This document describes an innovative teacher training program that uses teamwork and videotaping to improve Mandarin Chinese language instruction. Teachers film short lessons, review the videos with their peers, receive feedback, and film follow-up lessons to demonstrate their progress integrating strategies to enhance comprehension. Over multiple tapings, the teachers slow their speech, use clearer visuals and gestures, simplify vocabulary and grammar, and get students more engaged. Participants found this an intensive process that significantly strengthened their teaching skills and understanding of how to make the language meaningful and accessible to students.
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Teamwork and videotape innovative tools for improving instruction
1. TEAMWORK
AND
VIDEOTAPE:
INNOVATIVE
TOOLS FOR
IMPROVING
INSTRUCTION
Sandra Talbot
Dr. Myriam Met
SPECIAL THANKS TO STARTALK FOR Tessa Dahl
THEIR GENEROUS FUNDING IN SUPPORT Marty Chen
OF OUR UTAH STARTALK TEACHER
TRAINING PROGRAM 2011.
2. PROGRAM MODEL
Narrow the Focus
A Teacher’s Belief System
Self Evaluation
Videotape
3 minute lesson plan
4 opportunities to improve
Outside evaluators
Grade-level team members
USOE Chinese Immersion Coordinators
Mimi
3. Providing Support
Focus on Comprehensible Input
Overview focused feedback,
information, and modeling
Making abstract content concrete
6. Group Work – 5 minutes
Dividein teams, up to 4
Evaluate Videos
Checklist
Use small group strategies outlined
Positive conversation
Clear Communication
7.
8. Tapings 1 and 2
Setting objectives
Using clear visuals
Providing context
Multiple encounters with new vocabulary
Manageable content
Including characters
9. Taping 3
Continue To Work On Significant Progress
Rate of speech Animation
Simplified language
Amount of speech
Clearer visuals
Role of characters Building on
Visuals: clarity
background
knowledge
Relying on Integrating characters
colleagues for mini- Moving from input to
lessons output
12. Taping 4
Significant Results
Teacher speech Making language
Animated, facial
expressions meaningful
Slower and simpler
Context
Meaningful repetition
Multiple examples, objects, Songs
and manipulatives
Use of compare/contrast Manageable
to make meaning content
Focused language use
Characters presented Student
meaningfully involvement
Scaffolded output
13. Impact
“This is the most inspiring and intensive
training that I have ever had.”
Carol Bi, Arizona
What is this a picture of? Couldn’t always tellPictures too smallBody language: like a video without soundCaregiver speech—speed; simplify and eliminate ‘filler’ languageMultiple encounters is not repeating the same thing the same way over and over againHow many words can you teach at once?
Contrast opposites buy vs. sellCharacters after oral languageVideo: use teachers to help you. In your classroom you will use students so think about the fact that they don’t know as much Chinese as your colleagues here. Therefore, keep their role simple in terms of comprehension and language production. Don’t elicit language from students within minutes of presenting new words or expressions
Dramatic and/or animated presentation; use of story to create contextMotivation and interest through songImproved word usage – fewer words and better use of words. More comprehensible. More repetition. Slower and simplerMultiple pictures or examples of same concept. Have them all ready and posted instead of flipping through them.Point to characters after reinforcing word meaning through pictures or objectsGood job of teaching one word at a time. labeling after demonstrating Illustrate characters with pics for buy and sell