Using Video in the Science Classroom: Report on a four month study of teachers’ use of DragonflyTV videos and Educator Guides

Starting in January 2006 ROCKMAN ET AL conducted a twelve-week study of the use of the PBS science series, DragonflyTV, in twenty middle grade science classrooms. DragonflyTV is a PBS science series that models science inquiry by presenting real children conducting inquiry investigations into their own science questions. The goal of the TV series is to illuminate the inquiry process and inspire viewers to conduct their own investigations. The participating teachers were provided with DVDs of 36 DragonflyTV programs, an index with the National Science Education Standards correlations, and associated Educators' Guides. The teachers committed to using the videos each week, kept logs of their activities, and were surveyed and interviewed by the researchers. The study focused on three primary research questions: 1) How and why do Middle School Science teachers use educational video in their classrooms? 2) How and why do Middle School Science teachers use DragonflyTV programs or segments, and the Associated Teacher's Guides and Web in their classrooms? 3) What are the resulting impacts of video use on students? The appendix of this report includes surveys, interview protocols, and other evaluation tools.