Teaching Procedures with Video

A couple years ago I tried something new to teach our library procedures. It seemed that I was answering a few basic questions over and over for individual students. Each week I created a video centered on a library procedure that we watched in class together. This quick break in class also gave me a chance to talk individually to a student that may need it or chat with the adult who’d been waiting for me for several minutes. After viewing it as a class, I posted the videos to YouTube for students to watch at home if they so desired. I called the series “Mrs. McCoy’s HOT TIPS”.

I’d always known my kids were watching a lot of YouTube, I just hadn’t thought of a way to harness it until then. I did my best to let go of my perfectionist tendencies and record the clips for each video in one take whenever possible to minimize the time spent on creation. I taught all of our students the motions and words at the beginning and ending of each video, so they did it with me each time.

It was quite a successful project! Parents told me their kids rewatched the videos at home, students stopped me in the hall to tell me they subscribed, and I heard kids in the library tell each other to remember this week’s hot tip! I found that my student understood our library procedures better than in years previous.

Real Talk: Did it hurt my feelings that my students were completely focused on a video version of me instead of the real life educator in front of them? Absolutely! But education is not about me and my feelings, it’s about my students getting the skills they need to succeed.

Looking back, I am extremely proud of the project. The videos addressed a need my students displayed in an engaging, effective way. By the end of the school year, I'd made thirty-three videos, introduced a villain to serve as a "bad example", and wrapped her storyline up in a satisfying manner.

The video below is just one in the series. The rest are available as a playlist on my YouTube channel Ahoy, Mrs. McCoy!