Micro teaching

MICROTEACHING

Micro teaching is a scientific technique to make the teacher education programme more scientific in approach. It is a scaled down teaching encounter where the complexities of real class room situations have been reduced to the base minimum, but at the same time unlike the teaching practice, the level of feedback is greatly enhanced. It’s basic elements are a teacher, micro class comprising four or five students or even class fellows and a determined objective of micro lesson. Microteaching originated in 1961 at Stanford University (USA). It is a form of instructional training where small groups of peers videotape and observe each other teaching, provide feedback, and engage in discussion with the goal of improving one another’s instructional abilities. Microteaching provides an opportunity to develop your instructional skills in a positive, learner-centered environment.

Definitions

Olivero (1971), one of the original co-workers at Stanford, defines it as follows: "Microteaching is a scaled-down sample of actual teaching which generally lasts ten to thirty minutes and involves four to ten students. A microteaching session simulates a regular classroom instructional period in every way except that both time and number of students are reduced".

Cooper and Allen (1970) place more explicit emphasis on the simplification of the complex real teaching situation in their definition that follows:

"Micro-teaching is a teaching situation which is scaled down in terms of time and number of students. . . . The lesson is scaled down to reduce some of the complexities of the teaching act, thus allowing the teacher to focus on selected aspects of teaching".

“Micro teaching as a scaled down teaching encounter in class size and class time”

(Allen, 1966)

Importance of Microteaching

1. It is a safe practice: - practice is essential for many learning activities. It is felt that students are to be skillfully taught, not practiced on. For the beginning student teachers, they must get opportunities for safe practice in teaching as other professional service. The beginning student teacher must learn how to teach amid the hurly-burly of his scheduled work.
2. A focused Instrument: - The microteaching environment enables a student teacher to focus attention on and practice on specific skill at a time until he acquires competence in it. Provision of feedback accelerates these processes.
3. A Technique for Continuous Training: - Most of the teachers who reach their professional plateau do not want to improve their skill of teaching. The main reason for such a tendency is that they do not find a way to experiment with new skills of teaching and thereby improve upon them. Microteaching helps in overcoming such pitfalls.
4. Modeling Instructional Skills: - The Microteaching setting demonstrations of good teaching given by teachers can be recorded on video-tape or observed by supervisor. Such a recording or observation is analyzed to identify component skills comprising teaching which is a complex activity. Similarly sub-behaviors underlying each skill can also be identified. The knowledge so obtained helps in building models of various component teaching skills. These models are presented before the trainer so that they may model their behaviors, according to the models of the skills, by practicing in the microteaching setting.
5. A New Approach to Supervision: - The approach to supervision under micro-teaching is non-equative. Supervisor in microteaching tries to help the trainee teacher or the practicing teacher to improve his skill of teaching. Before the commencement of practice, both the teacher and the supervisor are clear about the objective to be achieved or skill to be demonstrated. They are also clear about the mode and instrument of assessment to be used. Such a procedure provides common frame of reference for the supervisor and the trainee teacher for a dialogue.
6. A New Approach for Research: - Microteaching helps the researcher to exercise control over such variables and thereby enables him to see the effect of independent variables over the dependent variables. Microteaching is also suitable for pilot studies. Before embarking on large experiments, same problem can be worked out in microteacing.

Characteristics of Microteaching

1. It is a relatively new experiment in the field of teacher education more specifically in

student teaching or during practice of teaching.

1. It is a teacher training technique and not a teaching technique.
2. Normal components are reduced in terms of

- Length of the lesson (a simple and single concept)

- Scope of the lesson

- Number of students, usually 5 or 6 preferably peers

- Class time usually 5 or 7 minutes

4. Microteaching has a provision of adequate feedback which enable the teacher trainees to

know their performances, weaknesses immediately after the lesson.

1. Teaching is said to be composed of number of teaching skills. All these skills cannot be measured through macroteaching approach. So microteaching provides opportunity to select skill at a time and practice it through its scaled down encounter and then take other skill in a similar way.
2. Microteaching is a highly individualized training device.
3. Microteaching is a training device to prepare effective teachers.

Basic Assumptions in Microteaching

1. Microteaching is a real teaching, but its focus is to develop certain teaching skills and not the development of pupil’s content abilities.
2. Micro lesson reduces the complexities of normal classroom by scaled down class size, content and time.
3. Microteaching permits for the increased control of practice by providing the feedback to the pupil teachers. A high degree of control can be imposed on the training programme.

1. Microteaching focuses on training for the development of specific teaching skills. One skill is practiced during the course of teaching and brings it upto the mastery level.
2. Microteaching greatly expands the normal knowledge of results or feedback to teaching. It is highly individualized training programme.

Principles of Microteaching

1. Capabilities of the learner must be considered when a decision of what to teach is made.
2. The learner must be motivated intrinsically. In line with this principle, intrinsic motivation in the context of microteaching is created through cognitive and affective discrepancy between his ideal self concept as a teacher and his real teaching.
3. Goals are to be statistically set. In keeping with this principle in the microteaching setting, attempt is made to modify only modifiable behavior which trainee wants to change.
4. Only one element of modifiable behavior is to be worked on at a time.
5. Active participation by the student is necessary in order to modify his behavior substantially.
6. Knowledge and information about one’s performance helps the learner. Transfer of learning will be better if the learner gets the feedback related to his performance.
7. Transfer is maximized due to immediate feedback which informs the trainees of their defective practices before they become habitual.
8. Spaced distributive recalls are advantageous as learning and maintenance of a skill are best accomplished through spaced practice over a period of time.

Steps in Microteaching

The six steps generally involved in micro-teaching cycle are; Plan, Teach, Feedback Re-plan, Re-teach, Re-feedback. There can be variations as per requirement of the objective of practice session

1. Planning: This involves the selection of the topic and related content of such a nature in which the use of components of the skill under practice may be made easily and conveniently. The topic is analyzed into different activities of the teacher and the pupils. The activities are planned in such a logical sequence where maximum application of the components of a skill is possible.

2. Teaching: This involves the attempts of the teacher trainee to use the components of the skill in suitable situations coming up in the process of teaching-learning as per his/her planning of activities. If the situation is different and not as visualized in the planning of the activities, the teacher should modify his/her behavior as per the demand of the situation in the class. He should have the courage and confidence to handle the situation arising in the class effectively.

3. Feedback: This term refers to giving information to the teacher trainee about his performance. The information includes the points of strength as well as weakness relating to his/her performance. This helps the teacher trainee to improve upon his/her performance in the desired direction.

4. Re-plan : The teacher trainee replans his lesson incorporating the points of strength and removing the points not skilfully handled during teaching in the previous attempt either on the same topic or on another topic suiting to the teacher trainee for improvement.

5. Re-teach: This involves teaching to the same group of pupils if the topic is changed or to a different group of pupils if the topic is the same. This is done to remove boredom or monotony of the pupil. The teacher trainee teaches the class with renewed courage and confidence to perform better than the previous attempt.

6. Re-feedback: This is the most important component of Micro-teaching for behavior modification of teacher trainee in the desired direction in each and every skill practice.

Teaching is a complicated process but it can be analyzed into simple teaching tasks called teaching skills. 1. Teaching skill is the set of behaviors/acts of the teacher which facilitates pupils’ learning. 2. Teaching is observable, definable, measurable, demonstrable and can be developed through training. 3. Micro-teaching is a teacher training technique which plays a significant role in developing teaching skills among the pupil teachers. 4. The procedure of micro-teaching involves the following steps: Plan →Teach →Feed-back →Re-plan →Re-teach →Re-feedback. These steps are repeated till the pupil-teacher attains mastery in the use of the skill.

Phases of Microteaching

1. Knowledge Acquisition phase: - It is also known as the pre-active phase which involves two major activities such as (1) to observe demonstration skill; and (2) to analyze and discuss demonstration. The knowledge acquisition phase emphasizes the understanding of teaching skill that is to be learnt by the teacher trainee. Besides, a teacher trainee has to acquire certain knowledge from the demonstrator/supervisor/teacher educator to observe the details of the skill to be demonstrated. Further the trainee has to sharpen his vision to understand the components/ingrediants of the skills during demonstration. The teacher trainee tries to gain a lot about the skill from the demonstration given by the expert. He discusses and clarifies each and every aspect of the skill.

1. Skill Acquisition Phase: - It is also known as interactive phase. During the phase, the teacher trainee on the basis of the model demonstration presented, plans a micro-lesson for practicing the demonstrated teaching skill and carried out micro-teaching cycle till he acquires the desired level of mastery. It includes three components, i.e., planning micro lesson, feedback and micro-teaching setting. The feed-back component of micro-teaching contributes significantly towards the mastery level acquisition of the skill. On the basis of the performance of teacher trainee in teaching, the feedback is provided for the purpose of change in behavior of the teacher trainee in the desired direction.
2. Transfer Phase: - The culminating phase or more appropriately known as post active phase deals with the integration of various skills. In this particular phase the trainee is able to use different components of teaching skill in a micro class. The second part of transfer phase of micro-teaching involves the enhancement in the class size, the content and class time on one side and shiftment of the trainee from simulated teaching to a real class room teaching.

Steps involved in the phases of Microteaching Lesson plan

Phase – I (Pre-Active Phase)

Step 1: Orientation – Teacher trainee and teacher educator discusses about;

1. Concept of microteaching

2. Rationale for using microteaching

3. Procedure of microteaching

4. Requirements and setting for adopting microteaching technique

5. Merits and demerits of microteaching

Step 2: Discussion of teaching skills

i. Analysis of teaching into component teaching skills

ii. The discussion of the rationale and role of these teaching skills

iii. Discussion about the component teaching behaviors comprising various teaching skills

Step 3: Selection of a particular teaching skill

The teaching skills are to be practiced by taking them one at a time. Therefore the teacher trainees are presented to select a particular skill for pra

Step 4: Presentation of a Model Demonstration Lesson

During this step demonstration or model lesson for the use of selected teaching skill is presented before the teacher trainee. This stage is also known as ‘modeling’. Depending upon the availability of the resources and type of skill involved, demonstration or model lesson can be given in a number of ways like:

i. By providing written material such as handbooks, guides, illustrations, video tape

ii. By exhibiting a film or videotape

iii. By making the trainees to listen an audiotape

iv. By arranging a demonstration from a live model, i.e., a teacher educator or an expert demonstrating the use of the skill.

Step 5: Observation of the Model lesson and Criticism

An observation schedule especially designed for the observation of the specific skill is distributed among the trainees and they are also trained in its use beforehand.

Phase – II (Interactive Phase)

Step 6: Preparation of Micro lesson plan

Step 7: Creation of Microteaching Setting

NCERT suggests the following settings for a Microteaching;

a. Number of students in a class 5 to 10

b. Type of pupils: Real pupils or preferably peers.

c. Type of supervisor: Teacher educator and peers.

d. Time duration of a Micro-lesson: 6 minutes

e. Total time duration of Microteaching cycle: 36 minutes

Step 8: Practice of teaching skills

Step 9: Feedback

Step 10: Replanning

Step 11: Re-teaching

Step 12: Re-feedback

Step 13: Repetition of the Microteaching Cycle

Phase – III (Post Active Phase)

Integration of Skills (Link Practice)

Major objectives of the integration of teaching skills are to help the trainee to shift from microteaching situation of teaching to real teaching situation in order to provide sufficient practice in making decisions for the application of skill while teaching. The integration of teaching skills can be done in the following forms.

a. Integration of teaching skills in parts

b. Integration of teaching skills as a whole

(a). Integration of Teaching Skills in Parts

During this stage the individual teaching skills acquired by the pupil teachers are integrated in parts and not as a whole. The time duration depends upon the number of teaching skills to be integrated. The step like teach, feedback, replan, reteach, refeedback and replan are carried out in the controlled setting and this process continues till the trainee acquires a reasonable level of mastery over the integration of the skills under simulated conditions.

(b). Integration of Teaching Skills as a Whole

Opportunity is provided to integrate all the individual teaching skills by taking them as a whole and not in parts. It is a sort of mini-teaching, bridging the gap between microteaching and teaching in a real situation. The integration of skills as a whole requires the following considerations on the part of pupil teacher through microteaching:

a. The full knowledge of the content of the topic taught

b. The knowledge of instructional objectives

c. The existing teaching-learning situations and available facilities

d. The scope of utilization of the learned individual teaching skills

e. Decision about the aspects like selection, organization, sequence and integration of the individual skills in preparing and presenting the lesson

f. Repetition of the integration process for acquiring sufficient practice

Important Feature of Microteaching

1. Micro Element: - Training is given in the mastery of only one skill at a time. One should master the components of the task of teaching before he attempts to perform effectively the complicated task of teaching at macro level.

2. Teaching Skills and Teaching Strategies

i. Pre-instructional skills: - involving writing of instructional objectives, sequencing and organizing knowledge to be presented in order to achieve specific objectives, appropriate content, proper organization, selection of proper audio-visual aids etc.

ii. Instructional Skills: - Like skills of introducing a lesson, skills of explaining and illustrating, reinforcement, probing questions, reinforcing pupil participation, diagnosing pupil’s difficulties etc.

iii. Post – instructional Skills: - Like skills of writing test items, interpreting pupil’s performance in a test, planning remedial measures etc.

3. Feedback: - Feedback is given by supervisor on the basis of his selective note taking and his ability to recall. Overall impression carries greater weight and subjective factors into his system of assessment. Several authentic and reliable sources for providing feedback include:

i. Oral feedback by the supervising teacher

ii. Observation schedules fitted in by the peer group participating in the micro lesson

iii. Audiotape recording is a source of accurate feedback

iv. Videotape recording provides the most accurate and powerful source of feedback

4. Safe Practice Ground: - A microteaching laboratory appears to possess all the inherent features of the real classroom. As teaching is performed under simulated conditions with a small peer group, the teacher trainee does not have any inhibitions.

5. The Teaching Models: - The trainees have many opportunities to study the desired patterns of behavior through a tape or film of teaching models or a demonstration given by the supervisor. Using these models as guides, the trainees will develop their own style.

Merits of Microteaching

1. Microteaching approach incorporating simulation technique helps in training institution in overcoming the hardships faced in the task of organizing student teaching for learning the art of teaching.

2. The global concept of teaching is replaced by the analytical concept in microteaching approach. This helps in proper understanding of the meaning and concept of the term teaching.

3. Microteaching helps in reducing the complexities of the normal classroom teaching.

4. In Microteaching the student teacher concentrates on practicing a well defined teaching skill consisting of a set of teacher behaviors that are observable, controllable and practicable.

5. Microteaching helps in systematic and objective observation by providing specific observation schedule.

6. Microteaching works as laboratory exercise to focus training on the acquisition of teaching skills and instructional techniques.

7. Microteaching provides economy in mastering the teaching skills. It saves the time and energy of the student teachers as well as the pupils.

8. Microteaching has a provision of immediate systematic, pinpointed and objective feedback in behavior terms.

9. Microteaching caters to the need of individual differences in the training of teachers. Here an individual trainee may work for the development of teaching skills at his own rate depending on his teaching abilities.

10. Unlike traditional practice teaching programme, it focuses attention on the modification of teacher behavior and improvement of interaction process involved in the teaching learning process.

Demerits of Microteaching

1. Microteaching is skill oriented and not content oriented.

2. It is very costly as it requires video camera, video-tape recorder and other costly media technology.

3. Teacher educators require adequate training in microteaching before it is implemented.

4. Microteaching alone may not be sufficient. It should be integrated with other techniques like interaction analysis, simulated teaching and so on.

5. The question of integrating the skills is quite challenging.

6. Microteaching disturbs normal class time table.