INTRO | Noelle

Good morning, teachers! You’re listening to episode # 19.

Last week on the podcast, we talked about my four tips for those of you who are going to be first-year teachers this fall! From creating a safe learning environment to teaching students how to work through challenges, you are going to want to take a listen. To check out that episode, be sure to visit maneuveringthemiddle.com/episode18.

Today, we are chatting about video lessons! Likely at some point in the past year, you have recorded a video lesson of some sort! So the big question...are they here to stay? Have they changed the way we teach? Are videos replacing our roles as the teacher in the classroom? 

We are going to talk through all of these questions and hopefully, this episode will give you some new ideas to try in your classroom this fall.

Let’s do it!

POINT 1: SHARING MY THOUGHTS | Noelle

I think we can all agree that the onset of the pandemic in March of 2020 and then flip that was switched overnight with remote teaching and learning paved the way for huge shifts in education!

I think of the school districts that were disassembling the computer on wheel carts to send devices home for students or schools that invested in these big technology packages to get them through the 2020-2021 school year.

So this brings about the question, “are video lessons here to stay?”

Will this technology and the use of technology continue and if so, what will it look like?

For those of you who are new to the podcast, I am a former middle school math teacher and now lead our MTM team, so I was not teaching in March of 2020 nor did I teach this past school year. My job has shifted as MTM has grown.

So a lot of what I am sharing today is me gathering information from teachers, watching the education trends, reading, and learning, and then of course my experience as a parent. 

So to go back to the question “are video lessons here to stay?”

Rather than tell you what I think, I wanted to record this episode sharing some of the pros and cons for both teachers and students.

And as a spoiler alert, I do think they are here to stay -- but likely in a different form and fashion.

POINT 2: PROS OF VIDEO LESSONS | Noelle

I think one way we can decide if video lessons are here to stay is to determine if they are effective. Right? Effective teaching practices stick around and stand the test of time. 

I can see so many different avenues of how a video mini-lesson is an effective teaching practice! Video lessons allow you to meet the needs of your students in so many ways!

If you have access to or have created video mini-lessons then these are something that will stand the test of time and be able to be utilized over and over again. They certainly have the power to change the number of teachers in the classroom! Imagine that you are working in a small group, but your students have a question and they are able to pull up a video lesson that answers their question. That is powerful! 

They didn’t have to wait for you to finish working with the small group, they were able to solve their problem, and your small group wasn’t interrupted. That is a win-win! Now imagine that times 10, because chances are in a class period at least 10 students, have a question or need you in some shape or form.

So we have increased the number of teachers in the classroom and also given students more autonomy over their learning when they are able to move at their own pace.

I already recorded an interview with Jodi Rookhowsen on how she utilizes our MTM resources and the Grid Method to run a self-paced classroom. We talk quite a bit about the use of a mini-lesson and video lessons. Be sure to tune in next week!

Now, let's say you have a good thing going in your classroom and you have a routine and structure that works for your students...I can still see the right type of video lesson working really well in many everyday situations.

• Absent students - you no longer will be scrambling to catch a student back up. Send them the lesson they missed. They are responsible for catching up.
• Students who need a reteach - no problem. Most students need to see things more than one time to internalize the content. This will make differentiation a breeze.
• Video previewing - many students had suggested accommodations of previewing the material before the actual lesson. I would do my best during the warm up to make this happen, but if I could have shown them a 2-3 minute video to prepare them, that would have been perfect.
• To prepare for an assessment - I see video lessons really helping before tests. Students look through the study guide, each student guide question has the corresponding video lesson linked - if they don’t know how to start the problem or miss the problem, they now have access to something that will reteach them the content. This could be done before a unit test or an end-of-year state test.
• Flipped classroom - check out episode 13 to learn more.
• Students can watch you teach in class and then use a video to refresh/internalize the content when they are at home. I also think this can help parents who want to help their kiddos!

I really see that there is a future with video lessons and that they can be powerful tools for both students and teachers! I also think hindsight is 2020 and we learned a lot this past school year. If it was me, I envision moving away from a recorded Zoom call or a 25-minute lesson and towards a more targeted and easily digestible video that meets a very specific need or concept.

I say this because I myself have participated in quite a few Zoom calls and watched different video lessons myself -- whether that be a training or a youtube video or an online course. And I think that thing I keep coming back to is the engagement aspect.

When I have a question or am trying to learn something new, I don’t want to spend excess time shifting through additional content. 

Our MTM team has our very own internal video library with all sorts of short videos on how to accomplish a certain task or project. It is much easier to scan our library for the titles and watch a 3-minute video, rather than the alternative which is fast-forwarding and rewinding trying to find the exact right spot in a 30-minute video. 

So, if we go back to the question about video lessons and are they here to stay, I think we have some challenges to consider and overcome if we plan to continue to utilize technology. 

POINT 3: CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME OF VIDEO LESSONS | Noelle

Video lessons are easier to disengage with. We have all experienced this personally and I am sure you have experienced it with your students. 

You click to watch a video, you are paying attention, something or someone distracts you -- for me it is always a child walking into the room or needing something. For teenagers, it is likely a message or social media notification.

You are now focused on the distraction. The video ends. You may or may not have realized that you were watching the video.

Now repeat this scenario many times over.

Remember that students can also lose interest in class, but as the teacher we are watching and observing and making decisions when we see that student has lost interest to draw them back into the lesson by asking a question, walking by their desk, making eye contact, calling on a student or just changing up the lesson midway. 

That personal component is vital to student learning and can’t be replicated in a video. I think this is why we are going to have to experiment with ways that allow video to be a tool in our toolbox of teaching strategies.

Many of you might be thinking about EdPuzzle or another similar software that may be helpful in showing if a student was paying attention and I can see that as a positive. In fact, I have recommended it in the past especially as we transitioned to virtual instruction, but I do wonder if measuring if a student watched a video is the best way to ensure they are learning the material going forward.

Will we adjust that train of thinking? I think only time will tell.

Additionally, after this challenging year, I know that many of you listening are really excited to bring back the collaboration that was restricted last year. I know that those engaging activities where students are working together in a scavenger hunt or a station or on a performance task, those are the activities that allow students to make connections and process the content. 

I think students are ready for those as well. 

So, I think finding a balance between utilizing technology, engaging students, and going back to the tried and true best practice of collaboration could be a potential challenge of video lessons. 

When I think about video lessons, I think about the upfront time needed to create them. Sure you can source one on YouTube, but that also takes time. I can’t tell you how many videos I have previewed trying to find just the right one.

You could also make them yourself, and because of last year, I think most teachers are equipped to do this! The challenging part from my perspective is the time….

• Time upfront making them
• And then the amount of time the video should last and what to include.

I like the idea of mini-lessons and providing just enough information to keep things interesting and concise and meet the need of the concept. 

In fact, in an upcoming episode, I am going to discuss what we are doing to break down our curriculum into video mini-lessons and give you an idea of our structure and the thought process behind it. 

RECAP | Noelle

So as a quick recap... I do think video lessons are here to stay in a modified mini-lesson format with a specific purpose in mind...I can see soooo many uses that can multiply the number of teachers in the room and provide support to students at various different levels.  I think the days of long recorded Zoom sessions are over and the challenge of balance of video, technology, and hands-on collaboration can be something to overcome.

I would also like to personally invite you to tune in next week where we speak with Jodi Rookhowsen about how she used MTM resources alongside the grid method to create a self-paced classroom! 

OUTRO | Noelle

Summer is here and we are so excited to drop weekly encouragement and practical tips into your favorite podcasting player. Tell us how you are enjoying summer and what you are up to while listening! You can tag us @maneuveringthemiddle on both FB and Insta.  If you have been loving the podcast, then we would love a five-star review! It helps us to get found by other teachers!  For more all of the links, resources, and freebies mentioned today in one easy place, so check out maneuveringthemiddle.com/episode19. 

I’m Noelle Pickering… and you’ve been listening to the Good Morning Teacher podcast… Until next time, friends, make it a great week!