One of the steps of becoming a level 5 certified instructor for whole brain teaching, is creating an exemplary video. This is what I've been working on for a little while now. I wanted to share what I have learned from going through this process.
Making a video of yourself teaching, to me, was a very daunting task. I have never liked hearing a recording of my own voice, and I definitely see all if my many imperfections in pictures. So the idea of a video was, lets just say, super duper scary. However, I jumped into WBT feet first, so I decided to not fight it and jump into this as well.
I am SO glad that I did. It was scary to watch myself, but the amazing to be able to see what my students see everyday. I noticed things that I do and say that I didn't realize; some good, some not so good. After my first video I made a list of things to do or not do, and made another video a few days later. I have repeated this process a few times and have seen such amazing growth, both in my students and in myself.
This is a great tool to use to access classroom management, pacing, and student engagement because you can see all of these things in the playback. You notice things while watching that you may not have noticed during the actual lesson.
I have also allowed my students to see their videos during class as well. They have been able to see what I see everyday, and it has really helped them to improve as well. Those students not as engaged in the lesson really stick out on camera, and the whole class notices when they watch themselves. My classes have also been competing with each other to see who can make the best video - which has really motivated them to do their very best.
My you tube channel is
https://www.youtube.com/user/MeadorScience?feature=mhee. Please feel free to check our our videos, and leave me comments about what you have seen. These are real kids in a real class, so the lessons are not perfect. But they show how a real 6th grade class uses the amazing strategies laid out in WBT. As we grow and learn, our video collection will grow as well. Subscribe to us if you want to see our growth!
