The classroom as a stage: Use of self-modeling techniques and videofeedback in teacher education

Teacher training programs often include guided practical explorations of the school- and classroom environment and a working model for reflected practice in order to support the individual development in becoming a teacher. Against the backdrop of the stage-metaphor for teaching, a teaching model has been designed which allows for an in-depth discussion of the role of the teacher and its ramification for instruction and education. It is considered to be of crucial importance that students experience the general range and their individual possibilities of professional behavior and that they learn to observe the student-teacher interaction cycles and the pertaining effects of different patterns of behavior on psychological dimensions, such as learning, motivation, self-esteem, social climate, and classroom interaction. In this session, we present the course model which relies on using video-feedback within a self-modeling approach to developing, on the one hand, teaching and management skills, and reflective skills, on the other hand, for student teachers. An overview over the course content and teaching techniques will be given, including a practical demonstration of the video-based aspects, and feedback from course evaluations will be provided.