Video Self-Reflection Assignment

All SSC tutors in tutor training courses must complete a Video Self-Reflection assignment...think of it as not only a homework assignment, but an "initiation ritual" for the tutoring community at De Anza. These rituals are often a bit scary, but once you've done it you'll learn a lot!  

The specific assignment and deadlines vary by which tutor training class you are taking, so please be sure to check the specific Canvas assignment for your tutor training class. Since the basic instructions are the same, here's some basic information. 

For this assignment, you need to:

  1. Arrange to record a tutoring session with your most reliable tutee or group. Explain that you'd like them to help you with a required homework assignment for your tutor training class, that no one but you and your senior tutor will view the recording, and the goal is to help you become a better tutor. You may need to contact them the day before to remind them how important it is for them to show up. If you only tutor drop-in, please try to find a drop-in student who would like a more individual, 20-30 minute session in a quiet location, and record with that student.
  2. Contact your senior tutor in advance to schedule 30 minute meeting for sometime after you will have recorded your session.
  3. Record the entire tutoring session--it's important to see you you begin and end the session.
  4. Watch the entire recording yourself, taking notes on the questions in the assignment (see tutor Canvas for the assignment questions).
  5. Choose a segment of the video to watch with your senior tutor. DO NOT just send the file to your senior tutor--the main learning is the experience of watching it together!  When you meet, be sure your Senior Tutor follows the guidelines and uses the Tutoring Rubric. Have these available for reference when you meet with your senior tutor to review your session.
  6. Write up the assignment, following the prompts to make sure you address each part of the assignment (it helps to copy-paste the into Canvas then answer each one.
  7. Submit your written reflection in Canvas and feel proud of yourself for completing this challenging and important assignment! Congratulations!

Recording:

UPDATE for recording  Zoom tutoring.

You may choose to use your own screen recorder on your own computer, or record with Zoom.

You may be able to record in a Zoom breakout room, if the Host has set up the meeting to give you permission.  Plan B is to schedule your own separate session with the student, so you can record in yourself in the main room.  Regular account will be fine if your session is under 40 minutes. If you have a longer session and do not have a Pro account, your senior tutor probably does, so they can help you.

We know this assignment requires some planning--it is sort of like the midterm and final for this class, combined. If you run into problems, please ask your supervisor and/or senior tutor for help!

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In-person tutoring  instructions: Use your own recording device if you have 30-50 minutes of memory. If you do not have a recording device, bring a USB drive. If you need to borrow one from the SSC, ask the staff. If you do not have your own device, record yourself on one of the Center's iPads in S43, or on one of the Macs in the Center, using Quicktime or Photobooth. Please arrive early to check and set up the equipment before your session. Any of our permanent SSC staff and most Senior Tutors can help you set up.

Photo Booth on an SSC Mac: Launch, click the Film button, and then click the Record button. When you click Stop, the video shows up in Photo Booth’s shelf and is saved to your ~/Pictures/Photo Booth folder. (You can send a copy to your Desktop by just dragging it there from the Photo Booth shelf.) The resulting 640x480 H.264 MOV file should already be pretty small,and Photo Booth doesn’t offer any more built-in compression, but you could always open that file in QuickTime Player and use Save For Web (or Export For Web in QuickTime 7) to compress it a little more if it doesn't fit on your USB drive.

Be sure to save the video to your own device.

See http://www.maclife.com/article/howtos/recording_video_your_mac_it_gets_even_easier for detailed instructions.

Good luck, and please don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it!

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