MICRO-TEACHING

Although the observed class and our actual teaching class were different, thanks to Ms. Thảo’s detailed guidance, we were able to anticipate the students' general proficiency, learning attitudes, and how lesson time is usually distributed in practice. This helped us better prepare our lesson and manage expectations for the real classroom.

After observing Ms. Thảo’s class, we noticed that the students were well-behaved, engaged, and had a solid foundation in English. Ms. Thảo also shared that Foreign Trade University students tend to be cooperative with teachers and possess good English skills.

She mentioned that in order to cover an entire unit with all its components within three periods, she sometimes has to cut or shorten certain parts—especially grammar points that students have already learned. Some activities are assigned as homework, and for new units, she often asks students to prepare beforehand. She also adjusts the pacing based on students’ understanding: slowing down for parts they find challenging, and speeding up for parts they are already confident with.

These insights helped our group a lot while designing the lesson plan for Unit 7 – People in the PRISM 1: Listening and Speaking textbook. Initially, we were quite worried that three periods would not be enough to deliver all the content. So, we made adjustments by cutting down on certain activities. For example, in the Warm-up, instead of organizing a group competition, we simply selected a few students to answer questions related to the picture. We decided to keep the Hidden Picture activity to maintain student engagement.

In the Language Development section, we chose to reduce theoretical grammar explanation for -ed/-ing adjectives and instead focused on providing examples for students to figure out the rules on their own, followed by practice activities. In addition, we included a communicative activity (story chain) to help students apply the Past Continuous in a more interactive way. Exercise 7 of the Language Development section and Exercise 6 of the While Listening section were assigned as homework.

For the Wrap-up, we designed a short quiz using PowerPoint to review the main content from previous parts. This activity helped students consolidate what they had learned and also served as a way to check comprehension. To end the lesson on a high note, we gave small prizes to individual students who answered the questions correctly, which created a fun and encouraging atmosphere before closing the class.

The micro teaching session took place in a classroom with a moderate number of students, making it a suitable environment for foreign language instruction. The students were well-mannered and respectful; however, their overall English proficiency was not high. Most of them did not actively participate in the lesson, except for a few students who were particularly enthusiastic and willing to contribute. According to the supervising teacher, English was not the students’ primary foreign language—Japanese was. Additionally, as third- or fourth-year students nearing graduation, many of them were somewhat distracted due to their internships or part-time jobs, which they were undertaking in preparation for their future careers.

Our micro-teaching session at the university provided valuable insights into both our teaching practices and the realities of working within an unfamiliar classroom environment. Through personal reflection, peer feedback, classroom observations, and guidance from our lecturers, we have identified several key areas for improvement and professional growth.

One of the immediate challenges we faced was adapting to a classroom equipped with limited technological resources, including a small television screen and a traditional blackboard. Accustomed to teaching with slides and projectors, we initially overlooked some essential classroom management practices, such as writing the lesson title on the board. This oversight highlighted the importance of flexibility and situational awareness in teaching.

Due to time constraints, we were unable to thoroughly learn about the class or the students’ proficiency levels before delivering the session. As a result, certain parts of our lesson were not entirely aligned with the learners’ actual abilities and needs. This experience emphasized the necessity of taking time to understand students’ language levels, learning preferences, and expectations prior to lesson planning, especially when working with new or unfamiliar groups.

In the language development section, we realised that some of the content covered was already familiar to the students. Rather than reteaching known material, it would have been more effective to briefly review it and allocate more time to challenging or new content. Additionally, we noticed that simple exercises consumed more classroom time than necessary. In future lessons, these tasks could be assigned as homework to maximize valuable class time for communicative and interactive activities.

An important takeaway from the session was the role of clear, concise instructions in facilitating student understanding. On several occasions, our game rules and activity guidelines were too lengthy or complex, which caused confusion among some learners. We recognised that simplifying our instructions and using concept-checking questions would enhance students’ comprehension and engagement. Furthermore, incorporating background music during game-based activities could help create a more lively and enjoyable learning atmosphere.

Another crucial insight was that the effectiveness of a lesson is not measured by the quantity of content covered but by the depth of student understanding it promotes. In our eagerness to deliver all planned materials within the limited time, we unintentionally rushed through several sections, leaving students with insufficient opportunities to process information, reflect, and respond thoughtfully. Moving forward, we would prioritise selecting fewer key points and exploring them more deeply, allowing more wait-time for student responses to encourage meaningful participation and critical thinking.

Our reflection also revealed that students’ willingness to speak is not always a direct reflection of their understanding. Interestingly, some of the most insightful contributions came from learners who initially appeared hesitant. This experience reaffirmed the importance of actively involving quieter students and creating opportunities for more open, less structured communication to truly develop their communicative competence.

Finally, feedback from Dr. Doan Hong Nhung, Dr. Tran Thi Minh Phuong, classroom observation of Ms. Nguyen Phuong Thao, and peer discussions consistently underscored the value of learner-centered pedagogical practices. A recurring theme was the importance of maximising student talking time while minimising teacher input to foster active engagement. We also recognised the need to balance participation by intentionally involving both dominant and reticent learners, and to maintain a positive, inclusive classroom atmosphere that supports learner confidence and collaboration.

In conclusion, this micro-teaching session has been a meaningful learning experience that deepened our understanding of effective classroom management, learner-centered teaching, and instructional clarity. It highlighted the importance of adaptability, careful planning, and responsiveness to students' needs. Moving forward, we are committed to applying these lessons in future teaching practices to create more engaging, inclusive, and effective learning environments.

The lessons learned from conducting the micro-teaching session have provided us with invaluable insights, prompting several concrete actions we plan to implement in our future teaching practice. 

Firstly, we recognize the importance of mastering basic classroom management skills, such as writing and displaying the lesson title on the board at the beginning of the class, especially when working in environments with limited technological resources. Throughout the lesson, we intend to observe students more attentively, adjusting the lesson pace in response to their engagement and comprehension levels. When students show signs of disengagement due to familiarity with certain content, we will streamline that material and devote more time to practice-based activities that encourage active participation.

Flexibility and adaptability will be central to our approach. We have learned to avoid rigidly adhering to predetermined lesson plans when they prove unsuitable, and to modify our teaching strategies in accordance with the students' actual proficiency levels and classroom dynamics. Instructions will be simplified, broken down into short, clear sentences, and consistently accompanied by instruction-checking and concept-checking questions to ensure comprehension. In situations where language barriers arise, we are prepared to judiciously incorporate Vietnamese to facilitate understanding while gradually encouraging English use.

Moreover, we will prioritise designing lessons that promote student-centered learning, with an emphasis on active engagement, meaningful interaction, and opportunities for critical thinking. Grammar points, when introduced, will be linked directly to communicative situations rather than taught in isolation. We also plan to integrate more mood-lifting procedures and background activities, such as games or music, to create a relaxed and supportive classroom atmosphere. This is particularly important for encouraging quieter or more hesitant students to participate, recognizing that shyness does not necessarily indicate a lack of ability.

In terms of classroom organisation, we aim to make better use of traditional resources like the blackboard and adapt our content delivery methods to suit fixed seating arrangements. Additionally, we will refine our time management skills by prioritizing essential activities, rehearsing time allocations during lesson preparation, and ensuring that freer speaking practice tasks are consistently incorporated to enhance students' communicative competence. 

By applying these targeted actions, we hope to build greater flexibility, responsiveness, and effectiveness in our teaching practice, aligning with learner-centered pedagogical principles and the dynamic realities of diverse classroom contexts.