Video ideas

I think that the biggest issue of concern in presenting video to classes is the need to keep the students engaged in active learning. Karppinen talks about the need for real learning to be engaging but also to represent running up against something new. Real learning is often somewhat uncomfortable. It's the whole zone of proximal development, etc., etc.

Some of the ideas I've seen on people's blogs seem very effective at building that kind of real challenge into video lessons. I think assembling multiple clips or multiple videos for the same topic can be a very effective approach.

For my PACT unit, coming up next week, I'm going to use clips of slam poetry and music videos to talk about public presentations of identity. Clips are a way to bring in a wide range of perspectives quickly. I have some clips that are very different from each other, which provides a great opportunity to get the kids thinking about the big ideas that will come up in the unit on cultural repression, identity and code switching.

PACT Assessment Goals

No one really looks forward to being videotaped, I don't think. I certainly don't. On the other hand, when it actually happens, I think I may experience a sense of relief. Like I am actually getting through to some of them after all ;).

When I take my video, I am most interested in working on the same thngs that bedevil me every day in my teaching practice. There are a lot of issues, but if I had to pick a few, the biggest ones would be pacing, transitions, effective instruction and modeling. Basically not being boring, staying engaged myself so as to be engaging. There shouldn't be any side paths or trivial diversions. Everything should run like a well-oiled machine ;). High schoolers are so much less tolerant of bs than adults are. It can be a refreshing cut through the surface trivialities that make up a lot of polite conversation. ;) ;) ;) Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that while they're going nuts.

But no, seriously...for the video, I want my "engaging lessons" AND my strong-armed Fists of Fury discipline technique (oh wait, i can't talk about that in public!) to pass the Teenager Test.

What is teaching all about?