Scott Grapin, a colleague of Liam in NJ, shows how easy it is to post video here for each other to learn from. I’m sure he will welcome input from the group. Here is his email to me:
Hi Ben,
It was around this time last year when I sent you a demo video, and your thoughtful feedback was so integral to my professional development. A year later, I figured I’d record again, this time for the PLC to view. I’ve realized that the videos (and, of course, observing Liam) are the best way I learn, and since I am often more of a “lurker” than an active contributor to the blog, I’d like to make a contribution in this way. Of course, I am not posting this video as an exemplar of CI instruction, but rather as a sample from a teacher seeking to improve.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W15lVzrjw7w
Regarding the recording, it is not as playful as most classes, as the topic/theme was a bit more serious on this day: Day of the Dead. I am doing an adapted version of MovieTalk in which I describe screenshots from a short film and then play the movie to show the relationship between the pictures. Last year, I did MovieTalk, but I found that the students were so frustrated by the constant pausing of the movie. Now, as we discuss the screenshots, the students are not even aware that they come together as a movie, and it is a big moment when I finally play it. As I watch my own teaching, there are a few things I know I can definitely improve upon, especially pacing (sometimes I feel like I am hammering them with questions!), SLOW (they have only had 8 weeks of Spanish!), and varying my questions a bit more.
Hope all is well in Denver. Thanks, as always, for maintaining such a valuable resource for us all.
Best,
Scott