Micro-teaching

 

A brief overview of Micro-teaching  In cricket, a batsman can play various kinds of shots. But for becoming skilled in those shots he or she has to practice a lot to become skilled. We can take the example of great batsman Sachin Tendulkar. He once was attacked on the leg side by left-hand spinners. Hence he practiced a particular short known as the pedal sweep in net practice for long hours. The result was he able to overcome the barrier he was facing against the left-armed spinner. The same is true for teaching. Teaching is not an easy job. A teacher has to do many things simultaneously while teaching in the classroom. He has to draw a diagram on the blackboard. At the same time, he has to make his students attentive toward him, and also at the same time he has to reinforce them as per the requirement. So we can say teaching is a complex job various skills have to be performed together. What if we practice those skills separately in a controlled situation? Like Sachin Tendulkar practiced that particular short for long hours. That we basically do in micro-teaching. Here we separate those skills which are an integral part of classroom teaching and practice separately in a controlled environment. If someone wants to learn to swim she may not go for Ocean but rather prefers a swimming pool that is not so deep. What is the reason behind it? The simple reason is to reduce the difficulty, risk associated, and complexity. The same is true for micro-teaching. It reduces the complexity of teaching. The term micro-teaching was first coined by D. W. Allen in 1963 at Stanford University. It was invented during an experimental project on the identification of teachers' skills in the progress.  It is a teacher training technique for acquiring teaching skills. It is also one of the most contemporary innovations in a teacher education program which aim to modify teachers’ behavior according to specific objectives. Here the emphasis is given to a specific teaching skill. It is known that each teaching skill is a set of related teaching behavior. It is worth mentioning that the development of such teaching skills further will facilitate students learning.  Therefore a teacher should be trained in all teaching skills for developing the ability to effectively teach. Micro-teaching is giving the opportunity for training this skill one by one as it is scaled down technique in terms of skill, content, number of students to be taught, and time. Micro-teaching allows practicing any skill independently and interacting with other skills in a familiar environment. The effectiveness of teachers could be increased by providing them training to be skilled in those specific skills one by one and integrating all skills systematically. Micro-teaching can be termed as the laboratory technique in which the complexity of classroom teaching is simplified. In micro-teaching, the main focus is on making the prospective teachers skilled in that particular skill, say, blackboard writing skill. Here the focus is not on the learning of the learners. The learners could be thought of as the experimental group of an experiment. One question may arise: what is the need for micro-teaching? First of all, teaching is an act. A teacher performs where the classroom can be thought of as the stage. So for making this performance better a teacher needs to practice the skills. This will make him a good performer i.e. an effective teacher. All of us are not teachers by birth. Actually, the number of such teachers is very less. But we need a huge number of teachers who need to take care of the future citizen of this country as well as this world. So we have to make teachers. And for that micro teaching is the finest tool in teacher education. Definition of Micro-teaching: Allen, D.W (1966): Micro-teaching is a scaled-down teaching encounter in class size and class time. Allen, D.W. and Eve, A.W. (1968): Micro-teaching is defined as a system of controlled practice that makes it possible to concentrate on specified teaching behavior and to practice teaching under controlled conditions. Passi, B. K.(1976): Microteaching is a training technique that requires student-teachers to teach a single concept using specified teaching skills to a small number of pupils in a short duration of time. From the above-mentioned definitions, the following characteristics of micro-teaching can be derived. These are, Characteristics of Micro-teaching: ·         It is a teacher training technique and not a method of teaching. ·         it is micro in the sense that it scales down the complexities of real teaching- 1. Small portion of content/single concept at a time is taken 2. Only one skill at a time is practiced. 3. Number of students is 5 to 6. 4. Duration of each micro-lesson is 5-7 minutes ·         Feedback is provided to the teacher immediately after the completion of the teaching ·         Videotape and CCTV can be used- makes the observation more objective ·         It is a highly individualized training technique ·         High degree of control in practicing a skill ·         It involves  teaching the real lessons to real students ·         There is provision for improvement through re-planning,re-teach, and re-evaluation Components of Micro-teaching The definition and characteristics may further help us to identify the components of micro-teaching. These are as follows, ·         The student-teacher- The student who gets the training of teaching skills is known as student- teacher ·         The pupils: They are part of the techniques. They are being taught the micro-lesson by the student-teacher. They may be real or peers can act as (simulated micro-teaching). ·         The micro lesson: the short content or one concept is taken for micro-teaching ·         Teaching skills: the specific skill identified for micro-teaching like the ‘skill of introducing the lesson.’ ·         Time: time is an important component in micro-teaching. It needs to be short i.e. about 5-7 minutes and not more than that. ·         Feedback devices- Providing feedback is essential to bring changes in the behavior of the students. Feedback can be provided through videotape or feedback questionnaires   Phases of Micro-teaching Generally, micro-teaching is structured in three phases. These are, 1.      Knowledge Acquisition Phase 2.      Skill Acquisition phase 3.      Transfer Phase   §  Knowledge Acquisition Phase      Here student-teacher tries to get the knowledge of the skill to be practiced. He reads relevant literature concerning the skill (theoretical knowledge), and observes a   demonstration lesson given by the teacher-educator (practical knowledge). §  Skill Acquisition Phase             It is also known as the practicing phase. Student-teacher is given opportunities in real classroom situations, but scaled down, to practice the same behavior or skill. §  Transfer Phase             Here the student-teacher integrates the different skills. Instead of the artificial situation, he/she teaches in a real classroom for 30-35 minutes to 30-40 students.   The procedure adopted in Micro-teaching (steps) 1.   General discussion about micro-teaching:student-teacher reads related literature. The teacher educator explains the different teaching skills involved to student-teachers. 2.   Selection of skill: Out of various teaching skills, one skill for mastery purpose is selected. Full details of that skill are given to student-teachers. 3.   Demonstration of skill: Teacher-educator demonstrates a micro-lesson on that particular skill. 4.   Demonstration lesson is followed by a discussion: in which the student-teacher discusses it and seeks all types of clarifications. 5.   Preparation of micro-lesson: The student-teacher prepares a micro lesson plan on that skill selected, by consulting his/her supervisor. 6.   Execution of micro-lesson: The student-teacher teaches the lesson to a small group of students. The lesson is observed by the supervisor (teacher educator); if possible video recording could be done. 7.   Feedback: Immediately after the lesson, feedback is provided for improvement. 8.   Re-planning: On the basis of the feedback, the student-teacher re-plans the lesson under the guidance of a supervisor. 9.   Re-teaching: The re-planned lesson is re-taught to another small group of students. 10.  Re-feedback: After the completion of the lesson, again feedback is given and thus improvement in teaching is made. The above discussion help to derive the following diagram which is known as the micro-teaching cycle.  Hence it can be seen that the teaching time is 6 minutes followed by the feedback and discussion with the teacher-educator 6 minutes. Further 12 minutes could be given for re-planning and hence 6 minutes for re-teaching. Again teacher-educator will provide his/her feedback for 6 minutes approximately. Now if the teacher-educator feels that the student-teacher can achieve the mastery over the teaching skill the process is closed else the cycle will continue. The following flowchart will help to understand it.  The difference between micro-teaching and classroom/traditional teaching   Micro-teaching Classroom/traditional teaching Class size the class comprises small groups students of 5-10 numbers the class comprises 30-40 students Teaching skill One specific teaching skill is taken for teaching. All the teaching skills are used in an integrated way. Duration The duration of teaching time is 5-10 minutes The duration of teaching time is 40-50 minutes Feedback Student-teacher gets immediate feedback for the supervisor There is no such scope for getting immediate feedback Controlling Teaching is performed under controlled situation There are no such controlling situations that exist in traditional teaching. Difficulty level It is a comparatively simple process as it is scaled down technique in terms of skills, content, time, and class size. It is a comparatively more complex process than micro-teaching. Role of supervisor The supervisor role is very crucial in micro-teaching The supervisor role is vague in traditional teaching.   Conclusion: Though it is time-consuming and required proper infrastructure it is one of the best ways to make teacher-students skilled in teaching skills and hence become effective teacher.

Characteristics of a Good Curriculum

 Characteristics of a Good Curriculum

1. Flexible: It should not be narrowly conceived but dynamic and forward-looking.

2. Cultivation of democracy: It should foster the development of attitudes and skills required for maintaining a planned social order of a democratic type. To put it more concretely, it should contribute towards democratic living.

3. Child-centered: needs and interests of the children should be taken care of

4. Activities: channelizing the energy of the children in well-planned and organized learning activities in and outside classroom activities

5.  Day-to-day planning: the whole academic calendar, with well-defined goals, should be prepared and shared with the stakeholders, making them aware of the plan and role.

6. Inclusive: no one should leave out or be left behind

7. Psychologically sound: should be psychological sound. It should take into account the theories of learning relevant to teaching, at the par mental capacity of the student

8.CCE: assessment of all the aspects, in a different way, not only bookish knowledge

9.Balance between practical and theoretical knowledge:

10. Contextual: should be prepared at par the local context and needs of the society keeping in mind the diversity of the learners.

11.Linking with school experience with outside school experience: bringing the community into the school and going to the community

12.  Uniformity (one nation one curriculum): but keeping in mind the diversity, 30:70= local: national

13.  Technology/ ICT: scope for adapting the latest technology and making the stakeholders aware of the same.

14.  Input from the research: tested and improved through research

15.  Learning without burden: should not be overloaded with content and other activities; core correlation among the subjects is necessary which in NCF2005 is named as "softening the boundaries'' and in NEP as no hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams, etc. in order to eliminate harmful hierarchies among, and silos between different areas of learning;

16.  Fulfilling the requirement of the New Education Policy: see page 5 of NEP 2020

COMPONENTS OF CREATIVITY

 

1. Flexibility: creativity often begins with the flexible combination and modification of concepts or strategies to produce new, different types of representations. It is the ability to cross boundaries, resign existing norms, and contemporary ideas, think of new ideas as well as ability to adapt and appreciate new ideas and thoughts.

2. Fluency: this is the ability to come up with many diverse ideas quickly. This is measured by the total number of ideas generated. The ability to think about diverse ideas quickly is an important component of creativity.

3. Originality: this is related to the Novelty of ideas. Creativity involves producing original ideas that are unusual for a novel, and it sometimes involves combining two or more different concepts to create a new, synthesized idea.

4. Elaboration: This measure the amount of detail associated with the idea. Elaboration has more to do with focusing on each solution or Idea and developing it further.

5. Usability: it is another important component of creativity. Those ideas and objects of theories will be called creative which are useful to some extent directly or indirectly.

6. Motivation: it can be thought of as the driving force for creativity. In major cases, intrinsic motivation like passion for purpose and interest fund for doing something is the driving forces for creativity. Sometimes extrinsic motivation like there also played a crucial role in creativity.

7. Expertise: it is technical, procedural, and intellectual knowledge. Spending more time with ideas, acquiring skills, and thus acquiring expertise is other essential component of creativity. If someone has more expertise in his work for example more skilled in handling operators and doing reactions in the laboratory it will enhance and enrich his creativity.

8. Sensitivity: it is the ability to sense problems, to see deficiencies and needs in life, and the challenge to find the solution and feel these needs. it is the ability to be sensitive to our inner life and the pleasure of seeking and discovering ideas.

9. Reflection: it is the ability to consider and reconsider; to evaluate our own ideas as well as the ideas of others; to take time to achieve understanding and insight, to look ahead and plan, to visualize the complete picture.

10. Focus: the focus is an essential component of creativity. Cannot create until he or she is fully engaged in the process and he or she cannot fully engage in the process if she is distracted by other stimuli. It helps someone to work hard, long, consistently, and persistently with extraordinary concentration. 

Advantages and Disadvantages Summative Evaluation

In summative evaluation, the final effects of a curriculum are evaluated on the basis of its stated objectives. It takes place after the curriculum has been fully developed and put into operations.

Advantages of Summative Evaluation:

1. To know if students have understood: The summative evaluation follows certain strategies for evaluation by means of assignments, tests, projects, and more. In these ways, the teacher can make out if the students have learned and understood the subject.

2. They determine achievement: The usual procedure is that summative evaluations are done at the end of any instructional period. Thus, summative evaluation is considered to be evaluative in nature rather than being mentioned as diagnostic. The real meaning is that this evaluation is made used to find out the learning growth and attainment.

3. They make academic records: The results of summative evaluations are ones that are recorded as scores or grades into the students’ academic records. They can be in the format of test scores, letter grades, or report cards which can be used in the college admission process.

4. Provides opportunity: The presence of summative evaluation is a motivator as it assists the individuals and offers them an opportunity to develop a learning environment. This is an evaluation meant for learning and is based on the outcome.

5. Boosts individuals: The outcome of the summative evaluation is considered as a boosting factor when it’s positive. With this type of evaluation, confidence is boosted and also they act as a springboard to certain behavior change at a workplace or institution.

Disadvantages of Summative Evaluation:

1. Demotivates individuals: It is mentioned that summative evaluation motivates individuals so that they put in more effort into their studies. When student motivation and its impact are reviewed, the evidence for policy and practice information and a coordinating center at the University of London found the relation that sustained between self-esteem and standardized tests.

2. Rectification is late: The main disadvantages of summative evaluation are that since it focuses on output at the end, in case there are hindrances or difficulties, the learning process at the end can be tough. There is no chance to recover as the results are at the end. This is not an accurate reflection when learning is considered.

3. Disruptive: Since it is being a single test at the end of the complete session of academics, it makes almost all individuals anxious and disruptive. They face the summative evaluation with nervousness and fear.

4. No remedy: Nothing is done to identify hindrances or challenges well in advance in a summative evaluation. Instructional issues are not identified until they blow up and become critical.

5. Not accurate reflection of learning: When a summative evaluation is considered, it focuses mainly on the performance of the teachers as they teach to the test. A simple example is that when any state-level test focuses mainly on analogies and anagrams, students are interested in focusing and working on those exercises for hours. In this way, they divert from reading and writing or their vocabulary development.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Formative Evaluation

Advantages

Defined learning goals: Monitoring student progress regularly helps keep learning goals top of mind so students have a clear target to work towards and teachers can help clear up misunderstandings before students get off track.

Increased rigor: Practicing formative assessment helps teachers collect information that indicates student needs. Once teachers have an understanding of what students need to be successful, they can create a rigorous learning environment that will challenge every student to grow.

Improved academic achievement: Providing students and teachers with regular feedback on progress toward their goals is the main function of formative assessment that will aid in increasing academic achievement. Formative assessment helps students close the gap between their current knowledge and their learning goals.

Enhanced student motivation: Because formative assessment involves setting learning goals and measuring the progress towards those, this increases motivation. When students have a focus on where they’re aiming, results skyrocket.

Disadvantages

Time-consuming and requires resources: Formative evaluation is considered to be a the time-consuming process if they are followed on a monthly, weekly or daily basis. These evaluations are time and resource-intensive, this is because they are in need of frequent gathering of data, analysis, reporting as well as refinement of new implementation and how effective it should be.

Tiring process: Planning and exercising can be a tiring process and few recommendations cannot be implemented at all times. Hence this disadvantage leads many individuals to avoid the practice.

Trained and qualified professionals: In order to process the formative evaluation well qualified and trained individuals are required so that formative evaluation is carried over successfully and ended.

Develops challenges: There are a number of methodological challenges with formative evaluation at times of rapid refinement process which takes place when trying to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Also, the measuring of outcomes is made possible only when the variant used for intervention is implemented. Another disadvantage is the difficulty in determining the change in the intervention at certain outcomes.

Not appropriate for conflict resolution: Conflict resolution needs and initiatives are not met by the formative evaluation method. Formative evaluation is a method that improves work and is also not an end by itself.