The Power of Video Technology in International Comparative Research in Education (2001)

Summary: Video technology provides a lens through which to view and record classroom practices. International video studies generate data that can create audiovisual glossaries of teaching strategies and skills that expand the repertoire of possible teaching approaches. This audiovisual glossary provides a reference point for teaching practices that are difficult to describe. These videotapes can introduce teachers to a variety of practices, to help them to rethink what they might otherwise take for granted, to consider the pros and cons of different approaches, and to become more reflective practitioners. International videotapes serve as a record of teaching in a particular time and place, and make that teaching available for multiple reexaminations; they facilitate collaboration among researchers from diverse perspectives that traditional forms of data collection limit in cross-national studies. Video technology offers a number of important potential benefits to researchers and policy makers interested in international comparative research.