Description

The value of video in professional development to promote teacher reflective practices

PAUL REITANO

School of Education, Faculty of the Professions, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia

CHERYL SIM School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt, QLD, Australia

ABSTRACT

This paper argues for the potential for a particular data-gathering tool used in educational research to provide opportunities for the professional development of participants. The particular method is video-stimulated recall. The evidence in the literature suggests that this methodology used to gather data does have a valuable role in promoting the reflective practices of teachers. The paper further argues that in order to be effective, professional development needs to take into account the context of teachers’ work so that their professional practice is linked in the strategies used for professional development. Video-stimulated recall is one tool that can provide a direct link between theory and practice. Keywords: videotape, video-stimulated recall, professional development, reflection, social situatedness, knowledge-in-action