1) The document discusses using self-observation and filming one's own teaching as an alternative to traditional classroom observations for teacher development and training. 2) Some benefits mentioned include allowing teachers to choose which clips to share, facilitating action research, and providing empirical evidence for different levels of reflection. 3) Practical tips are provided for filming teaching successfully, including choosing a focus, writing lesson plans, using templates for structured reflection, and agreeing on action points and follow up.

1. Ian Brangan
Self Observation

2. Subtitle: Cat Videos are ‘Awesome!’

3. The Self Observation Project
Subtitle ‘Cat Videos are Awesome’.
Project Objectives:
● Demystify teaching of the curriculum
● Promote teacher sharing
● Teaching Training Bank
● Reflect on our teaching
● Alternative observation types

4. How do you like to teach articulation of sounds to your
students?

5. ‘reflection is a skill that is
best fostered with
colleagues’ Lana
Danielson 2009
‘the true journey to discovery
does not consist of searching
for new landscapes but in
having new eyes’ Marcel Proust.
‘because of their ability to reflect,
great teachers know not only what
to do, but also why’. Constantino &
De Lorenzo 2001
‘there’s nothing
happier than a pair of
spotty socks’. Jon Snow.
POSTERING

6. Comment on the approach to drilling here.

7. Self Observation:
The Nature of Observation and why teachers
dislike it…...
Chris Wilson: Schrödinger's Cat Thought
Experiment & parallels to ELT observation.
Think of the ways we can minimise the effects of
observation?

8. Can you see parallels with how observation affects those involved?

9. Filming Teaching
How many of us have filmed our classes? How did it feel?
Ideas for minimising the stress factors……..
1) Leave the camera running til you forget about it.
2) Allow the teacher as much autonomy as possible.
3) Have different foci. e.g. Focus on Teaching/Learning.

10. How do you think this teacher felt about self observation?

11. Comment on the teaching of pronunciation here. Is the
concept question a good one?

12. Pronunciation Teaching clip 1:
Focus on Teaching.
Having observed yourself teaching, how do you feel about the activity you choose?
How did your students cope? Did they get a language upgrade?
Comment on your teaching of pronunciation here? My question
asking Young Hee to describe the teeth placement was not a good
concept question because, naturally, she doesn’t have the vocabulary
to describe the placement of the teeth and lips etc. I should have
asked a more closed concept question like ‘are the top teeth
touching the lips or the tongue when you make the /f/sound?’
Did you use phonetics symbols or elicit words with the same sounds? How did that work?
Was time devoted to drilling? (if so what type of drilling?)
Did you use a recording or you own voice as the model? If so, how did it work?

13. How did your students cope? Did they get a ‘language upgrade’?

14. Pronunciation Teaching clip 2: Focus on Learning
Having observed yourself teaching, how do you feel about the activity you choose?
Comment on your teaching of pronunciation here and of how you related it back to other parts of the language (
vocabulary, grammar etc)?
How did your students cope? Did they get a ‘language
upgrade’? Young Hee and Jin both do so well from a receptive point
of view. They both got the structure ‘has been +ing’ although /i/ in
living is a difficult sound for them. Young Hee really gets the
connected speech elements in /həzbɪn/. You can clearly see in the
clip her attempt at English rhythm as she moves her head to the
stress timing.
Did you use phonetics symbols or elicit words with the same sounds? How did that work?

15. Filming Teaching
Rosie Tanner in Holland advocates letting teachers choose the clips to show and
presenting them to a peer as a safe, alternative developmental observation.
Benefits include….
a. planning tends to be more thorough
b. it’s akin to action research
c. there’s empirical evidence to look at together
d. can rewatch from different points of view (c.f. templates)
e. you may be suprised by peer reaction

16. Was time devoted to drilling? (if so what type of drilling?) Was it
effective?

17. Template for Self Observation of a Pronunciation Teaching clip.
How did the students react? Did they get it? Did you give them a language upgrade or did you perhaps let them away
with mispronunciation?
Did you use phonetics symbols or elicit words with the same sounds? How did that work?
Was time devoted to drilling? (if so what type of drilling?) My objective was to focus
on the pronunciation of past modals. From a receptive point of view I wanted them to
treat ‘should have’ as one item /ʃʌdəv/. I focussed on choral drilling to help them
get their tongues around the sounds. I was very happy with their enthusiasm for
drilling and trying out sounds. Interestingly, when i showed it to other teachers
some felt the style was a little like the choral drills you might expect in large arenas
in Communist China which suggests they are not advocates of choral drilling.
Question to self..was the pace too fast?
Did you use a recording or you own voice as the model? If so, how did it work?

18. Practical notes on filming
1)It is not easy to watch anyone else teaching for more than a few minutes.
2)You can watch and rewatch yourself if you have a reason to do so. (templates)
3)Make sure teachers film enough footage.
4)Ask them to trim clips to 2 to 3 minute segments.
5)Timetable days when equipment is available for use.
6)Provide deadlines as with other forms of observation.
7)Provide basic training in using the camera (positioning, sound etc).
8)Provide basic training in trimming & uploading clips of teaching.

19. Different levels of reflection
1) Treat self observation like any other form of observation.
2) Be clear that it’s a developmental observation.
3) Agree focus. I have found it useful to limit the focus so that teachers are generally exploring the
same teaching issues. Teaching Pronunciation was our latest focus.
4) Lesson plans should be written as with other forms of observation.
5) Templates for reflection with suitable criteria should be shared from the start.
6) A feedback session, possibly with a peer should be set up soon after the observation.
7) Agree action points and a timeframe for implementation should be agreed and submitted by an
agreed deadline.
8) Capturing empirical evidence of teaching allows for different levels of reflection. Merely watching

20. Teacher Training & A Teaching Portfolio
Alpha College Bank of Teaching Clips /Teacher Induction
and for In House Development.
Teachers have all filmed themselves / Teacher
Development Sessions.
Teachers’ role in self development is more active.
Individual Training Logs.
A Teaching Portfolio with Teaching Clips.

21. How does Rachel’s self filming help her students to
get more involved in the project ‘Hidden Dublin’.

22. Final Reflection on the Process
So who else has experience of self filming classes? I’d love
to hear about your projects and share experiences or
slides. I can be contacted at ian@alphacollege.com
My film director friend Martin and The Mirror Scene
www.telegraph.co.uk › Culture › Film
Self observation can be ‘REDRUM’ as little Danny writes in
the mirror in the film The Shining 1980.

23. Perhaps this teacher has been spending a little to
looking in the mirror of self reflection?