Using Digital Video in Initial Teacher Education

Book excerpt: A research-based, critical yet practical exploration of the benefits of using digital video in teacher education. Digital video is easy to use and student teachers find it incredibly helpful. Since Dwight Allen first used microteaching five decades ago, video has been recognised as an ideal medium for capturing the complex nature of teaching. Through its accurate and honest representation of reality it reveals both the cognitive and affective aspects of learning to teach. This book serves as a theory-related rationale and a practice-informed critical guide for teacher educators considering how best to use video within their programmes. It explores how video technology can be used to enrich learning in both higher education and school settings, enhancing the continuity of the learning experience. Using evidence-based examples of best practice and critical discussions relating theory and policy to practice, it encourages teacher educators to engage with the use of video technology and explore how it meets the needs of learners and the current requirements of initial teacher education.