One of the most difficult assignments during my student teaching was to video myself teaching a lesson. Planning the lesson, gathering the materials, and recording went smoothly. I was comfortable teaching the lesson. Watching the video afterward was brutal.
Did I always sound that frightened? Did my hair really look like that? Why did I wear that dress? After getting past these (and it took some doing), I had to complete my assignment: Critique my teaching practices, and then, most harrowing of all, show the video to my college class and listen to their analysis. Let them be kind, I prayed.
Ulrich Böser, in his book Learn Better, writes that after we develop our skills and knowledge in the learning process the next step is to “enter ourselves into a feedback loop, to hone our skills in a structured sort of way,” to evaluate our learning using a dedicated and focused system of monitoring and criticizing our progress. We must rewind our learning and review our skills to judge our failures and successes.
Self-evaluation and self-quizzing (asking yourself questions during and after learning) set the baselines for relearning. What do I know well? What did I forget or misunderstand? Keeping a record of hits and misses identifies needed skills and builds on already acquired skills. Self-monitoring raises our awareness of the areas we need to improve.
I asked myself: Did I engage the students? Did I use materials effectively? Which information did I stress or miss? Did I know the material well enough to answer student questions? Did I look at students more often than my notes? I noted strengths and weaknesses and proposed adjustments for future lessons.
Next, my classmates watched the video and offered feedback: Move among the students more. Use visual aids more often. Involve the students in an activity. My classmates offered productive and kind feedback — after all, I would be critiquing their videos too.
My supervisor was more direct. His feedback involved a list of questions to answer after I again reviewed the video and some general suggestions for improving instruction. As Boser notes “good feedback doesn’t tell people what exactly to do… Helpful feedback provides guidance. It gives us a way to direct our development.” My teacher didn’t tell me to pull down a map; he asked me how I might help my students visualize the position of a nation in relation to our own.
All this was exhausting, but my learning wasn’t over yet. I had to include corrections in my lessons and record and review two more lessons during my teaching assignment. This repetitive and sometimes painful process made me a better teacher.
Self-quizzing, monitoring, reviewing, and evaluating are powerful learning tools. Another effective way to learn is to teach others. My classmates and I improved our skills by teaching each other to teach.
Develop a feedback loop of your own. Mentally record your performance. Review and evaluate as you learn. Ask yourself questions. Discuss what you have learned with a friend. Develop the loops which will make you a better learner.
(For more information, read Learn Better: Mastering the Skills for Success in Life, Business, and School, or, How to Become an Expert in Just About Anything by Ulrich Boser.)
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