VIDEOTAPE REQUIREMENT

Videotaping and viewing lessons can be a powerful means for student teachers to reflect on their classroom practice and the interactions it contains. Videotape and write a critique of at least two lessons. One should be early in your student teaching experience, and a second during the final two weeks. The following are to guide your critique:

Lesson:

•  At the beginning of the class period, did you clearly introduce the day's goals and/or objectives?

•  Were your directions clear and concise?

•  Did you include closure?

•  Discuss possible consequences of the instructional design that you used.

•  Note part of the lesson that could have been improved and why.

•  Suggest alternative strategies and their rationales (e.g., Could you have used an inductive strategy?)

•  What levels of questioning were used?

•  Were error correction procedures (clues, prompts) used to guide the students to correct responses?

•  Did you allow for flexibility in your lesson?

Student Learning:

•  How were the students actively involved in the lesson?

•  What indications are there that the students were motivated and engaged in the lesson?

•  Which students did not ask or answer questions?

•  Which students participated orally more than five times?

•  How did you promote multicultural learning, gender fairness, and disability awareness?

•  Note portions of your interactions with the students you feel went well and explain why.

•  Did you use specific, positive reinforcement for academic responding and class behavior?

•  Were a variety of techniques for checking understanding used (e.g., group responses, signals and individual response)?

Presentation:

•  Did your voice have too little or too much volume? Did you vary your voice to convey meaning?

•  Did you put “ing's” on your words and refrain from saying comin' jumpin', runnin', goin', doin', getting', talkin', etc.?

•  Did you say “want to” rather than “wanta?” “Kind of” rather than “kinda?” “Going to” rather than “gonna?” “Yes” rather than “yah” or “yep?” “No” rather than “nope?”

•  Do you overuse “O.K.,” “all right,” or “you know?”

•  Identify any annoying non-verbal mannerisms.

•  Identify contextual factors that influenced the lesson/activity.

•  Did you have control of the classroom so that effective learning was possible for everyone?

•  Were materials and equipment organized and distributed in an organized and efficient manner?

•  Did you display enthusiasm?