Exploring the Potential of Video Observation for Enhancing Preservice Teachers’ Reflective Practices
Abstract: The present study explores the impact of preservice teachers’ participation in video observations of their own lessons upon subsequent reflective practices. Approximately two hundred preservice teachers nearing completion of a Bachelor’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction viewed video footage of themselves teaching a lesson within their field placement classroom as a component of the program requirements. Each preservice teacher subsequently documented their personal reflections regarding the lesson through identifying personally meaningful moments, or “pause points.” Using a variety of data sources (interviews, a post-video observation questionnaire, and analysis of reflective notes recorded by the preservice teachers), initial research findings point to the noteworthy potential of participation in the video observation process for enhancing preservice teachers’ abilities to reflect upon their teaching practices.