Video-enhanced Teacher Learning: New Scenarios for Teacher Development

Abstract

Teacher education faces the challenge of supporting the development of effective teaching practices through the growth of teacher competence in the many domains that characterize the complex work of classroom teaching (Borko, 2004; Seidel, Blomberg & Renkl, 2013). In this vein, the use of video has become a prominent teacher learning tool that facilitates the bridging of theory and practice (Brophy, 2004; Gomez, Sherin, Griesdorn & Finn, 2008). Video represents the complexity of real classroom situations (Goldman, 2007), constitutes a situated and contextualized stimulus for activating knowledge about teaching and learning (Seidel & Sturmer, 2014; Kersting, 2008) and offers secondhand teaching experiences, allowing teachers to be immersed in a classroom without the pressure of having to interact (Miller & Zhou, 2007; Sherin, 2004). However, with regard to an effective use, video has to be employed with clear objectives in mind, as it is a tool for delivering content rather than a body of content in and of itself (Brophy, 2004; van Es, 2009). Depending on the teacher learning purposes, three major approaches in the use of video can be distinguished: (1) illustration of practice, (2) development of interpretation and reflection skills that enable teachers to make sense of classroom practice and, (3) guidance and mentoring to facilitate change and improvement of teaching practices (Blomberg, Sherin, Renkl, Glogger & Seidel, 2014). During the last twenty years, significant advances have been achieved in the systematic investigation of video as a tool for these three purposes. Increasing evidence has been collected about the effects of the use of video in teacher education and professional development settings on teacher knowledge and on skills for analyzing student thinking and teaching-learning processes (Santagata, 2009; Santagata & Guarino, 2011; Sherin & Han, 2004; Star & Strickland, 2008). However, when we consider the question of whether video is an effective tool for supporting the improvement of classroom teaching, evidence is still sparse. In an attempt to move this field of research forward, this issue of Form@re presents research and experiences focused on designing and studying video-enhanced teacher learning environments that aim to support teachers (at different stages in their career and from different countries) in changing their classroom practices. The issue includes articles representing scholars from seven countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States). This provides evidence of the popularity of video as a teacher learning tool at the international level. Among the research articles, Dalehefte and Rieck report on a science teaching professional development program for primary German teachers (the “SINUS” program) in which participants were videotaped to document their development of standards-based practices. Gaudin, Flandin, Ria, and Chalies examine two different approaches to video-enhanced