FirstSchool Video Library

Welcome to the video library portion of our Online Resource Library. We will continually add to this series of short clips that include discussions with teachers as well as videos of classroom instruction. We have used many of these clips as part of professional development activities and wanted to make them more broadly accessible to our partners. You will notice that we have typically included a few questions for your consideration that you may want to use as a jumping off point for discussion with colleagues or for your own reflection. Please keep in mind that although consent was obtained when filming these clips that allows us to share them with you, these are copyrighted to FirstSchool (©FirstSchool 2011-2014) and are not intended for further distribution. Enjoy!

Discussions with FirstSchool Partners and Teachers

Video clip discussing the importance of collegiality in building teachers' skills and confidence to create and utilize formative assessment and maximize observation data

Video clip discussing how informal interactions with colleagues can make a big difference in teacher professional development

Video clip discussing the benefits of the Common Core for two kindergarten teachers

Video clip discussing the process of making math instruction more in-depth and better aligned with the Common Core State Standards

Video clip of a FirstSchool team member discussing data about children's classroom experiences with a teacher - starting with strengths

Video clip of a FirstSchool team member talking with a teacher about an area of potential growth and identifying concrete ways to build upon her current practice

Culture of Caring

Video clip of a FirstSchool team member discussing data with a teacher that reflects bigger shifts in this teacher's overall classroom environment that include how she responds to student behavior (nurturing positive relationships)

Culture of Competence

Video clip of a FirstSchool team member discussing the importance of better integrating key components of literacy instruction for AALLI students (prioritizing communication)

Video clip of a FirstSchool team member talking with a teacher about balancing structure/monitoring with free choice time (supporting independence)

Culture of Excellence

Video clip discussing the tangible benefits of giving children more time to talk, think, and build their metacognition (building higher order thinking skills)

Video clip providing an example of how new Common Core State Standards for math can be broken down so that teachers can better understand how to relate more in-depth instruction with their current practices (building higher order thinking)

Video clip of a FirstSchool team member discussing how a teacher has customized and adjusted her approaches to teaching to help her students grow, taking into account how much time is needed in whole group activities vs. small group vs. centers vs. individual time, etc. (balancing teaching approaches)