2014 Microteaching Workshop Participant Guide. What is the Craft of Teaching
Microteaching. Workshop? Microteaching is organized practice teaching in a.
2014 Microteaching Workshop Participant Guide What is the Craft of Teaching Microteaching Workshop? Microteaching is organized practice teaching in a supportive, low-risk environment. Participants prepare a 10 minute lesson plan, teach it at a workshop to a small group of peers, and receive detailed feedback on their teaching strategy and performance. Microteaching is an efficient, proven, and engaging way to help teachers of all levels gain experience and confidence trying out and observing different teaching methods. What happens at the workshop? The Microteaching Workshop is a three-hour long workshop composed of 2 facilitators and up to 5 participants. Each participant teaches a 10minute interactive mini-lesson to the group, which is videotaped by a facilitator. Each mini-lesson is followed by a 10-minute reflection period in which the student-instructor views their recorded lesson with one facilitator while the rest of the group discusses and assembles the group's feedback with another. The student-instructor then returns to the group for 10 minutes of constructive conversation with the other participants. Peer feedback, focusing on both instructor strengths and suggestions for improvement, is an important part of microteaching, and each participant is expected to give and receive helpful feedback.
Each participant will also receive email feedback from the facilitators in the days following the workshop. What's the rationale for this method? Microteaching helps teachers improve both the content and methods of teaching and develop specific teaching skills such as questioning, the use of examples and simple artifacts to make lessons more interesting, effective reinforcement techniques, and introducing and closing lessons effectively. The incorporation of videotaped consultation allows participants to review their own performance and practice self-assessment. Microteaching research at Stanford University has shown that even a 5-minute lesson is sufficient for the practice of many useful teaching skills in all subject areas. While a 10-minute limit might seem short, it will help to approach your unit of microteaching as a single element within a lesson. In a normal class period, a typical lesson will combine multiple concepts or skills within the same topic, yet teachers often are not trained to break down their lessons into individual concepts or skills. Identifying single concepts and planning a single concept lesson or skill development lesson is itself an important ability. Microteaching is well suited to help teachers identify single concepts or constituent skills and learn how to create learning
modules from which longer lessons can be constructed. Example: Introductory Lesson on Redaction Criticism Goal: In a unit on the gospels for an introductory biblical studies course, I want my students to understand redaction criticism and be able to perform it at a basic level. Learning Strategy: Rather than lecturing on redaction criticism, I will design a 10-minute inductive classroom activity in which students read and compare the opening paragraphs of three internet news stories: an original AP story and two edited versions of the same story as they appear on FoxNews.com and MSNBC.com. During this activity students will read for similarities and differences, noticing how the AP story has been changed by FoxNews and MSNBC, revealing editorial tendencies.
Time for the group processing of feedback apart from the studentinstructor is also an important component of our model. Not only does it improve the overall quality of feedback that instructors receive, the process of discussing and reaching a consensus on the most important points to communicate to each instructor (both strengths and weaknesses) contributes much to the learning experience for all participants. What should I teach? Participants will choose a narrowly focused lesson or lesson segment that can be effectively taught in 10 minutes. Possibilities include: A key concept or skill from an introductory course in one's discipline A very short text or passage that can be read and discussed profitably within the allotted time An important theory or theorist from one's field that might be introduced in an introductory course For instance, one could approach their unit of instruction as the opening 10 minutes of a 50-minute class on a key thinker. One might select a short passage or image that could be used to introduce the figure. Alternatively, one might use the text or artifact to conclude the unit or illustrate an important point. Or suppose one needs to explain an unfamiliar concept that came up in a reading assignment. Or imagine opening a unit on the subjunctive mood for an introductory language class. See the sidebar for a further example. The possibilities are limitless! How do I prepare? Planning one's lesson is a crucial element of the microteaching learning experience. Microteaching (like all teaching) is more than simply passive delivery of content. Instead, microteaching instructors should think of themselves less as dispensers of information and more as facilitators of student learning. Keep in mind that student learning can result from a range of teaching methods, including interactive lectures, class discussions, small group work, and in-class exercises.
As you imagine a classroom scenario and begin to plan your lesson, ask yourself the following questions: 1. What is your goal for this lesson? What do you want students to learn or be able to do as a result? 2. How might your learners best achieve this learning goal? You will want your students to be actively involved in their learning. Lecturing is one option, but consider how you might make a lecture more interactive. Moreover, challenge yourself to try out other interactive teaching strategies besides lecturing that may better suit your aim. You may wish to consult the resources below for ideas. Resources for preparing your lesson You may find the following web resources helpful in preparing your microteaching lesson plan: http://ctl.utexas.edu/teaching/engagement https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/teaching-resources http://divinity.uchicago.edu/teaching-resources (for links to additional web resources)
Ground Rules for Giving and Receiving Feedback:
What happens in microteaching stays in microteaching. All time limits are firm. They have to be in order to give everyone an equal opportunity for practice. Share equal parts positive feedback and constructive criticism. Ground feedback on observations and evidence rather than your interpretations or judgments. (“I noticed you waited only one second for students to respond" instead of "You seemed impatient".)
Microteaching Teaching Practices Rubric Teaching is complex craft, involving many behaviors and practices that are difficult to isolate and evaluate. Below is an inventory of some teaching skills that may be practiced in microteaching. This list is by no means comprehensive, and not all skills will be practiced in a given microteaching lesson. However, you may find it useful both to think about which skills you wish to practice as you prepare and as a rubric for feedback to other student teachers during the session. Teaching Practices Lesson Planning Purpose: Goal(s) for the lesson transparent to both instructor and learner Teaching Strategy: Pedagogical strategy well-chosen for the topic and learning goal(s) Introduction: Piques interest and orients learner to the topic Pacing: Lesson proceeds neither too slowly nor too quickly Content: Taught at a level appropriate to the target audience Sequencing: Material is presented in a logical order or meaningful sequence Conclusion: Effectively brings closure and recaps main idea(s)
Presentation Voice: Volume and expressiveness both appropriate and modulated for variety and emphasis Energy: Communicates enthusiasm with voice and nonverbals Physical presence and movement: Enhances lesson with gestures; moves appropriately to interact with learners and to communicate emphasis Extemporaneous delivery: Delivery is natural and not overly reliant upon notes or slides Eye contact: Sufficient and appropriate eye contact with all learners
Engagement with learners Interactivity: Chosen teaching strategies promote active learning and participation among learners. For instance: Learners are asked questions by instructor Clarifications of key concepts are regularly provided Learners are asked to explain key concepts back to the instructor Learners have opportunities to interact with one another Learners have opportunities to practice or use material being taught Response time: Waits sufficient amount of time for student responses Active listening: Communicates attentive listening to comments and questions Reinforcement: Repetition and clarification of key points are provided at regular intervals; periodic checks of student understanding
Teaching Aids Handouts: Handouts are helpful and easy to follow Visual Aids: Presentation software and supporting media are used effectively and with purpose Use of the board: Board is used for maximum benefit; writing is legible
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