Overview, Goals and Objectives

We propose to collaborate with Codman Academy to create a web-based video curriculum for a single ED 102 (MAT) class session that will convene at Tufts on February 6. In coordination with Codman teacher Kari Abdal-Khallaq, Tufts will find a suitable day to film one class period at Codman, from which Tufts will select up to 30 minutes of footage to share with Tufts MAT students. Codman will receive a copy of the edited footage prior to the class meeting. Kari and another teacher of his choice will be invited to attend the February 6 class meeting to hold a discussion with the ED 102 students about the classroom video that they will have seen online prior to the meeting. Following the class discussion, Tufts will post a written summary of the project, along with photos from the class meeting, to its website. Tufts will offer an honorarium to all Codman teachers involved in the project.

The goal of the curriculum is to improve classroom observation skills. To this end, Tufts will convene a discussion with MAT students about classroom observation in which the use of a new web-based technology affords everyone the ability to share a common referent, a "video text." Classroom observation is the cornerstone of teacher education, but often discussions are held about observations that were not attended by more than one or two teachers. The new technology, known as DIVER (http://diver.stanford.edu), will allow all 29 MAT students to convene online to watch and comment on a video observation of a classroom. A second goal is to create greater continuity between the observation and the application of the discussion to the everyday teaching of the MAT students. To this end, Tufts will invite the observed teacher(s) to a face-to-face meeting with the MAT students, so that their comments and questions can be extended - through questions and answers with the teachers themselves - to practical applications in their own classrooms.

Proposed Project Sequence

Now - Jan 5: Coordinate with Kari to find a good date for filming

Jan 8 - Jan 22: Tufts sends 2 cameras to Codman

Jan 22 - Jan 29: Tufts edits film

Jan 29: Tufts sends DVD copy of edited footage to Codman

Jan 29: Tufts puts footage up on Stanford's server in password-protected online environment

Jan 29 - Feb 6: Tufts MAT students watch video and discuss online with facilitation by Dan Cogan-Drew. Kari may choose to participate, but his participation is not expected.

Feb 6: Class convenes face-to-face at Tufts; Kari and other teacher(s) visit to discuss the video with Tufts students; discussion is filmed and photographed

After Feb 6: Write-up with photographs is posted on Tufts website; all materials will be made available to Codman to post on the Codman site. Tufts will also make available the DIVER online learning environment to the Codman students and teachers.