New Orleans, LA 2011
AERA’s National Convention Presentation Topic
The Impact of Multimedia Representations of Teaching on
Pre-Service Learning
by
Andria Hilvitz Stokes, Ed. D.
Avila University
April 2011
Purpose and Background
The methodology coursework that is the focus of this study incorporated the use of multimedia representations of teaching to enhance student exposure to a variety of teaching methods, and classroom management, and climate setting strategies. We used these representations to provide pre-service students with the opportunity to replay real life examples of classroom instruction and identify best practice.
Initially, we implemented case based instruction at a small, liberal arts college in the Midwest to help pre-service educators apply their learning about instructional strategies, management, and educational theory to “real-life” examples (Yadav, 2006). Throughout the last five years student teachers requested more experiences with decision-making in the classroom. On the end of the year student teaching survey, participants were asked if the written vignettes helped increase confidence in instructional decision-making. Pre-service teachers’ overwhelmingly responded that the lack of a variety of exposure to different instructional practice was a concern. To help the university increase the level of confidence, we drew on recent studies which have shown that the use of video representation and video clips increases conceptual understanding of instructional decision-making process (Clarke and Hollingsworth, 2000; Ali & Eyup, 2010; Koehler, 2002).
The university’s School of Education used a variety of internet-based video collections to provide examples of effective and ineffective teaching methodology, classroom management, and climate in elementary and secondary classrooms. Students worked in small groups and individually to identify examples of best practice, justify the reasoning behind the success, and elaborate on the effects of teacher decision-making in the classroom. Presentation of a wide variety of multimedia representations allowed students to select the content focus in addition to the grade level taught.
Methods and Data
In order to study the effects of the use of the multimedia representations, I undertook a qualitative phenomenological study focused on pre-service students’ perceptions of ability to identify and justify reasoning for decision-making during instructional practice. Students were asked to note evidence of best practice from Danielson’s (2004) four domains of effective practice. Students justified selection by noting specific examples seen within the video selection. This elaboration created opportunities for students to reflect on prior knowledge learned through their text and lecture while seeing the actions carried out in the classroom. Subsequently, examples of transfer were required in written form. Students then worked in small groups to discuss the applicability of identified techniques to various student populations.
Results & Significance
When this project began in spring of 2009 students were asked about the level of understanding and transfer between Danielson’s four domains of teaching and the use of the Carnegie video collection. 57% of the respondents stated that the level of understanding and transfer occurred most of the time in the instructional domain only. Continuous data collection from the fall of 2009 through spring of 2011 helped to inform continued use of Multimedia Representations of Teaching used in place of clinical observations. 98% of the respondents stated that the level of understanding and transfer of knowledge occurred in both the instructional and classroom environment domains. Not only was there an increase in the number of students who found this method useful, the data indicates that now two of the four domains are more evident in student learning. In addition, students increased the number of hours spent on observations from one to three as the study progressed. Thirty-one out of thirty-three students stated they chose to read additional information contained on the sites to enhance their learning. Student choice to gain new knowledge is another important piece to this phenomenon.
Themes identified from student response appeared in four important categories (a) ease of use, (b) focused learning, (c) learning at a deeper level, and (d) the ability to compare three of the four domains in one setting. Drilling down, student comments about the positive effect rewinding, pausing, and review had on increasing personal knowledge in addition to the ability to observe at a personally convenient time appeared most often. One student commented, “I could watch the videos numerous times, which provided essential in catching things I had missed on the first couple of viewings.” While another stated, “I can watch from my home, I can make notes, have reactions, and experience the lesson more completely than I could inside the classroom. And the pause button, brilliant!”
Comments referring to focused and deep level learning were also evidenced in data collection. During this study, students found the ability to analyze and synthesize teacher actions easier than observing through on-ground clinical experiences. Statements included, “I could revise or confirm my original perspectives.” “I was also able to see many different teachers use the same strategy… it was interesting to see how instruction can also vary from teacher to teacher.” “I could see the whole plan of what the teacher was going for while being able to focus on instruction and techniques like use of verbal praise and non-verbal cues.” “They [videos] gave a sense of reinforcement, as well as practice in the ability to identify the domains in action.”
Data collected also showed an increase in confidence when identifying best practice in classroom video clips as well as increased understanding of the influence teacher decision-making has on student learning. One student noted, “I felt a freedom to be forthcoming about the things I observed in ways that I might not have had I observed these teachers in person. Follow-up studies of the transfer of student confidence in real time teaching as well as the effectiveness of first year teacher instructional practice are underway.
The intent is for this research will inform the creation of learning situations that support effective instructional decision-making in teacher preparation programs. As more public and private K-12 institutions focus on test preparation, fewer opportunities are provided for pre-service students to experience the decision-making behind instruction, classroom management, and climate setting.
References:
Ali,D. & Eyup, S. (2010). An investigation of the pre-service teachers’ ability of using multiple representations in problem solving processes: The case of
definite integral. Educational Sciences Theory and Practice, 10(1), 137-148.
Clarke, D. & Hollingsworth, H. (2000). Seeing is understanding. Journal of Staff Development, 21(4), 140-143.
Danielson, C. (2007). (2nd ed). Enhancing professional practice: A framework fro teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.
Koehler, M.J., (2002). Designing case-based hypermedia for developing understanding of children’s mathematical reasoning. Cognition & Instruction, 20(2),
151-195.
Teal, W.H., Leu, D.J.,& Labbo, L. D. (2002). The CTELL project: New ways technology can help educate tomorrow’s reading teachers. The Reading
Teacher,55(7), 654-659.
Yadav, A. (2006). Video cases in teacher education: What role does task structure play in learning from video cases in a literacy methods course?. Retrieved
from ProQuest: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database.
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