Case-Based Learning in Initial Teacher Education: Assessing the Benefits and Challenges of Working with Student Videos and Other Teachers’ Videos

Abstract

Abstract:The ability to analyze classroom situations proficiently is regarded as one of the key prerequisites for successful teaching. Although a steadily increasing body of empirical evidence proves that case-based learning with videos can foster professional vision in teachers, it is still necessary to gain a better understanding as to what type of video (one's own or those of other teachers) is especially impactful in initial teacher education. Against this background, we conducted the intervention study VideA ("Video Analysis in Teacher Education") in the first year of a Swiss teacher preparation program, whose chief aim consisted in promoting pre-service teachers' professional vision. Concretely speaking, we compared the students' (N = 159) and their facilitators' (N = 26) assessments of case-based learning with their own and other teachers' videos in terms of self-reported acceptance and effectiveness. Three seminar groups of about 18 second-semester students analyzed videos of their own teaching (Intervention A; n = 56), while three other seminar groups of about the same size analyzed videos of other teachers unknown to them (Intervention B; n = 51). The analyses were moderated by facilitators and supported with supplementary materials originating from the videotaped lessons. Acting as a control group, students in a further three seminar groups solely analyzed written teaching and learning materials, and did not make use of videos altogether (n = 52). The results show that the students' as well as the facilitators' ratings are quite high, irrespective of the examples of actual teaching practice used. Yet a comparison of the two video settings revealed that learning with one's own videos received a higher degree of acceptance from both the students and the facilitators than working with other teachers' videos. The same applies to effectiveness, which got slightly higher ratings in Intervention A than in Intervention B.

The impact of an electronic guide on students’ self‐directed learning in simulation clinic

“…Both Rose's 14 and our studies identified that videos allowed the students to view the content whenever suitable and as many times, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the material. Further, Kramer et al 15 found learning with educators’ self‐made videos received a higher degree of acceptance from students. This, and ready access to the videos at any time during their simulated session was also a positive factor in engaging the students.…”

Developing pre-service teachers’ professional vision with video interventions: a divergent replication

“…They considered all three useful for enhancing their reflection on practice, with own videos positively associated with the value of seeing oneself from a distance and getting feedback from colleagues; peer videos with sharing perspectives and public videos with modelling approaches. Krammer et al's (2015) study is one of the few addressing pre-service teachers.…”

Video-Based Reflection on Teaching: What Makes It Effective?

“…What is characteristic of both the studies in this issue and the wider literature is that the dependent or criterion variables pertain more often to teacher perceptions and thinking than to (changes in) teacher behaviour and (its impact on) outcomes in learners (cf. in this issue: Minaříková et al, 2015;Vondrová & Žalská, 2015;Mohr & Santagata, 2015;and Krammer et al, 2015).…”