microteaching

Microteaching is a teacher education technique in which a prospective teacher delivers a short, focused lesson to a small group of learners, typically five to seven minutes long, to practice a specific objective. The lesson is observed by peers or supervisors and often recorded for later analysis. After the delivery, structured feedback is provided, and the lesson can be revised and re-taught.

Origin and purpose: Microteaching emerged in the 1960s at Stanford University as part of teacher education research led by Dwight W. Allen. It was designed to provide rehearsal with immediate feedback and to reduce the complexity of practicing in a full classroom, allowing teachers to concentrate on specific teaching behaviors in a controlled setting.

Procedure: The typical cycle involves selecting a single objective, planning a brief lesson, limiting the number of teaching behaviors to display, delivering to a small group, recording or observing, and using a standard feedback form. After feedback, the lesson is revised and re-taught, often through multiple iterations to refine performance.

Common skills targeted include clarity of instruction, questioning strategies, wait time, checking for understanding, use of examples and visuals, transitions, pacing, and nonverbal communication. The concise format encourages deliberate practice and self-reflection.

Benefits and limitations: Microteaching provides practice in a low-stakes environment, enabling focused feedback on specific teaching behaviors and potentially improving self-efficacy and transfer to real classrooms. Limitations include its artificial setting, limited scope, and the possibility that the short format does not address broader classroom management or sustained instructional challenges.

Applications and variations: It is widely used in pre-service teacher education, in-service training, and online programs, with cycles ranging from single to multiple iterations and with variations such as video-based analysis or peer coaching.