Many of us love watching Sarah Brown Wessling’s videos at The Teaching Channel. She takes us right into her high school ELA classroom where we see a true “master teacher” at work. (It’s not often mentioned these days, but Sarah was the 2010 National Teacher of the Year.)
One of Sarah’s great strengths is her commitment to reflecting on her own practice and her willingness to be transparent about her own mistakes. There’s probably no better example of that transparency than her 2013 two-part video titled “When a Lesson Goes Wrong.” It’s been viewed tens of thousands of times and has several hundred comments. Early in the first video she observes: “No matter how accomplished you are or how effective you are as a teacher, I think these days are going to happen, so when they do, you have to make adjustments.”
Actually, it turns out that Sarah could provide an even better example of transparency. This year The Teaching Channel is offering Sarah’s Tcher’s Cut series (not a typo!) where they’ve edited some of her original videos down to their essence and included a new voice-over by Sarah.
In her new version of “When a Lesson Goes Wrong,” she reflects once again from a distance of several years and explains her insights about what went awry and how she addressed it before the beginning of her next 10th grade class period (when she had to teach it again).
I found her reflections to be fascinating and think this Tcher’s Cut video could be shared with teacher colleagues during a discussion of what deep reflection could look like. We talk a lot about metacognition these days – our “thinking about thinking.” Sarah is offering a real-life example here.
The video with Sarah’s new commentary
When a Lesson Goes Wrong: Tcher’s Cut
The original videos, without the commentary
When a Lesson Goes Wrong (Part 1)
When a Lesson Goes Wrong (Part 2)
Sarah recommends watching the originals first, then the Tcher Cut version. “In true director’s cut format, I’m talking over these videos in their entirety, so you want to build your background viewing experience first.”
Some thoughts from other instructional coaches
After watching the Tcher’s Cut of “When a Lesson Goes Wrong,” one of the coaches in our Instructional Partners Network commented:
I loved how Wessling didn’t get upset because the students began to lose interest. She immediately reflected and decided that it was her “teacher talk” that had caused the students to disengage. Wessling was 100% focused on what the students were “telling” her verbally and through body language.
I think reflection is a very powerful tool that we don’t use enough. I would show this video to teachers and have some discussion about remaining focused on what’s important, which is the students.
Another coach added:
One take away that I wanted our teachers to see is that [Wessling] had prepared for the lesson and knew the learning outcomes, BUT problems did arise. Mrs. Wessling stated that SHE had not created enough scaffolds for her students to be successful! A lot of times teachers will not take on the responsibility and put BLAME on the students. That did not happen here.
A third instructional partner said:
“In thinking about adults…I compromised the needs of the kids.” That was the most poignant line for me. You’ve got to be present….
My next favorite part was her willingness to talk about her failure but also her ability to restructure her expectations and ideas so quickly. You can only do that if you know your kids and know your personal non-negotiables – keeping your focus on the heart of what you want the students to understand and do.
Watch for more videos in the Tcher’s Cut series
The Tcher’s Cut series continues as Sarah Wessling reflects on several other lessons she’s previously shared at the Teaching Channel. Here are the most recent to date:
Learning to Think: a Foundation for Analysis
Pattern Folders: A Literary Analysis Tool
Pinwheel Discussions: Texts in Conversations
You can learn more about these topics (see the bulleted highlights for each) and keep track of future installments in this series by visiting this page at The Teaching Channel website.
If you’ve watched a video in the Tchr’s Cut series, please share your own thoughts!
Also see our earlier post on The Power of Regular Self-Reflection
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