MICROTEACHING

A teacher makes use of number of methods and techniques to bring about effective learning. The techniques include, motivating the students, explaining, questioning, writing on the blackboard, using teaching aids and so on. The teacher could also make use of nonverbal behaviours such as smiling, nodding and gesturing. These groups of activities are called skills. A teaching skill is a group of teaching acts/behaviours intended to facilitate pupils’ learning directly or indirectly. If the teacher trainees are conscious and aware of teaching skills, they will be able to concentrate on each of these skills and gain masterly over the skill. Microteaching introduces the teacher trainee to a wide range of teaching skills and allows the teacher trainee to practice each skill one at a time until he or she becomes proficient in the skill. Later on, the teacher trainee will be able to link many such skills to achieve the desirable outcome.

 

Definitions:

Microteaching has been defined in many ways likes:

Ø Microteaching as a scaled down teaching encounter in class size and class time – Allen D.W. (1966)

Ø  Microteaching as a system of controlled practice, that makes it possible to concentrate on specific teaching behavior and to practice teaching under controlled conditions. – Allen Eve (1968)

Ø The most important point in microteaching is that teaching is practiced in terms of definable, observable, measurable and controllable teaching skills. – Passi B.K.

From the above stated definitions a more comprehensive definition of microteaching can be stated as follows. Microteaching is a teacher training technique where the complexities of the normal classroom teaching are reduced by:

·       Practicing one teaching skill at a time

·        Limiting the content to a single concept

·       Reducing the class size to 5 to 7 and

·       Reducing the duration of the lesson to 5 to 7 minutes.

 

Planning:

          This step involves selection of the skill to be practiced, awareness of the components of the skill, selection of a suitable concept and the writing of a micro lesson plan.

Teaching :

          The trainee teaches the lesson in the microteaching setting. NCERT has suggested the following setting for micro teaching.

          Time                      -        6 Minutes

          Number of students  -       5 to 10; peer group

          Supervisor               -        Teacher educator and/or one or two peers

          The lesson is being observed by the teacher supervisor and / or peers or videotaped or audio taped.

Feedback: 
          The observers analyze the performance and discuss it with the teacher trainee on the basis of their rating using the appraisal guide. The feedback should focus on specific behavior related to the model of the teaching skill. The supervisor can reinforce effective behavior and draw attention to other behavior modifications necessary for mastering the skill.

Replan:

          In the light of the feedback received from the supervisor and peer observers the teacher trainee replans his/her micro lesson by writing another micro lesson plan or modifying the existing one.

Reteach:

          The teacher trainee reteaches the revised lesson to another, but comparable group of students. The supervisor checks to see whether there is any improvement in skill attainment.

Refeedback:

          The supervisor assesses the lesson once again and provides the feedback to the trainee. This process repeats till the teacher trainee acquires the required level of competency.

 

Use of Microteaching:

Microteaching technique enhances the effectiveness of the teacher training programmes in the following ways.

Ø Microteaching helps in reducing the complexities of the normal classroom teaching. This helps the teacher trainees gain more confidence in real teaching.

Ø Microteaching creates among the teacher-trainees an awareness of the various skills of which teaching is composed of.

Ø  Microteaching helps in systematic and objective analysis of the pattern of classroom communication through specific observation schedule.

Ø Microteaching simulates the classroom scene and gives the teacher trainee an experience of real teaching.

Ø Feedback enables the teacher-trainees to consciously concentrate on specific behaviour modification.

Ø  As microteaching focuses on the modification of behavior and improvement of interaction process involved in teaching learning process, the teacher trainees can handle classes more effectively in real teaching.

Ø  In microteaching the complex task of teaching is looked upon as a set of simpler skills comprising specific classroom behaviour. This helps the teacher trainees in better understanding of the meaning and concept of the term ‘teaching’.

Ø Objectives can be defined more easily and more reliable measures of change in teacher behavior can be thought of using behaviorally defined skills.