Broadcasting live lessons through videostreaming allows the doors of Our Magic Kingdom to open to the outside world. “Why is this important?” you might ask. It is no secret that teaching is traditionally hailed as a closed door profession, and at Chets Creek we have broken that barrier. Since the school opened in 1998, teachers have been building a culture of collaboration and collegiality. They have been hosting and participating in demonstration lessons and debriefs, attending weekly teacher meetings, working with content coaches in their classrooms, and delving into professional book studies. The next evolution was sharing our best practice with the outside world. Video streaming on real time has allowed us to begin this journey.
My coaching role in this week’s video stream was an easy one. I simply observed in Vicky’s classroom over the course of a week in Reader’s Workshop, gave her a few suggestions on tweaking her practice, and pointed her in the direction of Melanie’s blog. Reading Melanie’s blog on teaching Sub Text allowed Vicky an avenue to read about a new strategy, gather children’s literature, and implement the reading strategy in her own classroom. My role was minimized with this self-directed second year teacher, and Vicky’s colleagues from around the district got to benefit by watching her lesson live!
Vicky's videostream looked like a seasoned professional - which she has indeed become! It's amazing how your coaching, Vicky's own role as an enthusiasm learner and Melanie's blog came together for such a msterful lesson. Collaboration at its best!
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