Studiocode Stupor!

Okay, so actually it wasn't all that bad. It was a bit tedious to code every aspect of instruction and management that we wanted to look at, but the actual program is fairly straightforward to use. There were some hiccups throughout the process, namely the preview picture freezing about every two seconds of video, but it went smoothly thanks to Dan's step by step instruction.

So, what did I learn about management and instruction from the Studiocode project? Well, my classrooom management skills leave a lot to be desired. In the class on the video, I could have varied the formations more often. I think I only had 2 formations that I used in the lesson, so even counting them leaving their places to warm up, there were only really 3 different instances that you would even notice formations. In this lesson, I also could have used my whistle a lot more for the signals. I used it a lot at the beginning, but tailed off once the "dancing" started.

In reference to instruction, in watching the video again and reliving the lesson through Studiocode, I know I could use a lot more cues to teach. In this lesson, I feel like I did an excellent job with demonstrating the steps, but there could have been more cues for them to remember and to describe the steps. I also learned that dance is a tough lesson to give individual feedback without someone asking a question. General feedback is easy, but it can be hard to see the individuals struggling without watching it on video. In a real classroom setting, those students would be kids in my class that I would see again and offer feedback to.

Next semester, I know I will grow as a teacher and do a lot of things differently. I will focus more on giving more and better cues, try to be better at giving specific feedback, and try to vary the formations (just to change things up). I know Studiocode will help me find things to work on every week as we film and evaluate our lessons. We'll see how that goes.