Suzie Null Fort Lewis College Durango, Colorado USA

Defining the Long Tail: Creating and Discussing Video Compositions to Expand Understandings of Good Teaching
Suzie Null, Fort Lewis College John Hise, Escalante Middle School
With film footage by: Charles Eagan, Fort Lewis College And Michael Jordan, Escalante Middle School

Research Questions
What does good teaching look like? How can video composition help us define teaching? How can video composition help us expand on, and reflect about, our definitions of good teaching? How can this process help pre-service teachers prepare to teach?
Screenshot of Beth Von Ohlen, Math Teacher, Escalante Middle School. Film by Christine Groh, Fall 12

Lemovs Taxonomy
In the book, Teach Like a Champion, (2010). Doug Lemov defined 49 techniques that he said all effective teachers use.

Do these techniques completely define good teaching, or are they just a place to start? How do classroom teachers use these techniques? What other techniques do they use that makes them effective?

Inspiration to Make Films

Lemovs book Teach Like a Champion included video clips of teachers performing techniques from his taxonomy of 49 techniques that successful teachers use. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq406j8qDZw

Because the local school district, Durango 9R, is very competitive to work in, our community has a large number of excellent teachers. I began to wonder what techniques my students could document and share as they worked with teachers from Escalante Middle School.

Literacy and Math Methods Courses Student Researchers

Literacy and Math Methods for Secondary Educators is taught to undergraduates (ages 19-23) and post-baccalaureate students (age 22+). Students come from the following majors: Language Arts (English) Math Social Studies (History) Sciences Spanish Exercise Science (Physical Education) Art Because of this academic diversity, the class focused on secondary literacy and numeracy methods in a variety of content areas. Because students did not always have a background in general secondary methods or classroom management, those concepts were integrated with the literacy instruction.

Authors Taught in the Literacy and Numeracy Methods Course

Lemovs taxonomy via Building a Better Teacher and/or a class jigsaw on the book Lemov Withitness (Kounin) Reading for Academic Success (Strong, Silver, Perini, Tuculescu) RAS Expeditionary Learning Strategies Math Tools (Silver, Brunsting, & Walsh)

Research Site Escalante Middle School

Middle school grades 6-8 (ages 11-14). The school already had an outdoor-education ethic. There is a low ropes course on the campus, and all of the 8th graders finish their middle school experience with a 3-day camping trip in the Ute Mountain Tribal Park. Two years ago, they adopted the Expeditionary Learning Model.

Literacy and Expeditionary Learning Methods with John Hise

The class met each Friday with John Hise, the schools Literacy Coordinator. He shared the district and schools literacy initiatives, modeled Expeditionary Learning techniques, and helped students discuss their field studies.

Film Study Conducted by Student Researchers

Each student researcher from the class was placed with a teacher in their content area at Escalante. Each student made a short film showing: 1. Teacher Best Practices: A clip showing the Escalante teacher in action, with an analysis of what best practices the teacher used. 2. Their Own Best Practices: A clip showing themselves teaching in that teachers class, and an analysis of what best practices they used. They also provided a lesson plan summarizing the entire lesson they taught. For some students, this was their first time teaching a class! Before making the films, students did several classroom observation assignments designed to help them identify different types of best practices that were taught in class.

Screenshot of Beth Von Ohlen, Math Teacher, Escalante Middle School. Film by Christine Groh, Fall 12

Film Group Reflection

1. After making films about the teachers, the class met with John Hise (the schools Literacy Coach), Suzie Null (the course instructor) AND the classroom teacher to discuss each film. 2. About a month later, each made a video recording of themselves teaching a lesson in the teachers class. Then they watched their films with Suzie Null and members of their class and provided feedback to each other.

Film Discussion Protocols

After each viewing, the class followed these Expeditionary Learning discussion protocols: 1) Save the Last Word: The teacher commented, each person commented following the protocol below, and then the teacher answered questions and comments at the end. 2) Notice/wonder/apply Protocol: Each person stated:
a. What s/he noticed b. What s/he wondered about c. How s/he might apply what they saw in the film to teaching in their own content area.

Analysis Methods
Frequency analysis of techniques cited: 1) During the video analysis of the Escalante teachers best practices 2) During the video analysis of their own best practices and in the accompanying lesson plan 3) How often the same technique was cited in both films 4) Pilot qualitative analysis: Recorded discussions after viewing the videos of Escalante teachers best practices 1 case study (so far)

Quantitative Results from Fall 2012, Winter 2014, & Fall 2014
Students identified a variety of techniques from our readings and from other sources in both the films of the Escalante teachers best practices and in the films of their own best practices. Some students used the techniques they had identified from cooperating teachers in their own films. Students also used and identified techniques they had learned from other students films.

Learning Targets (district) Thumbs up/down (EL) Modeling before students work/working Fist of Five (EL) Preview vocabulary (RAS) Turn & Talk (EL) Graphic Organizer(RAS) Composition notebooks(RAS) Learning Styles (RAS) Relevance & Application (CO standards) Sticky note response (SM) Interactive Whiteboards (?) Coding the text (EL, SM) Talk 2 Text (EL) Annotate text (EL, SM) Bell Work (Wong) Scaffolding (Literacy Class) Background knowledge - reference Cold call with popsicle sticks (Lemov) Sketching my way through the text (SM) Ties to standards (Literacy class) Notice/wonder (EL) Management - responding to "hiding Management -- cue class (?) Humor (?) Management -flow(Kounin) Strategic Questioning (?) Descriptive Feedback (?) Progress tracking (?)

Strategies Identified in Videos Fall 12

N = 11

Strategy identified in video of classroom teacher

Student Teacher Used Strategy from the first film in the second film

Strategy identified in video of Student Teacher's own teaching

N=4

0.5 1 2

1.5

2.5

0 Learning Target Graphic Organizer Modeling

Time Management
Gallery Walk Guiding Class Body Language Emotion in Voice In-depth Reading Analysis Works the Room End Lesson on a Positive Note Learning Styles Multiple Intelligences Drawing Vocabulary on Board Media - film Meda Smartboard Media - Google Earth Diverse Lessons Group Work Student-led Investigation Fist of Five & Thumb Meter

Turn and Talk

Differentiate Vocab for Lower Proceedures for Students Below Inner/Outer Circle

Strategies Used in Videos Winter 13

Strategy Used By Both

Strategy used by Teacher

Strategy Used by Student

Strategies Used Fall 13

N =2
1.2

1
0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 Strategy Used by Teacher Strategy Used by Student

Strategy Used by Both

Complicating Good Teaching and Also Making It More Accessible

The long tail on the charts shows that preservice teachers were identifying and analyzing a broad range of strategies that actual teachers use. This helped them consider the complexity and contextualization of effective teaching practice. Several students used techniques they identified in their first films or saw in other students first films. Seeing a technique being used by an actual teacher, with actual students, seemed to make it more accessible.

Charles Journey
Charles Eagan was placed with Michael Jordan, an 8th grade Language Arts teacher. Michael Jordan is also an improv actor and is good at using voice and body language in his teaching. Charles identified some of Mr. Jordans strengths in his film:
1) 2) 3) 4) Purposeful seating Putting learning in students hands Modeling Energy Input

Discussion With the Class and the Teacher

The class discussed Mr. Jordans presence with the students, uses of humor, use of explicit language, and how he manages group work seating configurations. Because students were preparing to teach Math, Art, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Spanish, we discussed how to apply these Language Arts techniques in different content areas.

Discussion Outcomes
Having the teachers participate in the discussion created a culture where learning to teach, and to improve as a teacher, is a continuous, life-long process, and not something that you master after a few classes. Student discussion became more nuanced. It became less about good teachers ALWAYS do this. Instead they began to focus on what technique would work well for specific contexts, objectives, or classroom cultures.

Quotation from Charles

The thing that I most want to take is the use of the energy input, where you will use your energy to control the classroom, where if theyre getting too loud you will meet them there and then, like, lower it down. Or if theyre not engaged at all, youll just pump a bunch of energy into them and get them hyped up about some subject. Its SUPER helpful. Its always very good to see students get excited about learning . . .

Charles Film About His Own Best Practices

4:26-7:02 Used specific techniques from the teacher 1. Phone a friend 2. I will wait
His reflection demonstrated a nuanced understanding of when, how, and why to use these techniques. He also showed an increased understanding of the impacts of body language.

Conclusions
Film composition can help pre-service teachers Become comfortable applying specific techniques Think about teaching in more nuanced ways Complicate their thinking about teaching by seeing how many things effective teachers do They can also be a valuable form of affirmation for practicing teachers, and they can be a tool for helping teachers reflect about their classroom practice.

Film Composition Can Generate Deeper Discussions About Teaching Practice

Audience is important! The students film quality improved when they knew the classroom teachers would see them. Hearing reflections from the classroom teacher, the Literacy Coordinator, and their professor helps pre-service teachers become more comfortable with the idea that they will need to keep reflecting and improving throughout their careers and that this is OK. They began to adopt this way of thinking more after having these discussions with teachers.

Works Cited
Andrius, J. (2013). The Counin Model of Discipline. Teacher matters: Advancing knowledge for teachers. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://www.teachermatters.com/classroomdiscipline/models-of-discipline/the-kounin-model.html. Daniels, H. & Zemelman, S. (2004) Subjects matter: Every teachers guide to content area reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Expeditionary Learning (2011). Provided by Escalante Middle School Green, E. (2010). Building a better teacher. New York Times magazine, March 2, 2010. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Teacherst.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. Lemov, D. (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put students on the path to college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Silver, H., Brunsting, J., & Walsh, T. (2008). Math tools: 64 ways to differentiate instruction and increase student engagement, grades 3-12. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Strong, R., Silver, H., Perini, M. & Tuculescu, G. (2002). Reading for academic success: Powerful strategies for struggling, middle, and advanced readers, grades 7-12. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Image Citations
Slide 1: National Student Exchange. Retrieved online from http://www.nse.org/exchange/campusprofile.asp?c=35 on February 21, 2014 Slide 3: Groh, C. (2012) Screenshot from film for Fall 2012 Literacy Class at Fort Lewis College. Slide 4: Uncommon Schools (2010). Teach like a champion: Everybody writes. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq406j8qDZw Slide 5: Teach Like a Champion Site http://teachlikeachampion.com/book/ Slide 6: Fort Lewis College Photo from National Student Exchange. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://www.nse.org/exchange/campusprofile.asp?c=35 Slide 8: Escalante Middle School, Durango School District 9R. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://escalante.durangoschools.org/ Slide 9: John Hise (2012). Durango Herald. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20120115/OPINION02/701159933/-1/Opinion Slide 10: Groh, C. (2012) Screenshot from film for Fall 2012 Literacy Class at Fort Lewis College. Slide 13: Escalante Middle School Climbing Wall. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://escalante.durangoschools.org/sites/default/files/images/news/lh1.jpg Slide 14: Escalante Middle School Climbing Wall. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://escalante.durangoschools.org/sites/default/files/images/news/lh1.jpg All others: Null, S. (2012). Escalante 8th grade camping trip at the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, May 2012.

Image Citations
Slide2: Null, S. (2012). Escalante 8th grade camping trip at the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, May 2012. Slide 3: Groh, C. (2012) Screenshot from film for Fall 2012 Literacy Class at Fort Lewis College. Slide 4: Teach Like a Champion Site http://teachlikeachampion.com/book/ Slide 5: Uncommon Schools (2010). Teach like a champion: Everybody writes. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from Slide 6: Fort Lewis College Photo from National Student Exchange. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://www.nse.org/exchange/campusprofile.asp?c=35 Slide 7: Null, S. (2012). Escalante 8th grade camping trip at the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, May 2012. Slide 8: Escalante Middle School, Durango School District 9R. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://escalante.durangoschools.org/ Slide 9: John Hise (2012). Durango Herald. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20120115/OPINION02/701159933/-1/Opinion Slide 10: Groh, C. (2012) Screenshot from film for Fall 2012 Literacy Class at Fort Lewis College. Slide 11: http://escalante.durangoschools.org/sites/default/files/images/news/lh1.jpg , Retrieved online February 21, 2014 Slide 12: http://escalante.durangoschools.org/sites/default/files/images/news/lh1.jpg , Retrieved online February 21, 2014 Slide 13: Escalante Middle School Climbing Wall. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://escalante.durangoschools.org/sites/default/files/images/news/lh1.jpg Slide 14: Escalante Middle School Climbing Wall. Retrieved online March 12, 2013 from http://escalante.durangoschools.org/sites/default/files/images/news/lh1.jpg All others: Null, S. (2012). Escalante 8th grade camping trip at the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, May 2012. Slide 18: Null, S. (2012). Escalante 8th grade camping trip at the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, May 2012.

Website

All presented information is available at Null & Hise - Carrying It Forward 447665087319536200.weebly.c om