Video Evidence

 

Portfolio entries allow you the opportunity to outline your teaching structure and assessments of students’ progress.  Video evidence provides an assessor a unique opportunity to see inside your classroom to see how your plans result in meaningful learning experiences for students.   The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards offers four areas where the video evidence is particularly helpful in assessing accomplished teaching.  Bullets are examples of ways you might demonstrate evidence. 

 

   Classroom Climate – The nature of interaction, nature of learning experiences, degree of intellectual risk-taking encouraged, mutual respect, and organization/management (Context)

o       Make content relevant to the lives of the students and include student interest.

o       Connect the activities to knowledge, skills and experiences in real life.

o       Offer opportunities for students to reflect on learning and express understanding through group activities and using various performance modes.

o       Demonstrate a high level of rapport and mutual respect with students through your ability to offer risk-taking opportunities in a safe environment.

 

    Student Engagement – Intellectual engagement with the content (Quality)

o       Structure the lessons to show optimal student interaction and involvement.

o       Use summaries frequently; ask students to summarize important key points regularly as a way of focusing and developing critical thinking skills.

o       Integrate subjects or use themes whenever appropriate to help students connect the content to a bigger picture or deeper understanding.

o       Consider activities that allow for student choice.

o       Demonstrate that you use have more than one kind of assessment mode to evaluate student growth (oral conversation, group projects, writing, performance).

 

    Interaction – The nature of the verbal and non-verbal interaction between teacher and child (Sensitivity)

o       Show your strengths in working with students as individuals, especially culturally diverse students and students with unique learning needs.

o       Use students’ names, movement, eye contact, etc., to connect with the learner.

o       During questioning, encourage students to develop confidence in their abilities to synthesize, analyze, evaluate, and make personal judgments.

o       Provide specific examples of effective feedback that promote deeper thinking and making connections.

 

    Discourse Environment – The nature of the discussion, role of the teacher in promoting inquiry and debate, responses by children (Interactiveness)

o       Show enthusiasm and energy for the topic and for the students by challenging them to predict, apply, and connect to the curriculum in meaningful ways.

o       Increase opportunities for students to connect emotionally and personally to the content. Ask students to reflect on their prior knowledge and deliberately touch on other relevant information, skills, knowledge, and experiences.

o       Practice your own active listening skills and encourage students to be active listeners as well by challenging them to interpret and rephrase statements of other students (check for sense-making).