How can video supported reflection enhance teachers’ professional development?

Abstract

This paper responds to Eva Lundqvist, Jonas Almqvist and Leif Ostman's account of how the manner of teaching can strongly influence pupil learning by recommending video supported reflection as a means by which teachers can transform the nature of their practice. Given the complex nature of the many conditions which influence and control teachers' actions the reframing of routine practice through reflection-in-action can prove challenging. This response paper describes how video can empower teachers to take greater control of their progress and allows for a more social constructivist approach to professional development. Along with a consideration of the difficulties associated with the notion of 'reflection' and a short case study, the paper uses Lev Semenovich Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and the notion of scaffolding to propose that video offers a Video Supported Zone of Proximal Development which can ease the process of teacher development. In capturing permanent and exchangeable representations of practice video encourages a collaborative approach to reflection and is consistent with the original ideas of John Dewey.In their study Eva Lundqvist, Jonas Almqvist and Leif Ostman (this edition) provide clear evidence of how a teacher's manner of teaching can influence the nature of pupils' learning experiences. Their findings highlight the importance of pedagogy and underline the crucial role of teacher education. In response I outline how video supported reflection could be Review essay based on E. Lundqvist, J. Almqvist, and L. Ö stman, Institutional traditions in teachers' manners of teaching. Cultural Studies of Science Education.

Assessing the Ability of an Online Environment to Facilitate the Critical Features of Teacher Professional Development

“…Lastly, it is recommended that teachers be provided opportunities to reflect on their classroom teaching practices. Several of the studies in this meta‐analysis indicated the ability of online PD to facilitate the process of teachers reflecting on their own practice and the practices of their colleagues (Berger et al., ; Fry, ; McAleer & Bangert, ; McCullagh, ; Oner & Adadan, ; Powers et al., ; West et al., ). School policies that set aside time during the traditional school day for teachers to access online environments and tools that allow them to view and reflect on uploaded videos of their teaching practice and the practice of their colleagues are needed.…”

“…Multiple research studies have indicated the ability of online teacher PD to facilitate active learning. Collectively, the results of these studies demonstrated that online PD enabled teachers to actively learn by (a) reflecting on their student's work, (b) reflecting on their own classroom practices, (c) receiving feedback on their work from their peers, and (d) engaging with their peers in online discussion forums (Berger et al., ; Carr, ; Hutchison & Colwell, ; Maxwell et al., ; McAleer & Bangert, ; McCullagh, ; Oner & Adadan, ; Powers et al., ; Russell et al., ; West et al., ).…”

“…In related research, McCullagh () investigated how video supported pedagogical reflection is a form of active learning that can enhance PD for teachers in an online environment. The case study examined Paul, a high school science teacher who used video reflection to examine his teaching practices as part of a PD activity.…”

“…After the PD opportunity had concluded, Paul continued to utilize video‐supported reflection. Also, Paul encouraged other teachers at his school to engage in this form of PD (McCullagh, ).…”

Video-Based Reflection: Benefits and drawbacks for teacher professional development

“…Teachers cannot pay equal attention to all classroom events and in fact only focus on their favorable events while critical events are overlooked either from teachers' sight or memory whereas these critical incidents are the keywords for precise classroom practices improvement [5]. Video technology is said to be an effective medium to aid teachers to see what is happening in their classrooms as to ensure they could modify the classroom practice effectively [6][7][8][9].…”