Teaching practice - Microteaching activities

source: https://www.twinkl.es/blog/what-are-compound-words
 

Before conducting the whole lessons, I started with some chunks of them - once it was just a 15-minutes introduction of new vocabulary, when the other time it turned out to be the whole 45-minutes. I got a chance to conduct microteaching activities, starting on 13th of January (while still observing the class) and finished on 14th of March. Two times I introduced new vocabulary (film genres and animals and their homes), once I introduced a new concept (compound words) and the last time was me conducting a reading session (introducing the topic of music).

While observing the class, I really wanted to see how students interact with the teacher and each other. I tried learning their names - though it worked only partially - so I made a graph with classroom settings and pupils’ names. I also paid attention to possible disruptive behaviour and ways in which the teacher keeps students focused and engaged during the lesson. All our classes were very early in the morning, so sometimes they were sleepy and quiet, while the other days they just wouldn’t stop talking.

During the microteachings, I wanted to test my abilities, especially those I perceive as my weaknesses. Classroom management and setting the rules was always a challenge for me. Fortunately, there weren’t many times when I had to test myself in this field. I also focused on giving clear instructions to pupils and eliciting answers from them (especially the shy and less active ones). I also worked with the pacing and time management - e.g. when to move faster, how much time to give to individual work.

I admit I enjoyed those microteaching more than I expected. I usually get very stressed, but in this classroom I felt really safe. My mentor teacher is extremely supportive and I am encouraged to try out different variations of things. Sometimes I tried imitating her (in the way of giving instructions, choosing the types of activities), but at the same time I wanted to make those things how I prefer. So, some aspects didn’t work while others did, and too many factors affected it to name one cause. What I learned is, time spent there was very helpful and helped me better understand (or in many ways - find out) my teaching philosophy.

Comments

  1. Szymon BaumJune 7, 2022 at 5:24 AM

    I think it's amazing that through the microteaching you were able to test, which aspects of the tasks worked and which didn't. I'm sure that helped you a lot, when you were preparing your lessons later on and knew how to approach them. Also, tackling your perceived weaknesses is very brave and I'm sure you got a lot out of doing it.

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