The Video Teaching Learning Curve The acquisition of any new skill, including video conferencing, can be viewed as a 4-Stage Process;
1. Unconscious Incompetence -
2. Conscious Incompetence - ‘I’m acutely aware that I don’t know much about this process and it is making me feel anxious, frustrated, angry etc’
3. Conscious Competence - ‘I’m developing these skills, but they still require a lot of cognitive effort’
4. Unconscious Competence We’re all at different stages on this continuum and the ideas below may be helpful in moving to the next. Technology •
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Camera Angle - The default seems to be; ‘looking directly up right nostril’. This is distracting (and a little unflattering). Experiment with angles and consider buying a laptop camera to give you some more flexibility. Having the camera at eye level or slightly above feels like the most engaging option. Get close, but not too close - Being too far away from the camera just exacerbates the feeling of distance and being too close is also somewhat disconcerting. Experiment with different camera distances and then stick with that option for consistency. Tip: The start of your video session is not the time to be leaning in and away from camera, turning your head to find the most flattering angle, leaning back as if you were part of the Apollo space mission or checking your hair. Don’t yell - There’s a tendency to speak more loudly when working online. This impacts engagement and is unnecessary. Most laptops have very good built in mics. Alternatively you can buy a microphone.
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Engagement Consider whether this (currently very common) scenario resonates with you: You’re watching the news and they cut away to an interviewee who is on Skype or another VC technology. Your immediate (often subconscious) reaction is slight annoyance/frustration and disengagement as the audio is ‘echoey’, drops in and out, video is unclear or a bit ‘laggy’ and the camera angle and background are distracting. By the end of the interview you’re less likely to be able to recall what was said in any meaningful detail. This happens because the extra cognitive effort required to selectively attend comes at the expense of comprehension - encoding and storing information. This is a function of cognition rather than intelligence. •
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Set your own criteria for online engagement – examples might include: students read all assigned work and students participated in lesson discussion. Remember that work completion and engagement during an online lesson are different things. Read about the development of a measurement tool for engagement in tertiary online learning – here Describe your observable engagement criteria explicitly to students – ‘I know you’re engaging well when I see you looking at the screen and hear you answering questions and sharing ideas..’ Observe what they’re doing – Working online gives teachers an opportunity to observe the physicality of engagement. This includes body language, eye gaze, fidgeting and distraction. Ask the Audience - The occasional short post VC survey might ask: How engaged were you on a 0 - 5 scale? What was distracting? What helped you to take in and retain information? What helped you to engage? What was hard? How was sound and video quality? Connection and Motivation – The physical transition that occurs between lessons in schools is now missing, as is the social connection that occurs during transitions. Starting your lesson with a 5 min check in and giving students a chance to say hello/wave to each other before beginning the structured teaching component, can help with cognition and emotional wellbeing.
Communication Just speak normally - When first using Zoom or similar video technology there can be a tendency to speak with a weird, stilted cadence as if I trying to make yourself understood in a foreign country. This obviously impacts engagement. It’s not unhelpful to speak with a slightly slower cadence to allow for the extra cognitive bandwidth required at the other end, but this need not be at the expense of fluency. Listen back to your recorded sessions. Settings within Zoom for example allow you to record and receive a copy of each session emailed directly after it’s finished. Listen/watch a few and refine whatever you feel will help to replicate the face to face experience. Virtual Background - They are a fun opportunity to reflect your personality, but some can be more distracting than others. A plain background is probably the best option when it comes to engagement, or a picture of your classroom or school is a great way add a level of ‘normalcy’ to the whole process. Stop moving - Moving around the room is good in real life. Excessive movement/fidgeting on screen is distracting
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Learning Activate Prior Knowledge - Use the Waiting Room function to have students complete a short 5 question quiz prior to your lesson. Check for understanding - Use the ‘thumbs up’ emoji option to have students confirm they’ve understood your instruction and/or a concept. Regular Brain Breaks - Working online requires an additional level of planning, organisation and attention. These executive functions take a cognitive toll on the prefrontal cortex. Regular breaks in which students chat to each other, eat a quick snack or stand and stretch will help to ‘recharge’ cognition. Extra Help and Feedback - Use the 1:1 message board option to provide extra support for individual students. Clear, one-part instructions - Processing verbal information via video uses more cognitive bandwidth and places an additional load on Working Memory. Post ‘administrative’ instruction online to reduce verbal input - Use your school’s online platform or the video message board to give pre - instructions – ask yourself ‘what would I normally write on the board at the start of this lesson…..’ Reduce volume of work – When beginning to set online work, there is a danger that teachers set too much work to ensure that students are not idle, and parents are happy. The additional self-direction and time management that is required when learning at home should be factored into this equation. More Teacher Directed Instruction - Students often need more teacher direction in an online context to counterbalance the additional self-direction required to manage their time and focus. Students Demonstrate Knowledge - Online learning provides more scope for students to demonstrate their knowledge. This can include having them prepare their own ‘mini online lesson’ for the class. Scaffolding - If a student needs scaffolding in your face to face class, they’ll also need it online. Writing (and other) scaffolds can now be emailed in advance. Refer to their Individual Education/Adjustment Plan for guidance. Example of finished product - Teachers now have more scope to show students a variety of examples of the finished product that you expect. This will still need to be individualised in some cases and their Zone of Proximal Development may also be impacted by the increased self-direction needed when working at home. Balance synchronous and asynchronous learning based on the class – Teachers now have an increased ability to tailor individual and group instruction. After setting task via Zoom (or similar) ask any students who want to continue working ‘face to face’ to remain on screen and allow others to work independently and check back in at the end of the lesson. Occasionally turn off video - Having to attend to audio only helps with focus and information storage. Task Switching - Switching too often between Video and school-based platform will impact attention (and retention) This is particularly true for students with pre-existing attention issues such as ADHD. Use the Flipped Classroom - Video learning and screen casting provide an opportunity to occasionally use a ‘flipped classroom model’ in which students watch your pre-recorded lesson independently, your Zoom meeting is then devoted to follow up discussion, Q and A and processing of content.
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Structure and Routine Post your online behavioural expectations every lesson (these could be at the top of the message board for example) Have all participants mute their audio unless they’re speaking. Ask students to use the ‘hand wave’ emoji to answer a question, then unmute when you call their name. Use gallery (Brady Bunch) mode as the teacher but ask students to use banner at top of screen – or just have your avatar on screen in audio mode. Refine and then stick to the ‘ideal’ balance of video input and independent work - this will probably vary by class but a consistent lesson routine e.g. 5-10 min Zoom intro - 15 min independent task work - 5-10 min discussion, processing and checking for understanding will help to reduce cognitive load. High level of specific performance-based praise - Even more important in the online context. We now have the option to tailor this individually this via email, message board and verbally. Be specific about the new skills and behaviours that you appreciate “I’m proud of the way you’re organising your time, staying focussed in the Zoom lesson, contributing thoughtfully during our online discussions…’ Continue to use reinforcement – Integrate whatever classroom-based system you were using into the online lesson format. It may be Class Dojo or similar or as simple as ‘virtual stickers’ and emojis.
And finally, be kind to yourself. For most, this is a new skill. Take your time and enjoy the learning process. Don’t hesitate to ask a question via the forum or book a Zoom consultation, chat for parents, staff and/or school leaders. All consultancy is provided at no cost during this extraordinary period. Take care, Tim www.timconnellaustralia.com m. (+61) 0403473328 e. tconnellspeced@gmail.com e. info@timconnellaustralia.com
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