Some Problems of the Use of Closed Circuit Television and Video Recording for Teachers Training

Marxist pedagogy has, in recent years, begun to pay deeper attention to the study of the teacher’s and pupils* classroom work, but without any large-scale use of. Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), for the time being. Therefore, in this informative article the author draws attention to some foreign experience with the use of CCTV for the training of future teachers. He gives a detailed analysis of the problems involved in what is called classroom observation by CCTV, including some open pedagogical and technical questions (e. g. problems of the picture cut, objectivity of the recording, influence of CCTV on classroom activities etc.). He mentions the results of foreign researches (A. Bjerstedt, B. Bierschenk, J. V. Long, J. L. Oliverio) as well as domestic experience (P. Masopust, H. Janus, D. Hapala and others). He gives more details about microteaching and its variants. He sums up the advantages of microteaching but also points out its limitations. He comes to the conclusion that it is necessary to respect e. g. conclusions regarding the necessity of a -long-term and systematic use of the above-mentioned method, training students in observing pedagogical phenomena (Bierschenk), supplementing video-recording with an analysis based an a suitable system of description of the teacher’s and pupils’ activities in the course of classroom instruction, and the like. He points to new possibilities provided by combining CCTV with operative evaluation of the lessons by means of the computer (researches by M. I. Semmel, J. Mareš). Lastly, he considers the possibilities of simulating typical classroom situations by means of technical devices and discusses the advantages of simulators for teacher training. The article deals mainly with the technological aspect of the application of CCTV. But in conclusion, the author points out that CCTV itself cannot solve the pedagogical and psychological problems concerning the study of the teacher’s and pupils’ classroom activities; rather, it opens up a new plane of questions.