Using Self-Captured Video Tasks to Develop Teacher Noticing of the Substance of Student Thinking in Mathematics and Science

• In Event: 72.039 - Design Principles for a Pedagogy of Teacher Education

Abstract

Objectives. Previous research has demonstrated that the ways that teachers listen to, interpret, and respond to student thinking impacts student learning (Russ & Sherin, 2013). Yet a focus on student thinking is not common among practicing teachers (Weiss, Pasley, Smith, Banilower, & Heck, 2003), and is quite different from the teacher-centric focus that many PSTs possess (Levin et al., 2009). We present a framework for designing a sequence of activities using teacher self-captured of video to help pre-service mathematics and science teachers develop a focus on student thinking.

Perspectives. Prior research has demonstrated the potential of video to support teacher noticing of student thinking; and looking at one’s own video has been found to be particularly engaging for teachers (Seidel et al., 2011).

Methods. Over a two-year period (2013-14), we experimented with teacher self-captured video as part of seminars for 29 secondary PSTs in mathematics and science. The PSTs engaged in 3-5 cycles in which they were asked to collect short video clips of “substantive student thinking” about mathematics/science in their classrooms and then reflect on whether they had been successful in capturing such clips.

We coded the videotaping assignments, transcripts of discussions during the course, and interviews with some of the teachers for three different points in time 1) before capturing, 2) during capturing/before watching the video, and 3) after capturing.

Results and substantiated conclusions. We found that this activity sequence engaged PSTs in five related tasks that served to focus their attention on substantive student thinking in productive ways.
• Anticipation: PSTs had to decide which lesson and when during the lesson to capture the intended type of clips. As a result, they carefully considered when substantive student thinking was visible in their classrooms.
• In-the-moment noticing: Many PSTs reported being aware, during instruction, of whether the segment of lesson they had selected to record did in fact contain visible student thinking.
• Reflection: After the lesson, PSTs were asked to reflect on whether the recorded segment had met their expectations, and whether the substantive student thinking that they had envisioned would occur or thought had occurred, had in fact taken place.
• Analysis: The PST would conduct a careful analysis of the excerpt, interpreting the student thinking by identifying the particular ways the students were making sense of the math/science topics.
• Implications: Finally, PSTs considered how the videotaping process gave them insight into their teaching, their students, and the role of substantive student thinking in their classroom.


Scholarly significance: Together, these five activities served to increasingly focus the PSTs attention on substantive student thinking. In particular, the evidence teachers drew up at each phase seemed to build upon their claims at a previous phase. In this way, the activity sequence helped to provide teachers with a concrete way to investigate the nature of student thinking in their classrooms.

Authors

• Elizabeth B. Dyer, Northwestern University

• Miriam G. Sherin, Northwestern University