Skills - Micro teaching
- 1. Micro Teaching By Dr. I. Uma Maheswari iuma_maheswari@yahoo.co.in
- 2. Micro teaching Micro teaching examines the teacher education programmes with special reference to student teacher in India and abroad.
- 3. Teacher education in India and Abroad The quality of a nation is judged by the quality of the citizens. The quality of the citizens is judged by the efficiency of the teaching. The quality of these teachers depends upon the soundness of the teacher education programmes.
- 4. The educationists and administrator have expressed dissatisfaction regarding the present teacher education programme and have recommended measures for improvement. There have been a few innovative alternatives for teacher educators to adopt, like micro teaching techniques competency / performance based teaching education programs, role- playing, self-confrontation, and such others.
- 5. Among them, the most popular ones are micro teaching and competency/performance based teacher education programme. Micro teaching is a training technique which requires student teachers to teach a single concept using specified teaching skill to a small number of pupils in a short duration of time.
- 6. The most important point in micro teaching is that teaching is practiced in terms of definable, observable, measurable and controllable teaching skills.
- 7. Skill of stimulus variation Teacher Movement Teacher Gesture Change in speech pattern Change in sensory focus Pupil talk Pupil movement
- 8. Teacher Movement Teacher moves in the class but every movement has a purpose (i.e.) to check what pupils at the back are doing. to write something on the board. to remove boredom. to sustain attention of pupils who will be observing the teacher standing near the table for a long time.
- 9. Teacher Gesture The various gestures that we use in the class is to draw pupil’s attention are head, hand and body movements. Gestures will be more expressive and dynamic in our presentation in class. Gestures can be made by movement of the parts of the body to direct attention, to emphasize importance, to explain emotions, or to indicate shapes, sizes, movements, etc.
- 10. Change in speech pattern Whenever we want to express emotions or feelings, we can modulate our voice. This sudden variation in this stimulus will attract attention of the pupils. While reading a lesson, a teacher has to read certain sentences emphasizing anger. The teacher can increase the volume of his voice, and suddenly slow down. These sudden changes in the pitch of the voice will make pupils to be attentive.
- 11. Change in sensory focus Behaviors that direct or focus pupils’ attention to a particular point which the pupils have to notice or observe. Certain verbal statement (verbal focusing), or gestures or movements (gestural focusing), and both verbal statement and gestures (verbal and gestural focusing)
- 12. Verbal focusing: When we say “Look at this Diagram”, “ Listen carefully to this” I.e. directing pupils’ attention to that particular aspect which we are emphasizing. Gestural focusing: This involves focusing or directing pupil’s attention to particular points in the lesson by using only gestures – head, hand and body movement.
- 13. The teacher can point out a key in the keyboard or important words on the blackboard. Verbal and gestural focusing: This focus the pupils’ attention both by pointing to a figure and saying verbally “Look at this Figure”. (I.e) verbal and gestural focusing is found by experience to be ;more effective than either of them singly used.
- 14. Pupil talk When two or more pupils’ talk or response for the teacher’s question. Asking questions to an individual. Questions are asked and without commenting redirect the question by pointing to another pupil. Asking the students to write down certain points on the blackboard.
- 15. Pupil movement Asking the students to show an apparatus. Making them to identify certain item. Making them to come to the black board to write the syntax of a statement.
- 16. Skill of Reinforcement Positive verbal reinforcement Positive non-verbal reinforcement Negative verbal reinforcement Negative non-verbal reinforcement Writing pupils answer on the black board
- 17. Positive verbal reinforcement Encouraging remarks such as “that’s good”, “right”, “yes”, “correct”, “fine”, “excellent”, “splendid”, “well done”, “I like what you are doing”, “continue”, “go-ahead with what you are saying”, “carry on”, etc
- 18. Positive non-verbal reinforcement Non verbal expressions like nodding of head, smiling, moving towards the responding pupil, keeping eyes on the pupil, giving ears to the pupil indicating that attention is being paid to the pupil’s words, writing the response of the pupil on the blackboard, any other nonverbal action indicating pleasure at the pupil’s response.
- 19. Negative verbal reinforcement Avoid discouraging expressions such as “I do not like what you are doing”, “Do something else”, “nonsense”, “you are not good”, “no”, “wrong”, “incorrect”, “stop it”, “that’s not”, etc., Discouraging cues and voice tones as “humph” in sarcastic voice
- 20. Negative non-verbal reinforcement Frowning, moving away from the responding pupil, keeping eyes on the pupil with discouraging looks, hard and disapproving stares, not looking at the responding pupil, tapping foot impatiently and walking around, etc.
- 21. Writing pupils answer on the black board Writing the correct answers. Writing the important points. Drawing the circuit diagram. Making the students to verify the Circuit diagram drawn on the blackboard.
- 22. Skill of Probing Questions Prompting Seeking further information Redirecting Refocusing Increasing critical awareness
- 23. Prompting This involves the teacher to give clues or hints to the pupil and ask leading questions. This technique is used when the pupil gives (a) “I do not know” or “I am not sure” response, (b) very weak or wrong response. The teacher helps the pupil to arrive at the criterion response by means of systematic and step-by-step questioning process.
- 24. Seeking further information If the initial response of a pupil is either incomplete or partially correct, then the teacher helps the pupil to clarify, elaborate, or explain his initial response.
- 25. The teacher elicits more information and meaning or seeks further clarification from the pupil by asking questions, like What do you mean by the term “input” used by you in this statement? Can you put it in other words to make it clearer what you mean? Can you clarify your answer further?
- 26. When the pupil is not wrong, but the answer does not match the criterion response. In this instance the teacher asks the pupil to complete his response by asking questions like. What else can you add to your response? Is there any other answer also to the problem? Please state it in other words. How can you make your answer clearer?
- 27. When the pupil is answering by guessing. This technique helps to remove any faulty assumptions underlying the pupil’s answer. Example Will you tell me why do you think that you are right? Will you please elaborate your answer? Will you give an example to support your view?
- 28. Redirecting Redirection technique involves putting or directing the same question to several pupils for response. When there is ‘no response’ we may redirect the same question to other pupil.
- 29. Refocusing This technique is generally used when the pupil gives a correct response. The teacher relates present answer with the topic already covered in the class. This technique requires the pupil to relate a complete acceptable answer to other topics already studied by him.
- 30. Example In what way is this different from ……? How does it relate to ……? In what way is it similar to ……? If you examine it from the view point of …..?
- 31. Increasing critical awareness This technique mainly involves asking ‘how’ and ‘why’ of a complete correct or expected response. The teacher asks the pupil to justify his response rationally.