CALVIN
COLLEGE
TEACHING DEVELOPMENT FORMS
Committee on Faculty Teaching
PURPOSE:
Videotape is without
a doubt one of the most effective mediums for improving instruction. It
is also one of the most anxiety-provoking. It is all well and good to
have students assess aspects of instruction, even on occasion to have
colleagues offer comments, but to confront the teaching self on tape is
quite another story. Generally what happens first is that the instructor
focuses on physical characteristics: Do I look that old? Why is my hair
sticking up in the back? Where did that arm gesture come from? The purpose
of this form is to move the focus away from those arenas to the more substantive
aspects of teaching. It can serve to guide the review of a taped teaching
sample.
ADMINISTRATION:
The form can be used
for a self-analysis of videotaped teaching or by a colleague reviewer.
It is probably most effective if it is used by both and discussed jointly.
The problem of self-review is objectivity-reaching a place distant enough
so that teaching can be viewed dispassionately. A colleague can help a
faculty member reach that place by pointing out teaching behaviors that
might otherwise be missed.
Instructors using
this instructional development strategy are advised to wait at least a
day or so after taping before viewing the tape. The instructor and colleague
can look at the tape separately or together. Either way, the discussion
that follows will have greater effect if the conclusions offered can be
illustrated with examples on the tape. If, for example, the colleague
believes the instructor does not summarize content segments adequately,
points of transition on the tape can be viewed jointly and what the instructor
does or does not do can be seen. This is one of the advantages of videotape
analysis--it is difficult to argue about whether or not a particular behavior
occurred.
INTERPRETATION:
Obviously, tabulating
the results recorded on this form is not especially important. The ratings
of the instructor and colleague can be compared to identify areas of disagreements
which can then be discussed and reviewed, if need be. It is also important
to see the behaviors in context, i.e. meaning, the instructor's goals
(both immediate and long term) are relevant. What has gone before in the
class and what will come after will have an effect, and who the students
are makes a difference. A colleague reviewer ought to offer assessments
apprised of this context. Moreover, generalizations from the tape ought
to be modest in scope. A 20-minute teaching sample is representative,
but how representative is a crucial consideration. In terms of a total
teaching performance spanning 15 weeks in a course, three different courses
in a semester, ten different courses during four years, it is at best
a small slice. Finally, the act of being taped has effects. Most instructors
"feel" the presence of the camera. How does that awareness effect what
they do? The question has no definite answer, but the effect of being
taped needs to be taken into account.
SOURCE:
Diamond, N., Sharp,
G., and Ory, J.C. Improving your Lecturing, Urbana: Office of Instructional
Resources, University of Illinois, 1978. This instrument may be used in
whole or part if credit is given to the source.
Contact the Dean
for Instruction's Office to obtain a copy of the Self or Colleague
Analysis of Videotaped Teaching Sample.
