At the end of the working week, it’s true, no sane person wants to re-live any lessons they have given but it’s such an informative process and comedic at the same time.

It’s not that during the lesson you’re not fully aware that you are on screen the whole time or can’t see yourself, but focus is always on the student – as well as compensating for the technical glitches or audio limits of online lessons and doing your best to say what you mean in a way that can be received well, you can’t be expected to monitor every look or nuance.

I began reviewing bits of lessons for other reasons to begin with; looking for the moments that I thought I might send to the school special needs co-ordinator to show exactly the behaviour I felt needed flagging up to show a particular student’s difficulties. I have to confess though, after reviewing the footage, I wondered whether I actually wanted anyone viewing my own performance!

It made me realise that sometimes the things we do to reinforce what we’re trying to say which probably work in face-to-face interactions, might not be the same in our online interactions. The resting face we usually present is the one that our students come back to when they look up. If your resting face is as scary as I saw mine to be, it’s good to know! Another colleague has referred to this as her ‘resting bitch-face’ and I immediately knew what she meant when looking at my own footage. Thankfully, mostly our students don’t see that – they’re concerned with the business of thinking and learning but in a recorded lesson, they can watch this part of your reaction and sometimes it’s not pretty!

I am usually very animated in the flesh – of course that hasn’t changed, but perhaps on a small screen that animation might be more focussed! I guess the most cringey moments are when I need a student to stop because they have something not quite right, a note, a vowel, a pronunciation etc…. I necessarily want to grab their attention and often hold my hand up or wave, or in desperation seem to shout ‘STOP’ more times than is necessary…. but then you have to realise that the recording is recording both parts in real time, so the video does not necessarily see the same things at the same time as I do. I’ve also notice that my poker face when I wish students have practised more (or at all) could do with some work! And my hand gestures to get my point across at times has led to a distinctly red face when reviewed after the lesson.

As I’ve said before, having supportive colleagues whom you can call up at the end of the day is essential to one’s sanity. They always have plenty of essential advice. Whatever you do, sometimes lessons just don’t go the way you hoped, and that’s the same as in face-to-face interactions. It is however, very important to FINISH the video call before making comment on the lesson when it’s being recorded, a colleague of mine wisely advised this week after a tense few moments reviewing the captured under-the-breath exasperation which he was not sure had been clear….

It’s also important to review the things you got right. The moments when you paid a compliment and watched the student visibly smile. The moments when finally the hurdle is overcome and your relief is palpable which the student knows is the positive judgement on their work. That moment of ‘well done’ is worth replaying for yourself – you helped get your student there and can enjoy that success with them.

You can’t recreate the synergy you feel in the room when you work with each student, but you can do your best to make that relationship come alive and try your best to bring your personality out without over-compensating for not being in the same room with your student.