Streamline Skill Lessons with Guided Notes & Videos

My colleagues and I have noticed an alarming trend with our current batch of students. They CAN NOT handle much direct instruction. Sure, we’ve made progress and they are doing better at this point in the year, but we still find that in every lesson they need some time where they are focussing on their own device where they are less likely to be distracted by what is happening a few feet away from them and more likely to be on task (thank you GoGuardian).

For my counterparts in other subject areas, this means a lot of EdPuzzle and Quiziz, but that isn’t my bag- I spend far too much time trying to find something in the libraries that meets my needs only to end up creating things from scratch.

Instead, I’ve flipped the script and now I have students do guided notes to a video skill lesson while I work with other students on practice activities in a small group. Their guided notes are becoming their own personal literacy Cliff’s Notes in their binders; I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

Using pre-recorded videos accompanied by guided notes has been a game changer for me. That's why I'm now putting these guided notes, slides and recorded videos into my store. It can offer several benefits to teachers when facilitating skill practice in the classroom. Here are five advantages:

1. Enhanced Student Engagement:

Guided notes provide a structured framework for students to follow along with the video, keeping them actively involved in the content.

2. Differentiated Instruction:

By utilizing pre-recorded videos, all of my students can get the same information, but the guided notes can also be customized to scaffold learning and provide support for struggling students while challenging others. I have three versions of the note catcher- low support, medium and high.

3. Flexibility and Self-Paced Learning:

Pre-recorded videos with guided notes offer flexibility in terms of time and pacing. Students can access the videos at their own convenience, allowing for self-paced learning. They can pause and rewind to reinforce understanding. This is also great for kids who are absent, had to leave early for a sporting event, or were out of the classroom for a host of reasons while we covered the skill.

4. Consistent Instruction:

I’m not going to lie, recording my own videos has been time consuming, and

for some skills I’m still using a Kahn Academy lesson or a holdover from distance learning. However, there is no more “wait, did I already give you guys that example or was that the last class?” No more trying to dig up the slides I used last quarter, and no more anxiety when I have to let another teacher cover my class. Students will still get the same information. This is why I’m setting my videos and notes up for other teachers to use and skip the upfront time suck that recording them can be.

5. Increased Teacher Efficiency:

Using pre-recorded videos with guided notes can save me valuable classroom time. Rather than spending significant portions of class time delivering lectures, which don’t always go over well with post-pandemic students, I can have students get the information independently. This allows me more time for small groups, 1:1 support and, I’ll be honest, taking three sips of my tea before it is cold again.

Overall, incorporating pre-recorded videos with guided notes in the classroom can enhance student engagement, support differentiated instruction, provide flexibility, ensure consistent instruction, and increase teacher efficiency.