Interactive Video Cases Developed

by Sandra K Abell, Katherine S. Cennamo, and Lois M. Campbell

R esearchers in the U.S. and Europe are be- ginning to explore uses of integrated me- i dia in teacher education. Much of this work

is occurs within the mathematics education com- munity (Ball, Lampert, & Rosenberg, 1991; Dolk, van Galen, & Feijs, 1992; Frederick & Hatfield, 1991; Goldman & Barron, 1990), although re- searchers at Vanderbilt (Hoftwolt & Johnston, 1992) have begun using integrated media in sci- ence methods courses. However, a paucity of case materials, both written and video, presently exists (Merseth, 1991), especially in the context of el- ementary science education.

The purpose of our project was to develop in- teractive videodisc case materials about teaching elementary school science. The materials are being used in preservice elementary science methods courses to develop reflective thinking about teach- ing science. In this paper we will describe the vari- ous phases of materials development and discuss other project components. We believe that the de- velopment process we have invented will be instruc- tive to others embarking on similar projects.

Stages of Development 1. Collaborating with dassroom

teachers. In order to take the preservice teacher into a vir- tual classroom on videodisc, it was necessary to enlist the collaboration of elementary teachers in

Sandra Abell and Katherine Cennamo are professors in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Lois Campbell is with the Department of Curricu- lum and Instruction at The Pennsylvania State Uni- versity in University Park, Pennsylvania.

developing the classroom cases. We decided to fo- cus on two teachers, one first grade and one fifth grade, one rural and one suburban. The teachers had worked with the senior author in a teacher enhancement project involving conceptual change science teaching (Osborne & Freyberg, 1985). They had demonstrated a clear understanding of this type of science teaching, were enthusiastic about using it in their classrooms, and willing to have their class- rooms intruded upon by professors and film crew from the nearby university.

The senior author and each teacher met over a two month period to develop the curriculum that would be the focus of the science instruction. To- gether we selected topics in life science for the first grade and physical science for the fifth grade. As we had done in the teacher enhancement project, we worked together to define the conceptual un- derstandings upon which the instruction would be based, and to develop a series of conceptual change activities. The first grade lessons revolved around the concepts of seeds and eggs. We built the fifth grade lessons upon the concepts of work, force, and load within the topic of simple machines.

2. Videotaping classroom lessons. We hired a technical crew from the university's video production center to help us with the video- taping. We used two cameras (3/4-inch CCD). Camera A, which moved, took the primary shots from the teacher viewpoint. Camera B, which was stationary, took supplementary shots from the stu- dent viewpoint. Portable lighting supplemented the available classroom light. To achieve quality audio for both teacher and student talk, we used two types of microphones: a wireless remote mike attached to the teacher's lapel, and a shotgun mike attached to a movable boom that followed student conver- sations in large and small groups.

20 TECHTRENDS APRIL/MAY 1996

Although we tried to be as non-invasive as pos- sible, the presence of three crew members, the project director, and all the equipment was obvi- ous to the students and teachers. To acclimatize them, we built one week of filming into the pro- duction schedule before the conceptual change sci- ence lessons began. This proved to be sufficient time for students and teacher to get used to their new classroom, to move beyond the "Hi, Mom" syndrome, and to feel somewhat natural interact- ing in the presence of the camera.

Each day we set up the equipment while stu- dents were out of the room or in quiet study. This took about one half hour. We filmed the entire les- son as naturally occurring events (without stopping the action or replaying shots). After each lesson, while the children left the classroom for lunch or recess, we conducted an interview with the teacher. In the interview, which lasted about 15 minutes, the project director asked the teacher to reflect upon the lesson, discussing its strengths and weaknesses, focusing on student understanding, and noting how the next lesson would proceed. We shot ap- proximately 30 hours of tape in each of the class- rooms over a three-week period. All tapes were then logged by time code and content in preparation for editing (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Original videotape log.

Page .~>

TAPE�9 START �9 STOP �9 COxlTENT

. ~ ~ t.,,,~.s. 7

"M~el ; .

3. Editing the videotape. The task of editing was immense. We had to cut approximately 60 hours of classroom footage down to four 30-minute disc sides, two from each class- room. We made two rough edits and a final cut before tape was transferred to laser disc.

In order to make editing decisions, the devel- opment team had to agree upon what could con- stitute a classroom case. According to Carter (1992), "it is difficult to locate a literature that pro- vides guidelines.., to teacher educators who hope to generate and teach with case" (p. 113). Further- more, since our cases were different from most in that they were videotaped, not written, the guide- lines that do exist (Carter, 1992; Shulman, 1992) were insufficient. ExaminingVanderbilt University mathematics teacher education videodiscs (see Goldman & Barron, 1990) provided some clues. However, the nature of teaching science compared to math presented some unique needs. We knew that our lessons extended over several days and that it would be necessary to capture the instruction over this extended time period for novices to un- derstand about teaching science for conceptual change.

Thus our first editing challenge was to main- tain a narrative structure that would include the chronology of the lessons within one class period and over several days of instruction, while provid- ing information about the teacher, the students, and their interactions. Second, we wanted to rep- resent two kinds of teacher tasks: "establishing and maintaining social order, and representing and en- acting the curriculum" (Carter, 1992, p. 116). Also we attempted to reveal the problematic nature of science classrooms so that the preservice teacher, while interacting with the cases, would become engaged in reflection and problem solving. Finally, we had to decide how to use the teacher interview segments as a way of accessing teacher knowledge and beliefs about science teaching and learning.

The first edit. After reading the video log and highlighting sections that fit these guidelines, the project team met. We watched all sections of tape from Camera A that had been highlighted in any of our logs and made decisions about what to in- clude and what to cut. From this decision list, we made a rough edit tape of about two hours per class

APRIL/MAY 1996 TECHTRENDS 21

site, accompanied by a new log. We distrib- uted the tape to all team members and to the classroom teachers for comment.

The second edit. Individual ly , team members and teachers indicated which sec- tions could be cut and which were critical to keep. The goal was to cut tape length in half.

classroom segments code time description

2.50-3.15 25 Jolh, Ray, Jm-tmy--wr explanations 3.32-3.37 : $ 4.47-5.03 16 ;.40-7.01 81 more weight explanations-Shelly

7.15-7.48 33 T probing thelr explanation

L05-8.22 17 T balancing broom on fingetl

11.16-12.05 49 broom demo and discussion i 12.I8-13.08 50 13.19-13..7.2 3 13.42-14.$0 68 15.00-15.21 121 15.43-16.42 59 23.12- : I I NOTE: add T. "so we have a li'adeoff. 23 ̀ 23§ greater distance, less load."

25.5026.33 43 T intro to seesaw activity; "f~lcrum"

34.33-35.21 48 Ray and Absley-Jp'oup predictions 35.45-38.10 145

44.26-44.44 18 Ray and Ashley-lift instead of balan~ 45.57-47.26 89

49.32-50.47 75 Semmm~--teml intro: lever

teacher interview segments camera 2 segments code time description code de-~fiption

At this point we de- cided that the teacher interview tape would be used as a voice- over dub. In that way we could use more of the classroom footage yet retain the teacher reflection in some form. The project director collected and synthe- sized all suggestions into a second edit list. From this list a second tape was cut and sent to team members.

The final edit. On the basis of this second edit, we created new logs that included suggestions for correspondence with teacher interview segments and with Camera B (see Figure 2). During the fi- nal edit we added bridging shots from the station- ary camera and stills of overhead transparencies and student products, making sure to stay within the 30- minute per disc side limit. This final edit was first sent to a company to boost the tape to one- inch and then to another company to master the laser discs.

4. Developing the hypermedia. Simultaneously with the videotape editing, we cre- ated a HyperCard stack that allows flexible entry into the case and provides supporting text and vi- sual materials. We began by creating a screen meta- phor that would be inviting for preservice elemen- tary teachers. On the screen we designed a dass- room with a blackboard that presents menu items for user selection (see Figure 3). Subsequent screens provide access to the videodisc and to accompany- ing text materials in a consistent format.

The hypermedia allows access to the videodisc via stages of the lesson, various teaching strategies, and individual student interactions. Furthermore,

Figure 2. Second edit log.

Figure 3. HyperCard h o m e screen.

the HyperCard stack supports the videodisc by pro- viding textual materials about the school, the teacher, the students, and the lesson plan, as well as background information about conceptual change science teaching, children's science ideas, and the scientific explanations involved in the lessons.

Other Project Components To facilitate instruction using the integrated me- dia cases, we are developing an instructors guide. The guide will describe the major features of the software, state hardware needs, and provide an over- view of the project. Using the guide, an instructor will be able to orient users to the HyperCard stack and how to navigate within it. The guide will also delineate each of the three classroom cases, pro- viding an event by event breakdown of the lesson.

22 TECHTRENDS APRIL/MAY 1996

Bar codes will provide direct access to specific video segments. Since we have designed the materials to be flexible in a number of different classroom for- mats - - large group, small group, and individual

- - the guide must be instructive about these vari- ous uses. Thus, the guide will highlight instruc- tional use options by providing vignettes of class- room discussions, small group interactions, and written assignments done in conjunction with the materials. Our purpose is to develop a guide that will not only orient an instructor to the hardware and software, but also provide windows into how the integrated media materials have been used in our courses.

Currently we are using the integrated media materials in the elementary science methods courses at our respective universities. Both courses devote a major portion of the syllabus to examining stu- dent ideas in science and developing curriculum based on a conceptual change model of science teaching. The integrated media materials enhance our instruction by allowing preservice teachers to see and react to conceptual change teaching in ac- tual classrooms, not merely read about it or experi- ence it as we role play a fifth grade science class. As we teach, we are developing case-based pedagogies for use with integrated media materials.

A final component of the project involves as- sessing the effectiveness of the case materials in promoting reflection among preservice elementary education students. We have invented a series of reflection tasks for use in the methods course in conjunction with the integrated media. We hope to develop a deep understanding of elementary sci- ence teachers' reflective thinking as mediated by the interactive video materials. Our ultimate goal is to use the interactive video cases to facilitate the professional development of a cadre of teachers who are able to reflect upon and thereby enhance their science teaching and, consequently, the science learning of their students. �9

References Ball, D. L., Lampert, M., & Rosenberg, M. L. (1991, April). Using

hypermedia to investigate and construct knowledge about math- ematics teaching and learning. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.

Carter, K. (1992). Creating cases for the development of teacher knowledge. In T. Russell and H. Munby (Eds.), Teachers and

teaching: From classroom to reflection (pp. 109-123). New York: The Falmer Press.

Dolk, M., van Galen, E, & Feijs, E. (1992, April). Using interac- tive videodisc in teacher education. Paper presented at the An- nual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.

Frederick, H. R., & Hatfleld, M. M. (1991, April). Interactive vid- eodiscs, vignettes, and manipulatives: A mix that enhances the mathematics methods class. Paper presented at the Annual Meet- ing of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.

Goldman, E., & Barton, L. (1990). Using hypermedia to improve the preparation of elementary teachers. Journal of Teacher Educa- tion, 41(3), 21-31.

Hoftwolt, C. A., & Johnston, J. (1992, November). Approaches to teaching science: An integrated media approach. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association, Knoxville, TN.

Merseth, K. K. (1991). The cases for cases in teacher education. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Osborne, R., & Freyberg, E (Eds.). (1992). Learning in science: The implications of children's science. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Shulman, J. (Ed.). (1992). Case methods in teacher education. New York Teachers College Press.

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