videotape

On the last day of summer school, with the end-of-the-summer test awaiting the students the following period, I had to teach one last lesson on the Pythagorean Theorem. And it was recorded. After watching the video I am pleased to say that viewing myself teaching didn’t bother me all that much. Of course there is always some degree of awkwardness that goes along with seeing and hearing yourself on videotape. But overall I did a decent job with getting them slightly interesting in the material, presenting the material in different ways, and going over practice problems until most of the class ‘got it’. Of course there are plenty of things to work on. The idea of teacher-as-performer is perhaps something that I still haven’t grasped. I have a tough time really putting myself out there. I still don’t really feel comfortable talking for long periods of time in front of the class. I remember as a student sometimes the most interesting parts of class were when the teacher would narrate a story about their own lives or experiences that had some connection to the material. Hopefully over the course of the year I will develop this ability.