Effects of Videocase Construction on Preservice Teachers' Observations of Teaching

Preservice teachers were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 observation conditions: technology-supported practice in observation (TSPO) plus standard classroom placement observation, n = 31, and classroom placement observation (control), n = 31. Over a 10-week term, TSPO students augmented their classroom placement observations of their mentor teachers by engaging in technology-supported construction and video analysis of those mentors' teaching, while control students engaged in only the classroom placement observations. The authors used an online, computer-supported instrument that elicited written responses during observation of 3 different teaching videos to assess the participants' ability to identify, interpret, and analyze evidence of exemplary teaching. TSPO students significantly outperformed controls on all 3 video tests. Implications of these findings for teacher training in both traditional and online education programs are discussed.     

“Do you want an idea of what they’re doing?” Transgressive data generation and analysis within a bilingual writers workshop

We consider how research participants engage alongside researchers as choreographers of data generation and highlight the everyday practices of researchers and participants in motion within and across time and space. Data for this case analysis were generated during a two-year qualitative study investigating multimodal literacies, multilingualism, and literacy teacher development. We utilized microethnographic discourse analysis to analyze a video excerpt from a classroom observation during writers workshop in a fourth-grade bilingual classroom. We sought to understand how the teacher’s and students’ discursive moves during the event tactically disrupted the researchers’ agenda in the moment and complicated attempts at data analysis. Our analyses illustrate how the teacher multiply situated herself in ways that trouble dichotomous framings of teachers’ work, such as traditional or nontraditional, as well as dominant conceptualizations of qualitative research, such as data “collection.” We end with implications for interpreting and representing research findings.     

Talking About Teaching Episodes

This paper examines two types of discourse in which teachers engage when discussing case studies based on classroom episodes, and the ways in which the availability of video data of these episodes may motivate a shift in the mode of discourse used. We interviewed two pairs of secondary school mathematics teachers after they had read a case study based on a 16-minute mathematics classroom episode taped in a secondary school in the United States. During each interview, a multimedia version of the case study, including video of the original episode, was available to the participants. We identify two modes of discourse engaged in by the teachers during the interviews: Grounded Narrative and Evaluative Discourse. We examine and identify the characteristics of the two discourse forms, drawn from both video and textual analysis. These characteristics are self-reflective talk, perspective, ethics, and linguistic patterns. The identification of two modes of discourse is relevant for researchers and teacher educators using case studies or video recordings. In addition, the findings provide insight into how teachers are “seeing” classroom events in a video case study.     

Transformative Professional Development: A Model for Urban Science Education Reform

This study presents a model of Transformative Professional Development (TPD) for use in sustained, collaborative, professional development of teachers in urban middle school science. TPD focuses on urban science teacher change and is responsive to school climate, teacher needs, and teacher beliefs with the intention of promoting change in practice. In this study, TPD was used to meet the needs of individual teachers and the collective needs of schools in reform efforts. The experiences of the eight teachers engaged in this process of professional growth, including their changes in practices and beliefs, provide the focus of this paper. Findings in this study revealed that through the use of TPD, participants in this study improved science teaching effectiveness and began to transform their negative school climate and create positive classroom learning environments. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the U.S. Department of Education.     

We are what we do: Examining learner‐generated content in the anatomy laboratory through the lens of activity theory

Video and photography are often used for delivering content within the anatomical sciences. However, instructors typically produce these resources to provide instructional or procedural information. Although the benefits of learner‐generated content have been explored within educational research, virtually no studies have investigated the use of learner‐generated video and photograph content within anatomy dissection laboratories. This study outlines an activity involving learner‐generated video diaries and learner‐generated photograph assignments produced during anatomy laboratory sessions. The learner‐generated photographs and videos provided instructors with a means of formative assessment and allowed instructors to identify evidence of collaborative behavior in the laboratory. Student questionnaires (n = 21) and interviews (n = 5), as well as in‐class observations, were conducted to examine student perspectives on the laboratory activities. The quantitative and qualitative data were examined using the framework of activity theory to identify contradictions between student expectations of, and engagement with, the activity and the actual experiences of the students. Results indicate that learner‐generated photograph and video content can act as a rich source of data on student learning processes and can be used for formative assessment, for observing collaborative behavior, and as a starting point for class discussions. This study stresses the idea that technology choice for activities must align with instructional goals. This research also highlights the utility of activity theory as a framework for assessing classroom and laboratory activities, demonstrating that this approach can guide the development of laboratory activities. Anat Sci Educ 7: 361–369. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.     

Teacher: students’ interpersonal relationships and students’ academic achievements in social studies

Background: The classroom is a social system in which the teacher and the students interact as organizational members. The quality of classroom relations is dependent on the activities of both the instructor and the students. Several environmental conditions and circumstances often tend to either improve or depress the academic performances of students in defiance of their natural academic endowments. Aim: This study was to identify the relationship between teacher–students’ interpersonal relationships and students’ academic achievements in social studies. Methods: The work used the ex post facto design and a sample of 1954 Junior Secondary School (JSS) III randomly drawn from 50 Government Secondary Schools in Calabar Educational Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria. Two instruments were used: The Teacher–Students’ Relationship Questionnaire and a 50-item multiple choice questions in social studies set using the JSS social studies syllabus and validated by test experts. The data were analysed using the Pearson product moment correlation analysis (r). Product moment correlation analysis (r) is used in finding the relationship between two variables X and Y, if these variables are continuous and are obtained from the sample. Outcomes: There was a significant relationship between teacher–students’ interpersonal relationship and students’ academic achievements in social studies. As a researcher, this means much for me. Students themselves are classroom observers. They are aware, to a great extent, of their own academic standing in the classroom as well as those of others. Some examples of the strategies students use to evaluate their own academic standing include the tasks they are given, grouping strategies implemented in the classroom (e.g. ability grouping) teacher feedback and information regarding ability, the responsibilities that teachers provide students with and the quality of teacher–students relationships. Conclusions: The major conclusion forwarded by this research was that there was a significant relationship between the teacher–students’ interpersonal relationship and students’ academic performances in social studies. This has a serious implication for me and others, viz, a good human relationship is one of the lubricants of high productivity. Teachers should therefore galvanize cordial relations between themselves and students. All teachers, including this researcher, should bear in mind that a healthy interpersonal relationship is one indispensable instrument of high productivity and achievement in all fields of human endeavour including the education industry.     

Exploring the impact of written reflections on learning in the elementary mathematics classroom

The authors examined the implementation of written reflections in a Grade 4 mathematics classroom over the course of 8 weeks. Students in this case study engaged in a workshop modeled after Calkin's Writers' Workshop and within this workshop the use of writing as a reflective tool in mathematics was introduced. The authors explore how students used writing to evaluate their learning and how the teacher used the students' written reflections as a formative assessment for instructional purposes. Students' written reflections were coded and these codes were used to conduct an inductive thematic analysis. Analysis of written reflections via constant-comparison analysis was used for further differentiation. The findings show students' ability to accurately self-evaluate their problem-solving skills and highlighted students' confidence level with certain mathematical concepts. Teachers were able to use students' reflections as a place to begin conferring with a student for further clarification. The written reflections aided in instructional decisions and increased individual instruction when needed. The authors include implications for teacher practice and areas for future research.     

Video viewing in teacher education and professional development: A literature review

This article reviews the international literature on video viewing in teacher education and professional development. Two hundred and fifty-five articles were collected, summarized and categorized using a conceptualization that includes four aspects: teachers' activity as they view a classroom video, the objectives of video viewing, the types of videos viewed, and the effects of video viewing on teacher education and professional development. The findings in each of these aspects suggested three main questions that may profitably guide future research: How can teaching teachers to identify and interpret relevant classroom events on video clips improve their capacity to perform the same activities in the classroom? How can we best articulate the diverse objectives of video viewing and the diverse types of videos in teacher education and professional development programs? How can we create a “continuum” between teacher education programs and professional development programs in such a way that video viewing becomes a routine, familiar professional practice able to produce the desired effects over the course of an entire teaching career?     

Exploring classroom interaction with dynamic social network analysis

This article reports on an exploratory project in which technology and dynamic social network analysis (SNA) are used for modelling classroom interaction. SNA focuses on the links between social actors, draws on graphic imagery to reveal and display the patterning of those links, and develops mathematical and computational models to describe and explain those patterns. Dynamic SNA extends SNA and builds on previous research on network change. Utilizing data from six videos from the TIMSS video study and a convenience sample of five observations of one teacher in a secondary school in the south of England, a methodology for dynamic SNA was applied to classroom interaction data. The results are in two ways relevant for this journal. Firstly, they show that recent developments in SNA might be usefully applied to furthering knowledge about the dynamics of classroom interaction. Secondly, the results provide an example of the use of tablet technology for fieldwork data collection.     

Understanding video as a tool for teacher education: investigating instructional strategies to promote reflection

There is a general consensus among researchers and teacher educators that classroom video can be a valuable tool for pre-service teacher education. Media such as video are not, however, in themselves effective. They have to be embedded in an instructional program to be useful. Yet, little empirical research examines how specific instructional approaches might effectively exploit the potential of video in teacher education. In this study we explored the use of two video-based university courses, one representing a cognitive instructional strategy integrating video, the other representing a situative strategy. Using data from learning journals we analyzed the effects of the two strategies on pre-service teachers’ (N = 28) ability to reflect on classroom video. We found that the two strategies have distinct impacts on the kinds of reflection patterns that are fostered. Our findings suggest that the learning goal and purpose at hand should determine which instructional strategy should be employed when embedding classroom video into teacher education courses.     

The familiar observer: seeing beyond the expected in educational research

Reflection on subjectivity in the qualitative research process is fundamental to the methodology. Although much attention is paid to what to do (identify subjectivities), there is much less emphasis on how one should do this. Furthermore, a researcher engaged in an intimately familiar setting, such as a typical American classroom, faces the unique challenge of sifting through vast stores of prior knowledge and beliefs that influence perceptions of observed instruction, including experiences as a K-12 learner and classroom teacher. As a novice qualitative researcher and former special educator drawn to questions involving instructional practice in reading comprehension, I struggled to balance my emotional responses to observed instruction with my need to understand teachers' decision-making. I begin by sharing my own experiences as a novice researcher, brought forward from artefacts of that time. Moving to the present, I reflect on my early misperceptions, and conclude with recommendations for working with subjectivity in the research process.     

Right from the Start: Critical Classroom Practices for Building Teacher–Student Trust in the First 10 Weeks of Ninth Grade

Teacher–student trust is associated with the social and emotional development of students, their school connectedness and engagement, and their academic achievement. However, few studies have examined how trust develops between teachers and students in ninth grade, a critical year in high school for students to start off on-track. Even less research has examined how teacher–student trust develops from the perspective of students to help identify specific teacher classroom practices that are effective at doing so, particularly at the start of the school year when students’ relationships and connections to high school are just beginning to take shape. Drawing on data from a longitudinal, qualitative study of ninth-grade teacher–student relationships in one neighborhood public high school in Chicago, this study highlights three critical classroom practices that appear particularly effective for helping to build trusting teacher–student relationships during the first 10 weeks of high school. Highlighting the perspectives and insights of ninth grade students, this analysis finds that (1) the priority that teachers place on specific classroom practices, and (2) the timing of when these practices are used by teachers, are both critical in establishing teacher–student trust—an essential ingredient in helping ninth grade students gain important social and school connections during their transition to high school. By highlighting the voices of ninth grade youth, this study provides valuable insights for educators aiming to use specific classroom-based practices that are essential for helping ninth grade students make valuable school connections and get on-track right from the start of the year.

     

Video as a tool for focusing teacher self-reflection: supporting and provoking teacher learning

This article describes the research landscape related to the use of video for promoting teacher learning, drawing on a variety of research studies to illustrate the breadth of approaches that have been employed. One particular research study is reported in some detail since, it is argued, this represents a new level of devolution of agency to teachers to play a self-scaffolding role in their own professional education. The study involved the investigation of an approach to the provision of feedback to teachers about their practice that involved stimulating teacher self-reflection and juxtaposed structure and agency. An observation framework grounded in classroom practice research was developed, and teachers selected elements of that framework to serve as the focus for examining their practice and seeking feedback about that practice. Teachers and researchers examined video-recorded lessons focusing on the teachers’ selected observation elements, and then engaged in feedback conversations about their observations and analyses, and the implications of these for future practice. The approach identified the video record as an artefact of the teacher’s own practice and one which demanded a professional response from the teacher. The balance between structure and agency realised in the study, in combination with the use of video for observation and analysis of practice, facilitated teacher self-reflection and functioned to both support and provoke teacher learning.     

Building and Supporting a Validity Argument for a Standards‐Based Classroom Assessment of English Proficiency Based on Teacher Judgments

Using an argument‐based approach to validation, this study examines the quality of teacher judgments in the context of a standards‐based classroom assessment of English proficiency. Using Bachman's (2005) assessment use argument (AUA) as a framework for the investigation, this paper first articulates the claims, warrants, rebuttals, and backing needed to justify the link between teachers' scores on the English Language Development (ELD) Classroom Assessment and the interpretations made about students' language ability. Then the paper summarizes the findings of two studies—one quantitative and one qualitative—conducted to gather the necessary backing to support the warrants and, in particular, address the rebuttals about teacher judgments in the argument. The quantitative study examined the assessment in relation to another measure of the same ability—the California English Language Development Test—using confirmatory factor analysis of multitrait‐multimethod data and provided evidence in support of the warrant that states that the ELD Classroom Assessment measures English proficiency as defined by the California ELD Standards. The qualitative study examined the processes teachers engaged in while scoring the classroom assessment using verbal protocol analysis. The findings of this study serve to support the rebuttals in the validity argument that state that there are inconsistencies in teachers' scoring. The paper concludes by providing an explanation for these seemingly contradictory findings using the AUA as a framework and discusses the implications of the findings for the use of standards‐based classroom assessments based on teacher judgments.     

Pedagogical renewal: Improving the quality of classroom interaction in Nigerian primary schools

This study reports on an investigation of classroom interaction and discourse practices in Nigerian primary schools. Its purpose was to identify key issues affecting patterns of teacher–pupil interaction and discourse as research suggests managing the quality of classroom interaction will play a central role in improving the quality of teaching and learning, particularly in contexts where learning resources and teacher training are limited. The study was based on the interaction and discourse analysis of video recordings of 42 lessons and 59 teacher questionnaires from 10 States, drawn mainly from the north of Nigeria. The findings revealed the prevalence of teacher explanation, recitation and rote in the classroom discourse with little attention being paid to securing pupil understanding. The wider implications of the findings for improving the quality of classroom interaction in Nigerian primary schools through more effective school-based training are considered.     

Student and novice teachers’ stories about collaborative learning implementation

Despite the research evidence on the effectiveness of collaborative learning (CL), the implementation of this teaching strategy has not yet found a profound place in teaching practice. As a consequence, several studies have investigated teachers’ motives regarding and experiences with the use of CL. Most of these studies concern however senior teachers, whereas new generations of teachers are important actors in the process of educational innovation. Hence, it is crucial to explore novice teachers’ stories about CL implementation: what motivates them to implement this teaching strategy, what hinders them and how do they handle the challenges they are confronted with? The answers to these questions may provide useful information for improving the teacher education curriculum regarding CL. In this respect, the present study intends to study pre-service and beginning teachers’ experiences with CL in classroom practice, after a formal training pertaining to CL as part of their teacher education programme. The aim is to identify the main challenges student and novice teachers encounter when they want to implement CL in their teaching practice, and how they position themselves in these challenges. A qualitative case study design with in-depth interviews in the Flemish context (Belgium) was used to gain access to the particular experiences of each teacher, and to the processes of interpretation and meaning-making that go with those experiences. Participants were interviewed individually one week before graduation (n?=?15). After at least half a year of experience in the teaching profession, 10 participants were interviewed for a second time. In the present study, we present the results from a cross-case analysis, using the method of constant comparative analysis to identify similarities or differences, and to capture recurring patterns within the data. The findings reveal several dilemmas that illustrate the conflicting options teachers are facing in relation to their colleagues, their pupils, the curriculum and in the classroom context when they intend to implement CL. In particular, the following dilemmas were identified: two dilemmas related to professional autonomy (student teachers: teacher autonomy vs. pre-service performance assessment; novice teachers: teacher autonomy vs. institutional conformity), further dilemmas related to teachers’ beliefs about pupils’ readiness for CL vs. evidence about pupils’ readiness for CL, investing in innovation vs. curriculum and job pressure, and pedagogical intentions vs. contextual constraints. In most conflicting situations, student and novice teachers position themselves in the challenge by opting for non-implementation.     

Mathematics teachers’ “learning to notice” in the context of a video club

This study examines changes in teachers’ thinking as they participated in a video club designed to help them learn to notice and interpret students’ mathematical thinking. First, we investigate changes in teachers’ talk about classroom video segments before and after participation in the video club. Second, we identify three paths along which teachers learned to notice students’ mathematical thinking in this context: Direct, Cyclical, and Incremental. Finally, we explore ways the video club context influenced teacher learning. Understanding different forms of teacher learning provides insight for research on teacher cognition and may inform the design of video-based professional development.     

Teacher management behaviors and pupil task involvement during small group laboratory activities

A major concern of many beginning and experienced teachers is that of classroom management and control. This article describes recent research into defining classroom management procedures that are used by high school science teachers and their relationship to pupil ontaskness. The classroom is conceptualized as a manipulable behavioral system. This construct arises directly from Barker's (1968) ecological psychology, the classroom and its occupants being conceptualized as a behavior setting. The behaviors of the teacher and the pupils are an integral part of the unit (behavior setting), which in turn coerces certain behaviors from its participants. Thus settings, and, in particular, subsettings, are seen as more important determiners of social behavior than the personality of individual teacher or pupil. The methodology employed in this research has involved the extensive use of video in naturalistic science classrooms. Tapes of both teacher and pupil behaviors were continuously and independently recorded. Intensive analysis using electronic recording instruments interfaced with the computer has allowed the collection and sophisticated analysis of the observational data. Data relating to teacher management behavior in small group settings have been analyzed and the relationships to pupil task involvement have been explored.     

Cultural sensemaking and the implementation of edTPA technological tools: lessons for the field

Since 2009, one-third of all US teacher preparation programs have implemented a new, technology-based teacher assessment—edTPA. Intended to replace traditional measures of initial teaching competency, edTPA utilizes a candidate-curated video lesson and ePortfolio. While research shows that these technology-based tools enhance professional practice, the authors demonstrated that unintended consequences occurred when such tools were incompatible with the cultural contexts implementing them. Employing a multiple-embedded case study, qualitative interviews, focus groups, and field observations (N?=?75) were conducted across eight teacher preparation programs. Findings indicate that policy design and organizational factors influenced how programs culturally made sense of and implemented edTPA’s videotaping and ePortfolio tasks for teacher candidates—substantively or instrumentally. In the process, the authors developed a theoretical and practical understanding of how, and under what conditions, large-scale, technology-based policy tools may be implemented successfully across education contexts.