I filmed the last 15 minutes of a class in which students worked in literature circles (small discussion groups). All students performed individual roles (done over the previous week as homework) and used these roles to fuel conversation about chapters 4 through 6 of the The Great Gatsby. In this video clip, the students are finishing up their small group discussions (which went on for the majority of class) while I circulate from group to group. When they finish, I lead a whole-class discussion fueled by the most interesting topics provided by each small group. Then I take the last minute of class to remind students of upcoming assignments including the following week's literature circle roles.
My activities in this video include making announcements, redirecting noise, observing/listening to student conversations, fielding student questions, elaborating upon student answers, challenging assertions made within small groups in order to push discussions forward, and walking about the room. I move from group to group, sitting and participating in several discussions. I stand at the front of the classroom to make announcements and lead whole class activities. In general I seem positive and comfortable. I smile frequently. I stand up and speak loudly when I want the whole class's attention, and I sit down and speak softly when I want one student's attention.
The students remain seated in their small groups with the exception of one student who gets up to throw something away and also to get the attention of the camera. About four groups continue their discussions right up until the last minute, two groups wrap up their discussions around the time I asked them to originally, and two groups finished early. When it is time for the whole class discussion and my end-of-class announcements, there are several students talking at once on more than one occasion. Most of this talk is related to the task at hand, but some of it is not. I redirect the chatter about 3 times: once via friendly reminder, once via a "shh," and once via a command. The students respond appropriately, if temporarily. During the whole-class wrap-up discussion, there are approximately nine students that participate verbally, mostly on a voluntary basis, though I call on a few. Nearly all students appear to be listening and attending to the conversation. Were I a student in this class, I would be enjoying myself. I would like the two different types of discussion, at least one of which would suit me depending on what type of mood I was in. The conversations around the room were largely positive, and they covered a variety of topics. These topics included but were not limited to the story's references to real life occurences like prohibition and the 1919 World Series scandal, the question of Gatsby's moral character, and decisions that Nick made as a narrator.
Both this video and the one from December feature literary discussion based on student-generated questions. Beyond this fact, the two videos are very different including the fact they look at two different student groups. This video differs most importantly in showing my improvement as a teacher. The two lessons had the same relative goal of increasing student practice at critically discussing literature; however in the more recent lesson, I differentiate this discussion much more so that every single student has a pre-assigned role. Students are able to participate in a whole class discussion but may also participate in a more low-stakes small group discussion for which they have already prepared. There is also a more significant writing component in this lesson than was the case in the previous one. Because students are leading their own discussions, I am freed up to engage personally with a much higher percentage of the class. Both my students and I seem more comfortable than was the case in the previous video. I move around the room a lot more. Students talk a lot more. There is laughter. There is buy-in. There are many exchanges of information occuring simulatenously.
Some areas of improvement that still seem necessary are as follows. There was one student with his head down frequently on one side of the room, and there was a small group that pulled their phones out frequently toward the other side of the room. I addressed these matters briefly, but did not address them strongly enough to keep the students on track for much longer than the amount of time it took me to move away. I also, should I continue to make it part of my practice, need to spend more time preparing my equipment before filming my teaching, as both this and the previous video had serious technical flaws. While I did manage to film right side up this time around, the sound quality is terrible due to my filming device (an ipod) not having a needed application. Lastly, while I love and value student-led discussions, I would like to improve in the future by not letting them be entirely student centered. By that I mean that I should prepare a few key questions to bring forth in case none of the students do so. This would provide a balance between student development of skill and teacher provision of crucial information.
My activities in this video include making announcements, redirecting noise, observing/listening to student conversations, fielding student questions, elaborating upon student answers, challenging assertions made within small groups in order to push discussions forward, and walking about the room. I move from group to group, sitting and participating in several discussions. I stand at the front of the classroom to make announcements and lead whole class activities. In general I seem positive and comfortable. I smile frequently. I stand up and speak loudly when I want the whole class's attention, and I sit down and speak softly when I want one student's attention.
The students remain seated in their small groups with the exception of one student who gets up to throw something away and also to get the attention of the camera. About four groups continue their discussions right up until the last minute, two groups wrap up their discussions around the time I asked them to originally, and two groups finished early. When it is time for the whole class discussion and my end-of-class announcements, there are several students talking at once on more than one occasion. Most of this talk is related to the task at hand, but some of it is not. I redirect the chatter about 3 times: once via friendly reminder, once via a "shh," and once via a command. The students respond appropriately, if temporarily. During the whole-class wrap-up discussion, there are approximately nine students that participate verbally, mostly on a voluntary basis, though I call on a few. Nearly all students appear to be listening and attending to the conversation. Were I a student in this class, I would be enjoying myself. I would like the two different types of discussion, at least one of which would suit me depending on what type of mood I was in. The conversations around the room were largely positive, and they covered a variety of topics. These topics included but were not limited to the story's references to real life occurences like prohibition and the 1919 World Series scandal, the question of Gatsby's moral character, and decisions that Nick made as a narrator.
Both this video and the one from December feature literary discussion based on student-generated questions. Beyond this fact, the two videos are very different including the fact they look at two different student groups. This video differs most importantly in showing my improvement as a teacher. The two lessons had the same relative goal of increasing student practice at critically discussing literature; however in the more recent lesson, I differentiate this discussion much more so that every single student has a pre-assigned role. Students are able to participate in a whole class discussion but may also participate in a more low-stakes small group discussion for which they have already prepared. There is also a more significant writing component in this lesson than was the case in the previous one. Because students are leading their own discussions, I am freed up to engage personally with a much higher percentage of the class. Both my students and I seem more comfortable than was the case in the previous video. I move around the room a lot more. Students talk a lot more. There is laughter. There is buy-in. There are many exchanges of information occuring simulatenously.
Some areas of improvement that still seem necessary are as follows. There was one student with his head down frequently on one side of the room, and there was a small group that pulled their phones out frequently toward the other side of the room. I addressed these matters briefly, but did not address them strongly enough to keep the students on track for much longer than the amount of time it took me to move away. I also, should I continue to make it part of my practice, need to spend more time preparing my equipment before filming my teaching, as both this and the previous video had serious technical flaws. While I did manage to film right side up this time around, the sound quality is terrible due to my filming device (an ipod) not having a needed application. Lastly, while I love and value student-led discussions, I would like to improve in the future by not letting them be entirely student centered. By that I mean that I should prepare a few key questions to bring forth in case none of the students do so. This would provide a balance between student development of skill and teacher provision of crucial information.