MICRO TEACHING

INTRODUCTION:

A training procedure aimed at simplifying the complexities of the regular teaching process.
The trainee is engaged in a scaled-down teaching situation. Scaled – down in terms of class size(
small group 4-6 pupils), length of class time (5-10 minutes), teaching tasks (practicing and
mastering of a specific teaching skill, ex. Lecturing, questioning or leading a discussion) and
strategy, flexibility, instructional decision-making, alternative use of specific curriculum,
instructional materials and class-room material.

DEFINITION:

‘’Micro-teaching is a scaled down teaching encounter in class size and class time’’. The
number of students is from the 5-10, and the duration of period range from 5-20 minutes.
–Allen.

Micro-teaching is a device which provides the novice and experienced teacher alike new
opportunities to improve the teaching, it is a real teaching scaled down in time and size of the
class, 1-5 students for 5-20 minutes.

- David B Young

‘’Micro-teaching is a teacher education technique which allows teacher to apply clearly

defined teaching skills to carefully prepared lessons in planned series of 5-10 minutes
encounters with a small group of real students often with an opportunity to observe the results
on video tape’’.

Use of cloud-circuit television to give immediate feed back of a trainee teachers

performance in a simplified environment’’

"A system of controlled practice that makes it possible to concentrate on specific

teaching behavior and to practice teaching under controlled condition".

Allen and Eve (1968).

CHARACTERISTICS OF A MICRO-TEACHING:

1. Micro element:

Micro-teaching reduces the complexity of the teaching situation in terms of :

a). Number of students to be taught.

 b). Duration of lesson.

c). Subject matter to be taught to enable the trainee to concentrate on a particular

teaching 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 micro - level.

d)The number of instructional objectives and the content is kept low.

e) It reduces the teaching skill and size of the topic, it is focused on micro-teaching.

f) it is highly individualized training device to prepare effective teaching and

provides feedback for trainees’ performance.

g) micro analysis of the teaching process consists of analyzing the minute details of
teaching.

2). Teaching skills and teaching strategies:

a) pre instructional skills.

 These include 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

b) instructional skills.

 Skills of introducing a lesson.

 Skills of explaining and illustration.

 Reinforcement.

 Probing questions.

 Reinforcing pupils participation.

 Diagnosing pupils difficulties.

c) post-instructional skills.
 Skills of writing test items.

 Interpreting pupil’s performance in a test.

 Planning remedial measures.

It enables the trainees to develop these skills and perfect them in such a way as to master
the teaching strategies.

d) feedback:

several reliable and authentic sources are used to provide feedback, oral feedback by the
supervisor, observation schedules filled in by the peer group participating in the micro-lesson,
audio and video-tape recording.

3). Safe practice ground:

Teaching is performed under stimulated conditions with a small group, the trainee is
on a safe practice ground.

4). The teaching models:

The trainee gets many opportunities to study the desired pattern of behavior through
demonstration given by the supervisor or a tape guides, the trainee can develop his own style.

5). The research Laboratory:

According to Allen and Rayan, the following areas of research seems to make the most
effective use of the micro-teaching setting.

• To optimize the procedures and sequences in the micro-teaching situation.

• Research in modeling and supervising techniques.

• Task analysis of teaching act.

• Investigation of the relation-ship between teaching behavior and students performances

.

• Aptitude treatment interaction studies, to provide optimal training procedures for

teachers with different abilities, interests and backgrounds.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF MICRO-TEACHING:

1. Enforcement: feedback, re-teaching makes teaching perfect.

2. Practice and drill: teaching is a complex skill which needs constant drill and practice. It
affords practice in each small task or skill and there by the pupil-teacher gain mastery.

3. Continuity: micro-teaching is a continuous process: teaching- feedback-re-teaching-

feedback till perfection is attained.

4. Micro-scopic supervision: supervision has an observation schedule which he fills up

while supervising and makes assessment at a rating scale. The supervisor sees through the
lesson all important points, paying attention to one point at a time.

STRATEGY FOR MICRO-TEACHING:

• Supervisor has to conduct orientation training for teacher trainees on each teaching skill
by model presentation followed with discussion about the presentation.

• Supervisor has to prepare time schedule of micro lesson for each teacher trainee.

• Delivery of lesson under controlled conditions by the pupil-teacher.

• Supervision of the lesion by the supervisor.

• Video tapes of the lesson to be televised at closed circuit television.

• Discussion about the presentation/ feedback from pupil supervisor in-charge.

• Preparation of the lesson after the feedback.

• Re-teaching of the same lesson to another small group of the students by the pupil
teacher.

• Again discussion with the supervisor and feedback.

FIVE ‘R’ OF THE MICRO-TEACHING:

 Recording.

 Reviewing.

 Responding.

 Refinding.

 Re-doing.

MICRO-TEACHING CYCLE:
MICRO-TEACHING FLOW CHART:

NEED OF MICRO-TEACHING:

To ensure the desired skills are actually acquired by the teacher-trainee. Supervised
teaching and learning practice are more useful after the student teacher goes through the
micro-teaching cycle.

Teaching is a complex task involving a number of teaching activities (overt teaching behavior)
and covert teaching activities come in to play.

Overt behavior- observable, measurable and recordable behavior.

Covert behavior- they bring about a change in opinions and beliefs.

Often covert behavior leads to overt behavior. Desirable micro-teaching behaviours which
constitute teaching skills, EX. Standing still, thinking, framing a question, facing the students,
listening, looking around for a response.

Recalling the names of the students, calling the students by names, Pausing to think.

Different teaching skills are not exclusive to each other. It is better to identify some
observable skills and then desire means to quantify them.

Micro-teaching is all about demonstrating, quantifying and improving such teaching skills.

STANFORD MODEL LISTED THE GENERAL TEACHING SKILLS INVOLVED IN MICRO-TEACHING:

 Stimulus variation.

 Set induction.

 Closure.

 Silence.

 Non-verbal clues.

 Reinforcement of student participation.

 Fluency in questioning.

 Probing questioning.

 Divergent questions.
 Recognizing attending behavior.

 Illustrating and use of example.

 Lecturing skills.

 Planned repetition move.

 Completeness of communication.

PASSIET ALLISTED TEACHING SKILLS AS FOLLOWS:

 Writing instructional objectives.

 Introducing a lesson.

 Fluency and questioning.

 Probing questions.

 Explaining.

 Illustrate with example.

 Stimulus variation.

 Silence and non-verbal cues.

 Reinforcement of learning.

 Increasing participation.

 Using chalk board.

 Achieving closure.

 Recognizing attending behavior.

APPARATUS NEEDED IN MICRO-TEACHING:

• Micro-teaching can be conducted with or without closed circuit television.

• Video on camera with a zoom lens.

• Video tape recorders.

• Two monitors.
• Recording tapes.

• Two clicks.

• Dozen lamps.

• 100 yards of wire.

• Switch gear.

OBJECTIVES OF MICRO-TEACHING:

1. To enable the teacher trainees to learn and assimilate new teaching skills under
controlled conditions.

2. To enable the teacher trainee to gain confidence in teaching skills on a small group of
pupil.

3. To utilize the academic potential of teacher-trainee for providing much needed

feedback.

4. To give the teacher-trainees training on the component skills of teaching at the pre-
service of level.

5. To gain maximum advantage with little time, money and material.

STEPS IN MICRO-TEACHING:

1. Defining the skill: A particular skill is defined to student teachers in terms of specific
teaching behaviors, and the objectives such behaviors aim at achieving.

2. Demonstrating the lesson:

The teacher educator can give a demonstration lesson using the particular skill.

3. Planning the lesson:

The student teacher prepares a lesson plan based on the pre-decided model on a suitable
topic relating to the particular skill which he proposes to practice.

4. Teaching the Micro lesson

5. Discussion on the lesson delivered: the lesson delivered by the trainee is followed by
discussion to provide him feedback. Peers who participated in the lesson as learners, peer
observers or the supervisor can provide the necessary feedback. Feedback can also be provided
by audiotape or video tape recorder. The student teacher observes and analyses his lesson with
the help of the supervisor.

6. Re-planning the lesson:

In the light of the feedback and supervisor’s comments, the student teacher re-plans
the same lesson or a different lesson in order to use the skill more effectively.

7. Re-teaching the lesson:

The revised lesson is re-taught to a different but comparable groups of pupils.

8. Re discussion or re-feedback:

The lesson is again observed or audio-taped or video-taped. Observations are noted.

Feedback is again provided on the re-taught lesson.

9. Repeating the cycle:

The teach-re-teach cycle is repeated till the desired level of skill is achieved. The supervisor
is to enable the teacher trainee to perfect his performan1ce in the particular teaching skill.

PHASES O`F MICRO-TEACHING:

1. Knowledge acquisition phase:

• Observation of analysis.

• Discussion of the demonstrated skill.

2. Skill acquisition phase.

• Preparation of the micro lesson involving the skill.

• Practicing the skill while teaching.

3. Transfer phase.

• Evaluating the performance leading to feedback.

• Re-plan, re-teach and transfer of the skill to actual class teaching in micro-session.

LEADING ROLE OF SUPERVISOR IN MICRO-TEACHING:

 Supervisor will help the teacher trainee to develop component skills of the teaching to
both the theory underlying skills and the practical conditions of the classroom.
 Provides continuous consultation and helps the teacher trainee skills learnt I micro-
teaching setting to the actual class room.

 Demonstrate the teaching skill which has to be developed in the teacher trainee.

 Prepares a special schedule of micro-teaching lessons in the practicing schools.

 Supervises the lesson and discussion with the pupil teacher in a group of other pupil
teacher.

 Evaluates the trainees’ class and files the rating questionnaire schedule and gives
feedback.

 Supervisor should act as a role model for teacher trainees.

ADVANTAGES OF MICROTEACHING:

1. Supervisor performance.

2. Real teaching: the teacher and pupils work together in a practice situation.

3. Accomplishment of specific tasks: Tasks are the practice of instructional skills, the
practice of techniques of teaching, the mastery of certain curricular materials or the
demonstration of the teaching method.

4. Increased control of practice.

5. Expansion of the normal knowledge of or feedback dimension in teaching.

6. Helps in some of the solving problems involved in student teaching practice.

7. Effective in modifying teaching behavior.

8. Helps in developing important teaching skills.

9. Effective technique for transfer of general teaching competence to classroom teaching.

10. Provide safe practice ground.

11. Provides many opportunities to trainee to study the desired patterns of the behavior.

12. Lessens the complexities of the normal classroom teaching by scaled down teaching.

13. Individualizes teacher training.

14. Facilitates the development of the teaching skills. Ex: probing questions.
15. The student teacher can easily focus his attention on clearly defined aspects of the
behavior.

16. Immediate evaluation and additional trails will be done.

17. The student teacher can concentrate on some specific aspects of teaching – learning.

18. Patterns of classroom interaction and communication between the teacher and the
student can be objectively and easily studied.

19. The objectives of micro-teaching are specified in terms of behavioral outcomes.

20. It is more managerial than classroom teaching as number of persons involved is less and
duration of time is also less.

21. Observable, demonstrable and quantifiable skills are used in micro-teaching.

22. Senior teachers can guide the junior teachers in a practical manner where improvement
of skills can occur by identifying their strengths and weaknesses.

23. Subsequent cycles of micro-teaching results in critical analysis and improvement in

teaching skills.

LIMITATIONS OF MICRO-TEACHING:

• It is only a stimulated technique with less number of persons over a short period of
time.

• It is expensive to procure and to maintain video recording equipment just for micro-
teaching.

• Limited to lecturing.

• Conducted under controlled environment where different audio-visual resources etc.,

are provided.

• Real life situations are quite different.

• It does not apply to skills like decission making, preparation of audio-visual resources,
maintaining student records, etc.

• Minimum of feedback sequence to choose from, the feedback provided by simulation is

not total but only the most likely feedback.

• Time consuming.
• Difficulty in using analytic approach to problem solving becomes a problem.

• Need for many simulators since instruction is individualized.

• Scope is narrow.

• Requires more skills.

SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

INTRODUCTION:

The concept of Self-Directed Learning (SDL) is one which educators have investigated
and discussed for many years. This Digest will examine the basic tenets of Self directed learning,
and it will discuss recently conducted research findings germane to its application in
classrooms.

Self-Directed Learning:

Self-directed learning, which has its roots in adult education, is an approach that has
also been tried with learners in elementary and secondary schools. There may be slight
variations in how different educators define Self directed learning, but a survey of the literature
on the subject identifies several tenets that are central to the concept.

• As the term suggests, Self directed learning views learners as responsible owners and
managers of their own learning process. Self directed learning integrates self-management
(management of the context, including the social setting, resources, and actions) with self-
monitoring (the process whereby the learners monitor, evaluate and regulate their cognitive
learning strategies).

• Self directed learning recognizes the significant role of motivation and volition in
initiating and maintaining learners' efforts. Motivation drives the decision to participate, and
volition sustains the will to see a task through to the end so that goals are achieved.

• In Self directed learning, control gradually shifts from teachers to learners. Learners
exercise a great deal of independence in setting learning goals and deciding what is worthwhile
learning as well as how to approach the learning task within a given framework.

• Teachers scaffold learning by making learning 'visible.' They model learning strategies
and work with students so that they develop the ability to use them on their own

• Self directed learning is, ironically, highly collaborative. Learners collaborate with
teachers and peers in (Guthrie, Alao & Rinehart; 1997; Temple & Rodero, 1995).
• Self directed learning develops domain-specific knowledge as well as the ability to
transfer conceptual knowledge to new situations. It seeks to bridge the gap between school
knowledge and real-world problems by considering how people learn in real life.

Benefits of Self-Directed Learning:

 The benefits of SDL are best described in terms of the type of learners it develops.

 The literature on SDL asserts that self-directed learners demonstrate a greater

awareness of their responsibility in making learning meaningful and monitoring themselves
(Garrison, 1997).

 They are curious and willing to try new things (Lyman, 1997), view problems as
challenges, desire change, and enjoy learning (Taylor, 1995).

 Taylor also found them to be motivated and persistent, independent, self-disciplined,

self-confident and goal-oriented.

 Self-directed learning allows learners to be more effective learners and social beings.

 Guthrie, et al. (1996) noted that the self-directed learners in a Concept-Oriented

Reading Instruction (CORI) program demon-strated the ability to search for information in
multiple texts, employ different strategies to achieve goals, and to represent ideas in different
forms (drawing and writing).

 Morrow, et al. (1993) observe that with proper planning and implementation, self-
directed learning can encourage students to develop their own rules and leadership patterns.

For the teacher (the facilitator of learning):

In most courses, teachers are concerned about helping students in a life-long learning
process, so that the student develops an interest in further learning and provide base for
concepts and skills that will facilitate further learning and thinking. Modern teachers need to
provide a variety of learning experiences for students. In the first place, the concept should
change from that of 'teacher' to that of 'facilitator of learning', 'motivator' and 'designer of the
learning situation' and sometimes join the students honestly as a continuing co-learner.
Creating an environment in which students can learn effectively and efficiently is the core
managerial role of teachers. The following skills will help one succeed at being a 'facilitator of
learning' (Knowles, 1975).

1. Climate setting: Get learners to become acquainted with one another as persons and as
mutual resources for learning. Help them to understand the concept of self-directed learning,
provide simple practicing skills and above all create an atmosphere characterized by both
mutual caring and support and intellectual rigor. SDL can flourish only when learners and
teachers see one another as mutually helpful human beings.

2. Planning: Develop 'your' model of competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes and

values) regarding the content of the course namely: a. The list of 'given' objectives of the course
, b. List of references containing information relevant to these objectives, c. A list of 'inquiry
units' specifying the kinds of questions with which the course deals. Organize the contents
needed to be covered into manageable units, arrange these units in a logical sequence and
introduce the most efficient means of transmitting each unit (by assigned reading, audio-visual
presentation etc.). Decide about the procedures to be used, invite learners' suggestions at
certain points, involve them in the decision-making process, and delegate responsibilities to
subgroups or elected committees.

3. Diagnosing needs for learning: Start with a model of the competencies the particular
learning experience should be concerned with. Present it in such a way that the learners will
feel free to change it or build upon it, realistically and non-threateningly assess gaps between
their present level of development of the competencies and the level required by the model.

4. Setting goals: Translate the diagnosed needs into learning objectives that are clear,
feasible, meaningful and appropriate by suggesting changes constructively.

5. Designing a learning plan: Propose guidelines for designing a learning plan, expose
them to resources and strategies, for using resources that they may not know about, suggest
mechanisms (e.g. Consultation teams) to facilitate their helping one another in designing their
plans.

6. Engaging in learning activities: Make yourself available to subgroups and individuals as

a consultant and resource as they plan and carry out their learning activities. Take up the
responsibility of assuring quality performance of the learning activities.

7. Evaluating learning outcomes: Evaluation is done not primarily by the teacher but by
mutual assessment of self-controlled evidence. Make the right judgments about the adequacy
of the evidence of accomplishment of the learner's objectives and the adequacy of their criteria
and means for validating their evidence. Present these judgments in such a way that they will
enhance rather than diminish the learner's self-concepts as self-directed persons.

Developing Self-Directed learners

Self-direction can be learned and it can be taught. Regan (2003) recommends that it is
necessary to examine what motivates students towards self-directed learning. Students need
specific guidance and feedback to motivate them towards SDL, which is not consistent with the
philosophical basis of SDL and may lead to inconsistency amongst teachers in the facilitation of
this process.

The first responsibility of a facilitator of learning is to help students develop competence

as self-directed learners. Different students have different abilities to be self-directed. Many
students find that the idea of self-learning for the first time is so strange that they become over
anxious. They have been so conditioned to having teachers tell them what they are to learn and
how, that they become confused and worried when confronted with the responsibility of
thinking through what they want to learn and how they will go about learning it. A good
teacher is one who motivates students and encourages student to develop on their own.

Teachers do to Support Self-Directed Learning:

One of the most important tasks of the teacher is to raise student awareness of their
roles in learning. Taylor (1995) suggests engaging students in discussion on topics from the Self-
Directed Learning Readiness Scale.

Examples of topics are: I know that I want to learn and that I am a learner, so if I want
to learn something, I can, and I like to learn and to solve problems because I know that thinking
'hard' can be fun. The exercise of evaluating oneself on such topics was found to have positively
influenced learner awareness. Lyman (1997), who works with readers, suggests generating
similar discussion through the use of questions designed to help learners become aware of
what good readers do and how to become one.

Among the examples he provides are: Did you read better today than yesterday? Could
you keep the ideas in your book straight in your mind? Were there words you did not know?
How did you figure them out?

Learner participation in decision-making is another fundamental aspect of the Self

directed learning approach. Taylor advocates involving students in decisions concerning what is
to be learned, when and how it should be learned, and how it should be evaluated. In addition,
every proponent of SDL emphasizes the importance of allowing learners to pursue their own
interests so that learning becomes more meaningful. Morrow, et al. (1993) report that when
writers are allowed to choose their own topics, they write more often and they write longer
pieces. Students do not have to be given total freedom, however. Teachers could, for instance,
establish a thematic framework within which students are given choices.

To establish the habit of self-monitoring, teachers need to encourage learners to reflect

on what they did and to revise attempted work.
 Since Self directed learning stresses meaningful learning, Temple and Rodero (1995)
advocate a situated learning approach, in which teachers bring real-life problems into the
classroom for learners to work on. They advise against 'sugar-coating' work with fun, the
rationale being that if the tasks are meaningful, learners will work on them willingly. Learners
should also be allowed to collaborate with the teacher in determining deadlines and other
regulations.

Finally, teachers need to model learning strategies such as predicting, questioning,

clarifying, and summarizing, so that students will develop the ability to use these strategies on
their own. Teachers also need to allow individual learners to approach a task in different ways
using different strategies.

Researchers have found that as children grow, they have an increasing desire for
autonomy. Self directed learning may be one way of harnessing that natural desire to help
achieve a meaningful learning experience that will last through adulthood.

USE OF SELF DIRECTED LEARNING IN CLINICAL AREA.

• Nokdee, Somjai (2011) . PhD thesis thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

• The aim of this research was to explain the process of nurses’ self-directed learning in
clinical practice according to their self-perceptions. The researcher applied a phenomenological
research approach as it enabled the researcher to discover and understand the direct daily
experiences of nurses as they relate to self-directed learning in clinical practice. The research
took place in a provincial Thai general hospital with over 500 beds. The participants were seven
nurses from seven wards and four nurse educators from four departments of this hospital. Each
participant had at least one year of work experience in a general hospital with 500 patient-beds
in Thailand. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation
and field notes over seven months from July 2010 to January 2011. Inductive analysis was used
to interpret participants’ perceptions, experiences and behaviors. Data are presented to
illustrate and substantiate interpretations of the self-directed learning process of nurses in
clinical practices.

The findings show that nurses defined self-directed learners by four characteristics:

1) independent in learning, 2) effective in learning, 3) accepting of responsibility for learning,

and 4) able to use problem solving skills. It was also found that nurses learned about patients,
nursing practice and nursing communications through self-direction by selecting their own
methods of learning, as well as choosing the sources of their learning. Nurse educators have a
role in encouraging and supporting nurses to learn through self-direction by providing and
suggesting how to use learning resources, building a conducive atmosphere and environment
for learning, and evaluating the effectiveness of nurses’ self-directed learning. The findings from
this study indicate that the opportunity to learn through self-direction already exists in the
clinical setting. The nurses in this study primarily utilized learning sources within the hospital
setting when engaged in self-directed learning, in particular human resources. Both structured
and unstructured activities contributed to learning opportunities for nurses in clinical practice.
Critical to their learning was the capability of identifying the learning opportunities that arise in
their work. These results can be applied in nursing development plans in order to increase the
self-directed learning potential of professional nurses. This effort may then enhance lifelong
learning among nursing personnel of hospitals. Nurses can use their knowledge and skills from
self-development to provide higher quality nursing care to patients. Eventually, their self-
development will lead to their career development and finally to the development of the
organization.

A self-directed learning tool for nurses who precept student nurses.

Riley-Doucet C.

Source

Department of Nursing, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, USA.

Abstract

The Preceptor Orientation Self-Learning Education (POSE) module was developed as a

teaching/learning tool for preparing nurses in their role as preceptors to senior nursing
students in the clinical practice area. Findings from this pilot study suggest that the Perception
oriented self directed learning module offered nurse preceptors an effective and convenient
teaching/learning option in preparing them for their roles as clinical preceptors to student
nurses. Results of this study can be used to enhance nursing education on preceptor
preparation.

Nursing students’ and tutors’ perceptions of learning and teaching in a clinical skills centre

Abstract

Background

Clinical Skills Centers (CSCs) can ease pressure on clinical skills development and
assessment in clinical areas; and provide added value through experiential learning and self-
directed learning. Published accounts of innovation in Clinical skills centers tell part of this story
but little is known about perceptions of students and tutors engaged in day-to-day learning and
teaching in Clinical skill centers .

Methods

This paper reports one strand of a mixed methods study in a busy multidisciplinary
Clinical skill centers: a questionnaire survey of nursing students’ and tutors’ perceptions of
learning and teaching. Questionnaires focused on items representing commonly espoused
views regarding the use and usefulness of Clinical skill centers.

Results

Students and tutors enjoyed learning and teaching within the Clinical skill centers,
although senior students were slightly muted in their views. All groups valued the supported
practice of clinical and communication skills. The Clinical skill centers was seen as a learning
environment that supports the linking of theory and practice. There was some ambivalence,
particularly among tutors, about the relationship between performance in the Clinical skill
centers and in clinical areas.