VTS: Week 6 Blog Assignment

Assessing, Reflecting, Planning- Video A (Lesson #1, Image #2)


Assessing Student Engagement & Learning:  Students were excited about the opportunity to VTS again and were engaged during this session.  I noticed their comments went a bit further than last time.  One student respectfully disagreed with another student's inference, which I thought was great because this did not happen at all during the first session.  They began developing a more detailed narrative this time; they moved quickly from simple observations to interpretations/inferences w/ evidence, and revisions of thought.  I think students were challenged this time to explain their thinking with specific language and to make inferences.  I noticed that they made several inferences as to why the boys in the image were doing what they were doing, which indicated their use background knowledge and connecting with personal experiences.

Reflecting on Practice:  I was a little self-conscious at the beginning of the session because I was being filmed, but I expected this.  Once we began, I did feel comfortable and easily remembered the three questions.  I noticed, both during the VTS and when I watched the film, that I said, "What do you see that makes you think that?"  Remembering how important each word of the questions is, I cringed because I realized I was questioning the student's thinking/ideas rather than his observations. I'll be very cognizant of this in the future.  Paraphrasing was easier, but as an ELA teacher, I caught myself focusing more on the vocabulary I was using as opposed to focusing on their observations.  My final thought- in facilitating and watching the video, I noted that my body language felt stiff, and my facial expressions were very flat.  This was the result of my effort to be neutral, but I want to work on neutrality with my normal energy.  I think my students will be more comfortable with me being me also.

Planning:  I want to work on facilitating more naturally. As I gain confidence in asking the questions and paraphrasing, I want to approach VTS the same way I approach other lessons-with energy and enthusiasm.  Understanding that my enthusiasm has to be consistent throughout, I want to at least give it a try.  VTS is fun for students and for me, so I don't want to exhibit the opposite behaviors.