Rosaen, et al Noticing noticing: How does investigation of video records change how teachers reflect on their experiences?

Rosaen, C. L., Lundeberg, M., Cooper, M., Fritzen, A., & Terpstra, M. (2008). Noticing noticing: How does investigation of video records change how teachers reflect on their experiences? Journal of Teacher Education, 59, 347-360.

Summary: This qualitative case study compared three preservice teachers’ reflections using video and reflections based on memory. The authors found three major differences in the reflections. The reflections using video were more specific, more instructionally focused, and more focused on children than the reflections that relied solely on memory.

Research Question:

To what extent and in what ways might using video help interns reflection on their discussion-based teaching in a more complex manner than when they use memory-based written reflection?

Ancillary Questions:

1. What is the nature of the observations interns make in each condition? How specific or general are their observations?
2. What topics are mentioned and how frequently are they mentioned (e.g., classroom management, instruction)?
3. What, specifically, do interns notice about each topic (e.g., about themselves, children, student achievement, teacher moves)?
4. What do interns learn from writing a reflection based on memory or video? Are they taking an analytical or evaluative stance toward their teaching, or are they mostly describing what happened? Do they have any important insights about their teaching?

Findings:

1. There were three main differences between the video reflections and the reflections based on memory. With video, the reflections were more specific, they included more discussion about instructional elements of the lesson over classroom management, and they were more focused on children and student achievement.
2. With video, the interns had more evidence based claims than statements about how they felt, which was more predominant in the memory-based reflections.
3. The interns felt that their reflections based on video were more accurate and useful.
4. “In our study, video became a tool for the interns to make note of and ponder discrepancies and, in some cases, affirm theory to practice connections” (p. 357).
5. “Throughout this article we have shown how the use of video to reflect on teaching slows performance down and thus facilitates specific an detailed noticing – or what others have called explicit noticing” (p. 357).