Keysha McIntyre is a Swivl Pioneer and district level school improvement coach in Atlanta, Georgia. She began implementing the use of video during classroom observations to help facilitate conversations with coaches and their teachers. Her experience has shown her that video creates a more reliable lens on what actually happens during instruction.
I will be the first to admit that there was a time when I was very anxious and nervous when someone mentioned recording me. Record a conference, professional development, coaches meeting—NO, NO, and NO! Now, I am convinced that videos are productive tools to enhance teachers’ professional development and students’ achievement.
After attending a Jim Knight workshop and receiving a copy of book, Focus on Teaching: Using Video For High – Impact Instruction, I committed to using video with professional development courses. This year, I have been using Swivl with the teachers in three math cohorts. The teachers recorded a mini lesson or whole group lesson of themselves using manipulatives. The teachers were asked to watch the videos before sharing with other teachers for a collaboration activity. The Swivl robot’s ability to navigate with the teacher’s movement made it easy to get the full picture of what was happening in the classroom. Some teachers recorded the whole lesson for their own personal review but shortened the videos to the portion that would be shared with grade level peers.
At first, everyone was nervous and no lesson was good enough to be shared. Most teachers did not submit the first recording. The Swivl cloud gives teachers the flexibility to share, edit, or delete a video. Most teachers did not submit the first lesson recorded. Each teacher would notice room for improvement or ways to make the lesson more engaging and record another lesson. Self-reflection and self-correction is key to continuous achievement. Swivl creates a safe professional learning community.
Inspired by Keysha’s experience? Apply to become a Swivl Pioneer!
