Math teachers making videos for their students, other adult learners, and their legacy to teaching

Brooke Istas wrote on the Evidence-based PD CoP:

Math flipped Classroom

This past semester I had to utilize the flipped classroom quite a bit because I was out of the office.  I was nervous about how to do this because my classes are usually hands-on and interactive and I wasn't sure my learners would receive the same level of quality instruction or feel the same amount of engagement.  Boy, was I wrong!  I was bunch of work on my end because I didn't just want to link them to videos from the Khan Academy, TeacherTube, You Tube, etc.  So what I did was, I made my own short (less than 5 minutes) videos using Snag-it (screencast software) and my tablet.  In addition, I created discussions/journal assignments such as: Pretend that your friend from class was gone on the day I discussed (insert mathematical concept), in your own words explain to them how you do these types of problems.

It was an adjustment to the learners but they did well.  They didn't seem to mind doing the work outside of the class and then coming to discuss or work on what it was that they had learned online. I am not sure if I flipped the class for the entire it would be engaging but I am comfortable doing it in short spurs.

Brooke

Hello Brooke,

I wonder if any of the math videos you have made are available online, or if you could put some/all online. This could be inspiring for other math teachers who may be thinking of making their own videos (including screen capture videos) for their students. Two advantages of the teacher-made video approach are that the videos can be perfectly tailored to the students' needs and the teacher's/program's curriculum. The biggest disadvantage, as you have mentioned, may be the amount of time it might take to prepare them. In some cases teacher-made videos, especially by adult education teachers with lots of experience and who have reflected on teaching math, may also be better quality. 

I know that Susan Jones (in this CoP) has made some math videos -- and I think (and hope) she is planning more. Anyone else here making their own math videos? If so, would you be willing to share links here so we can look at them?

To get the ball rolling, you will find a few ABE math professional development videos -- authentic classroom videos that my colleague, Owen Hartford, and I have made of two adult numeracy teachers in Massachusetts -- at http://mlots.org/abby/abbypage.html  and http://mlots.org/Elana/Elana.html

Here are a couple of other math videos (not made by me or by classroom teachers) that may also be of interest to some here.

Observing Standards-in-Action: Math Classroom Lesson
Produced by Oppix Productions under a contract with MPR Associates from the U.S. Department of Education
at the Prince William County Public Schools Education Program, Woodbridge VA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YjbgFnpltY

Math Instructional Strategies: equivalence of the mathematical expressions of fractions, decimals, and percents
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/mistrat.pd.numop1.reinf/
You will need to register first (free) to access this video.
Part of Math Instructional Strategies: Number Operations
http://www.teachersdomain.org/special/mistrat/

While authentic classroom videos, videos that teachers make, and videos made for teachers’ professional development by professional developers and videographers are not the same, I am finding that math teachers – and adult learners – can benefit from all of these. I am also surprised and fascinated that authentic classroom videos made for professional development – e.g. posted on YouTube – get seen, appreciated, and sometimes commented on – by adults who are trying to learn math on their own. Many adult learners studying on their own, for example for a high school equivalency test, like to watch instructional videos, especially of authentic classrooms with good teachers. Good classroom teachers need to be making more videos of their own classrooms for their own students, for students who may find these videos on YouTube, and for their teaching legacy.

If you have found good ways to teach numeracy and mathematics that students find engaging and effective, I hope you will try to record your classes in short videos such as you will find at http://mlots.org If you do, please let us (here, on this CoP) know how we can watch them. Part of what we can do, as a Math and Numeracy Community of Practice, is to share our practice not only through text, but through authentic classroom videos.

David J. Rosen

djrosen123@gmail.com

 

 

Observing Standards-in-Action: Math Classroom Lesson
Produced by Oppix Productions under a contract with MPR Associates from the U.S. Department of Education
at the Prince William County Public Schools Education Program, Woodbridge VA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YjbgFnpltY

Math Instructional Strategies: equivalence of the mathematical expressions of fractions, decimals, and percents
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/mistrat.pd.numop1.reinf/
You will need to register first (free) to access this video.
Part of Math Instructional Strategies:Number Operations
http://www.teachersdomain.org/special/mistrat/

 

Comments

Yes, yes, please share!  

My QIAT email list just led me to this wonderful resource:  http://atclassroom.blogspot.com/2010/09/math-math-and-more-math.html      

 

I'm going to try to figure out how to turn a narrated PowerPoint into a youtube video -- it is possible to do it with Office itself, but it gets rid of all the animations, and the animations are important.   I've just done a first draft of a perimeter video at http://www.resourceroom.net/mec/  (scroll down to find it:  "parts and wholes and perimeters") ... comments welcome  -- I know how easy it is to overlook a detail (still waiting on that "solution" to the challenge problem to see if it did) or to understand *perfectly* what I mean to say... while the poor soul watching the show is utterly confused. 

    Next week I'll put together a similar one for figuring out areas of rectangles and "complex shapes" and circles... but I'm also still plugging away for a chunk of each day on making an app to demonstrate integer subtraction (which, *if* I can make it fly, would be pretty easily revised to demonstrate integer addition and the subtraction "how much more do I need" concept with positive numbers that many of our students never got to).   

David,

I haven't made my videos public because I have personalized the instruction so much to fit what it is that the students need.  I actually have a conversation with the learners as if they (or he/she) are present and the methods I deploy to address questions may not address the needs of the many.  I agree with you that this would be a great way to develop teachers (one that I hadn't considered).  Perhaps, other members in this community have videos that utilize that they could share.  In the meantime, I will look through my file and see if I can find one that doesn't reference personal situations that would be good to illustrate my teaching methodologies.

Brooke