Thinking about making videos for classroom instruction or for sending home to parents to explain homework? Why not–they’re easy to create and are great visual tools.

We’re all visual creatures these days. Videos can be effective in a sundry of situations, and it’s easy to do with your cell phone.

Here are four ways math teachers and students can use video in and out of the classroom:

1. Create inquiry-based lessons for your students using video. Educator Dan Meyer uses video to create a conflict in which students ask questions, design their own problem and find their own resources to solve the problem. Then Dan sets up a sequel: http://mrmeyer.com/threeacts/pyramidofpennies/act1/actone.mov

Math specialist Jo Boaler offers this engaging math lesson via the inquiry-based model:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ien-86bXCrI

2. Use video to help with teacher planning and professional development. New standards mean new methodology, so what better way than to turn to the visual route again to model best practices. Here are two examples: sample one and sample two.  https://vimeo.com/7682473  and  https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2015/05/15/collaborating-around-math-before-during-and-after-lessons/?utm_content=buffer6dc11&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

3. Parent tutorial can be helpful to explain methods of solving problems other than using the standard algorithm. Parents will benefit from your modeling the method through a YouTube session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYp6xfnphbw

4. Find or create videos to provide student review or help. When students are absent, they can view a lesson from home. If someone needs extra help, they find reinforcement through your video.

The flipped classroom inverts traditional teaching methods, delivering instruction online outside of the class and moving the practice into the classroom.  Here’s a sample on how it might work for you. Search the Internet for many more samples of this popular, new practice.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TIEwAztv9w

Once you gain confidence creating and using video, you’re the star! Students, parents and teachers benefit.  We invite you to share your videos with our School Bell crew!

About the Blogger:
Nicole Shanahan is the math specialist at HCDE. A self-professed Julia Roberts of presenters, she vows to weave a bit of entertainment into each of her math workshops. As teacher, mentor, trainer and coach, Nicole serves up workshops ala carte within districts or at HCDE headquarters at 6300 Irvington, Houston, TX.  The mother-of-three clocks in more volunteer hours than the average bear can handle. She often writes about her cubs in her posts. Follow Nicole on Pinterest at: Secondary Math | Elementary Math