as an instructional coach. I'll even try to focus on my content and delivery, rather than the bags under my eyes from lack of sleep or those last ten pounds I still need to lose from having a baby.

If you are also interested in videotaping yourself teaching, Katie and I would be more than happy to assist with this process. We can videotape the lesson for you, sit down to analyze it with you afterwards, and set goals for future practice.