Video-Powered Professional Learning

We are solid at planning our lessons to be delivered to classrooms; further scrutinized by principals! But the question is did the teacher execute the plan effectively? Were students self-directing their inquiry or merely following directions? How do I really know whether students were learning to apply their new knowledge?

Such questions inspired Adam Geller to create Edthena video coaching platform. Adam Geller is the author of the book “Evidence of Practice” Playbook for Video-Powered Professional Learning and Edthena is the award-winning classroom observation platform for using teaching videos as a part of professional development.

At The Fabindia School, Bali; teachers share videos with colleagues who leave time-stamped comments and they collaborate around their work for professional development (during PLP)

Video-based professional learning needs to be approached with a lot of caution. Putting your work for others to view and analyse can be anxiety producing. Video-based learning can be either easy or exacerbating. Hence needs to be taken up with a lot of care and compassion.

The professional learning cannot be an evaluation tool; this should be voluntary learning platform, should be self-driven learning. Teachers must engage in sustained inquiry to improve their teaching and address unique challenges for students; teachers should be able to learn from their own teachings.

Video learning platform can:

• Give teachers a mirror to reflect
• Help build instructional communities
• Help teachers see themselves as their students do
• Can reduce travel time for observers, coaches, administrators and superiors
• Provides concrete evidence of what teachers are able to do as a result of professional development

Like any professional development initiative, its success depends on planning logistics, establishing a supportive culture, developing a smart strategy and then implementing it well, day-in and day-out. That’s how organizations flourish that use video pieces of evidence to fuel teacher growth and development.

The Professional Learning Program (PLP) leads to Happy Teachers and this is the key for Happy Children at My Good School.

~ Ms Rajeshree Shihag is the Principal of The Fabindia School. Her email address is principal@fabindiaschools.in

Edthena makes teacher growth visible, backed by data.
https://demo.edthena.com/
Call Rajeshree Shihag (+917300085842) for more details and to help you with the Video-Powered PL.

#MyGoodSchool #HappyTeachers

Compassion is action

Compassion does not need any big action, our small acts of kindness also lead to the perfection of it. By spending a few moments with others or by listening to the problems of others we become compassionate. As teachers we need to find a few time to listen our children instead of giving instructions or commands always for our convenience. It benefits the children a lot and we can observe visible changes in them and that will provide a real satisfaction in us.

Compassion is defined as the feeling of deep sympathy and sadness for another person who is stricken by misfortune. If someone shows kindness, caring and a willingness to help others, then they are showing compassion. When you feel compassion for someone, you really want to help out.

Compassionate action within a community takes time to recognize the suffering, to truly empathize with those who suffer and then to take compassionate action that will improve their situation.
Qualities of compassion are patience and wisdom, kindness and perseverance, warmth and resolve. Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to help the physical, mental or emotional pains of another and themselves.

Compassion is often regarded as having sensitivity, an emotional aspect to suffering. It involves feeling for another and is a precursor to empathy, feeling as another capacity for better person-centred acts of active compassion. 

Our learning from:  ‘Can you teach a Zebra some Algebra’ -by Debashis Chatterjee

- Kavita Devra, Byju Joseph, Krishna Gopal Dave and Vinit Kumar.
The Fabindia School