Please note this FAQ is designed for people participating in the 55 hour program that has achieved at least Module #5.
At this point, you are 40 hours into the program, received a specific assignment (in Module #5), written the Teaching Sequence, practiced that Teaching Sequence, reviewed others submissions and revised that Teaching Sequence again. This FAQ is focused about the specifics of videotaping the 20 minute sequence for submission. For many, they do not need this support but for others, this type of advice has been helpful.
Step #1 – Prepare for the Video-taping
- Review the Assignment in Module #3 – Planning the Logistics of Your Practicum. Has anything changed? Make adjustments as required (we do not need to know about this).
- Review your Teaching Sequence and the reflections assignment from Module #5. This video taping session should be at least the second time you will be teaching the sequence. Do not go into videotaping without practice as it will add complexity, time and anxiety!
- Review your experience and reflection from taking ‘Class as a Survivor‘.
- Organize your session with your chosen friend, family member or student. Teaching to the same person from your rehearsal session is fully acceptable. (As a reminder, this person does not need to be a cancer patient or survivor but you should teach as if they were.)
- Set up your Video Production. We do not require Spielberg production quality or even Instagram-able quality production. Our requirement and goal is to ensure we are able to effectively evaluate your video practicum and thus your ability to provide safe and effective support.
General Tips to Video Production
- Identify the space to record your practicum. It does not need to be a sophisticated studio. Excellent practicums have been delivered in small apartment living rooms or bedrooms.
- Prepare the required props for you and your students. Layout the props and yoga mat – review potential set ups below.
- Set up your recording device – a computer, phone, tablet, camera or otherwise – to capture the required angle so that both you and your students participating in your sequence are visible. See examples below.
- Make sure:
- Your student(s) are seen clearly
- You seen clearly
- You are heard clearly
- Turn on lights! Also, be mindful of the location of the windows. If you are shooting in front or near windows, be sure to shoot with the light BEHIND the camera, not behind you. If a bright light is behind you and recorded by the camera, you will be in silhouette or very hard to see.
- Test your video ‘set up’ and recording. Record a test clip of everyone standing on their mats and say a welcome. This will be sure both your video and audio achieve the requirements above before you fully record.
- Review that test video clip. Make sure the audio is working. Can you be heard? Can everyone be seen, including yourself? If not, make adjustments to the recording advice as required.
- Identify where the test video is saved. It will be where your final video goes.
- Confirm that you have battery and memory left to save the final video recording. Most videos will require 250 to 600 MB of data. If you do not have enough memory or battery, your practicum will not be captured. That will lead to frustration.
Step #2 – Record your Practicum on Video
If you have prepared, the recording should be easy. Some additional reminders:
- Do not read from your sequence. Use your sequence as a guide and review it but do not read.
- Be mindful of the time. In your practice sessions, you should have achieved the 20 minute limit. Make sure your video achieves this. If you submit a video longer than 20 mins, your mentor is not required to watch beyond the 20 minutes. Please note thousands of students have achieved the practicum in 20 mins or less successfully.
- After your production, save the file as a MP4 and with your name in the title. For example: JaneDoeVideoPracticum.mp4
- Test your video. Please confirm that the video and audio is functioning. If you can’t hear it, your mentor will not be able to hear and we will require a resubmission.
- Confirm the file size of the video. The website will not allow for files larger than 650 MB. This should be ample and standard file size for a 20 minute segment.
- If you have recorded via a high resolution camera or phone or other professional tools, the file could be to big to upload. Please reduce the file size through various methods available based on your computer and recording process. Or use a 3rd party cloud service to compress the file. Review this free service or select another.
Step #3: Upload your Teaching Practicum
To submit your video practicum, you will upload the file directly into the program in Module #6. Email submission will not be accepted.
A few points of consideration for uploading:
- Please make sure you are WIFI is stable and strong for the upload. Test your WIFI. Note: for most, this is not an issue.
- Is your file bigger than 650MG? If so, you must compress it. Anything larger than 650MG will be blocked. There are many ways to compress a file size… based on your computer and recording process. Or use a 3rd party cloud service to compress the file. Review this free service or select another.
- Be patient in upload. Uploading large files can take a bit of time. Do not close the webpage, browser or computer whilst uploading.
- Upon successful submission, you will receive a confirmation message AND receive an email to confirm. If you do not receive these, your submission has not been successful. If you are able to proceed forward to the next Topic, your submission has worked. We will get in contact with you if something is wrong with your practicum.
Screen Shots of Historic Practicums
Below provides some layout options for your practicum. The ideal options are the first with all participants being seen on the video and they are good set ups to support your practicum students.
Many successful practicums have been achieved by using Zoom so both teachers and participants are online. The principles are the same. The student and teacher must be visible and heard (just teacher).
