Five Good Reasons to Be Videotaped

Usually there is a look of horror on instructors' faces when I suggest they consider being videotaped in their classrooms. Some explain that the fear is based in the idea of being "found out." It will be discovered that they haven't a clue about teaching. While they know this may be irrational, the fear remains nonetheless. In spite of this, I'd like to suggest some important reasons to visit or revisit the idea of having your teaching videotaped.

Number One

The Teaching Effectiveness Program staff can help you most when they have a concrete idea of what is happening in your classroom. Videotaping provides this focus. General and theoretical discussions of teaching are useful and handouts provide some ideas, but the accurate and specific information a videotaping supplies allows the instructor and the faculty development consultant to deal with the unique teaching issues involved in that particular course. We'll see both strengths and weaknesses and be able to talk about specific things that can be done to improve your teaching. In this way, it is more likely that changes will occur.

Number Two

Videotaping is a unique form of feedback. It provides us the opportunity to become students in our own classrooms, and to experience our own teaching as our students do. It helps bring our assumptions about what we are doing together with the reality in revealing and helpful ways.

Number Three

Videotaping provides a record of our teaching. This can be reviewed as often as necessary and used as a benchmark to monitor changes over time. This record can also be included in a teaching application (a teaching portfolio). It is not uncommon these days for institutions to request a classroom videotape as part of the application materials for teaching positions.

Number Four

We rarely have time to spend in fellow instructors' classrooms. These days technology has allowed us to at least peek at each other's websites and borrow ideas and resources. The same kind of sharing could happen with a departmental video library. This could be a particularly useful resource for beginning teachers and graduate teaching fellows. Experienced professors who are looking for new approaches and teaching strategies could learn a great deal from their colleagues.

Number Five

Let your friends and family see you in action!

Lizard 38 Fall 96

 

    Address questions or comments about TEP or this site to:
Georgeanne Cooper, Program Director, 64 PLC
Phone: 541-346-2177 Fax: 541-346-2184
Teaching Effectiveness Program, Teaching and Learning Center, University of Oregon.
Last Modified: 03/18/10