Video Review

So in watching my video, I wasn't that surprised, as seems to be the standard among the other teachers. Yes there were things that were noticed, such as my obnoxiously monotonous voice, my unquestionably off-colored belt and shoes, and the random kids pantomiming behind my back. But overall, I feel like my personal evaluation of myself sans video was pretty accurate. Good things: My methodical manner. I am very deliberate in lots of aspects of my presentation, including my voice, my walk, and my questioning. I feel like I gave the kids ample time to respond or to absorb. Bad things: Lack of accountability among all the students. And this is something I've been struggling with for a while, but the problem was magnified once I saw it on camera. I need to find a way to get all the kids involved in the lesson. I am definately going to have a class participation grade in the fall, something which my classroom did not incorporate this summer. But I still am responsible for planning lessons where kids can't get away with giving the obligatory "I don't know" answer to my questions when they obviously weren't paying attention in the first place. Also, I feel like all my lessons were the same format. I need some variety -- something which I'm currently working on as I finish up Day 1 of my 5-day STAI plans. Overall, this is a good strategy, but I think it wasn't as affective as it could have been because I was already painfully aware of my own shortcomings. Hopefully, next time I do this I will have addressed these and the problems I find will be more revealing.