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Video Study Groups for Education, Professional Development, and Change
by François Victor Tochon

Students of education have been videotaping teaching practice for decades, analyzing the tapes in an effort to gain a greater understanding of practice. What’s different here is that the point of taping is for those doing it to collaborate with one another in order to learn more about their own practice. A video study group is not a means for a researcher to learn more about someone else’s practice, but for practitioners to learn more about their own practice. Thus, the first unusual feature of a video study group is that it is made up of people who are mutually interested and engaged in common work, and who are jointly committed to gaining a better understanding of what they are doing, then doing it better. — from the Foreword by Virginia Richardson and Gary Fenstermacher

Video has played a role in education for decades, but value as a professional development tool has largely gone unnoticed.  Author, François Victor Tochon writes: "The practice of one’s profession is not a solitary activity. Professionals come together for the opportunity for frank communication about an important part of their lives — namely, their grasp of the practical. The video study group provides a space for reflection on experience."

Video Study Groups provides a sound theoretical base for use of video in professional development. It contains guidelines for organizing a group and following up with reflection and analysis. It is a perfect guide for formal or informal groups of professionals working to improve their practice.