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Enhancing Teacher Candidates' Observational Skills and Instructional Practice through Video-Based Learning Platforms

Erin Kearney

Project Team
  • Dr. Amanda Winkelsas

University at Buffalo

2019

Tier Two

$20,000.00

Project Abstract:

Learning how to observe teaching in order to improve instructional practice is essential for novice teachers and is increasingly part of performance-based assessment measures required for licensure in the field of teaching (for example, the edTPA required in 18 states including New York). Accordingly, teacher education programs must cultivate skills of observation in candidates as well as the ability to translate insights gained from observation into ever more effective practice. This project examines teacher candidates' development of observation skills as they analyze video segments of teaching (others' and their own), discuss them with peers and more expert educators and ultimately use them to make shifts to their teaching practice. In addition to qualitatively analyzing teacher candidates’ process of developing observational and analytical skills and resulting impacts on instructional practice, evaluations of the teacher candidates' instructional skills performed by university supervisors (observation-based rubric) and edTPA scores (a video-based performance assessment required of all teacher candidates enrolled in licensure programs) will be collected to discern any connections between video-based learning integrated into the teacher education experience and two types of performance assessment.