Oh, how I really dislike being in front of a camera. Thank goodness my husband knows a lot about how to create videos and he was willing to help me with my beginning efforts. My biggest challenges were in choosing to not have my answers scripted or rehearsed in any way so I could answer them authentically. I sometimes stumbled over my words, so I'm grateful for additional footage that I can work with during the editing process. It really helped to have my daughter ask me the questions and to look at her throughout the filming. This helped me relax more as well as think about the students who are at the heart of my action research. Having supportive people nearby as well as mentally reviewing my preparations helped me the most in facing my challenges. I'm definitely still in my learning pit but concepts are making sense and I am beginning to see how to complete the other elements of this documentary. In my classroom, students also struggle when preparing for and delivering presentations. They do practice presentations as well as review strategies that work for them personally to make their presentations stronger. They discuss and reflect upon their challenges and solid strategies throughout each project, helping to develop their growth mindset. It is really helpful that I have 7th and 8th graders in the same class, empowering them as they coach each other throughout their projects. This way, when 7th graders struggle with presentations and other elements of their projects, the 8th graders can help give them insights and support. I periodically do the projects that I ask my students to do, especially when it's the first time I'm assigning a new format or end product. I believe that I should not give my students an assignment that I'm not able or willing to do myself. My favorite example of me completing an assignment just before my students is my first Art Integration project, pictured below. In addition to the artwork, I wrote my Artist Statement to explain the symbolism - the same way I had my students explain their artwork. Sometimes I only complete a portion of the project so that I can emphasize certain aspects or skills. I have quite a few unfinished projects around from when I've started to create my own final product with my students but then get "distracted" by needing to help them in their own work. It seems that students need to get some modeling from teachers, especially in how the processes should look - to help them get started. Then, they need our samples less over time.
3 Comments
Evrim
6/27/2020 02:23:33 pm
The struggle is real, I hate being in front of the camera. I'm having a hard time doing this video. Love the artwork!
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Tracy Moskowite
6/28/2020 10:34:52 am
Wow, how inspiring that you do the work either with or before your students. This is something to share with them and colleges if you haven't. I also feel that this would be a great add on your Inspiration page or How to pages.
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Megan
6/28/2020 03:59:46 pm
Good point! I hadn't thought about putting this into my capstone project. But, upon reading your comment, I remembered that a couple of the most pivotal moments in my action research came when I did the research I was asking my students to do. This helped me understand the challenges they were facing and find solutions that actually worked for them, not just that I thought would work. Leave a Reply. |
Megan BurtonInnovative Learning Archives
June 2020
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