This session introduces participants to how to develop specific teaching skills for prospective educators using microteaching practices in online/blended courses. The session shares examples of the applied framework of the microteaching design, implementation, and evaluation, including students’ technical experiences and challenges in recording their microteaching lessons during the pandemic time.
Microteaching, a teacher training and faculty development technique, has long been used to develop crucial knowledge, teaching skills, and professional attitudes of prospective teachers or educators (Allen et al, 1972; Cooper & Allen, 1970; Gajjar, 2012). The application of this method is a great way to evaluate a teacher’s strengths as well as to propose ideas for improving the art of teaching skills. This teaching method is also applicable to online and/or blended courses to generate interest in a subject and transform learning activities into hands-on experiences. Through action-oriented course assignments, we can have our students involved in the teaching process that can foster learning engagement and skill development of online students in specific areas.
A 15-week graduate master level course, Teaching Healthcare Professionals has been using an assignment model of microteaching to develop healthcare educators’ content presentation, and teaching skills, including reflective critical-thinking skills for the last seven years. The implementation of microteaching usually involves six stages: 1) plan/design, 2) teach, 3) observe, 4) re-plan, 5) re-teach, and 6) re-observe (Remesh, 2013; Bajaj et al., 2014), but the Teaching Healthcare Professionals course has adopted the first three steps, plus peer and self-evaluation as the fourth step. Students (healthcare professionals) are assigned three 10-minute microteaching presentations throughout the semester. Each presentation is recorded and followed by self-assessment and peer evaluations, including questions and answers. The recordings are posted on the course site for further reflections. Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic time, students pre-recorded their microteaching practice using various technologies in a very innovative and creative format. Microteaching assignments have turned out to be an effective and engaging technique for supporting healthcare professionals’ learning and developing their teaching competencies in a meaningful context. Those microteaching sessions have provided students with opportunities to practice their teaching skills, engage more extensively with the course content, and learn from each other within an online classroom setting.
This education session will introduce participants to how to develop prospective educators’ specific teaching skills using the microteaching method that promotes a learner-centered pedagogy for interactive learning practices in online/blended courses. The session will share some examples of the applied framework of the microteaching design, implementation, and evaluation using a step-by-step approach. The presenter will share a summary of students’ responses to the following questions and their reflections on microteaching assignments:
- As a result of your three micro-teaching sessions, what are the three most important skills you gained in doing those assignments?
- What are the practical values of the microteaching sessions for your professional development as a medical educator?
- Why is it important to design the microteaching session before the actual teaching?
- How did you feel about the peer and self-evaluations of your sessions?
- What was your impression of the recording of your microteaching?
- What would you share with future students in this course about your experience in microteaching?
- What changes, if any, would you recommend for the application of the microteaching method in an online course?
Finally, the session will address students’ experiences with technology, technical challenges, and limitations of recording microteaching practices/lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic time. Participants will leave this session with a wealth of knowledge about this innovative and creative pedagogy of microteaching along with sample tools for peer and self-assessment.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Describe how to develop prospective educators’ specific teaching skills using the microteaching method in online/blended courses
- Analyze the implementation stages of microteaching, including the application of self-assessment and peer-evaluation approaches
- Discuss the benefits of microteaching practices, technology-related challenges, and limitations during recording microteaching lessons
Level of Participation:
This 45-minute information session is structured to create a mutual learning experience with a combination of interactive presentation (25 minutes), large group discussion (10 minutes), and participants’ questions (5 minutes). Both experienced faculty instructors and instructors who have no experience will gain crucial pedagogical knowledge and learn the benefits of microteaching practices to develop prospective educators’ teaching skills and related competencies, including increasing online students’ learning engagement within an online course.
References:
Allen, D. W., Poliakoff, L., & Cooper, J. M. (1972). Microteaching. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare/ Office of Education, National.
Bajaj, P., Patil, M. S., & Almale, B. (2014). Microteaching in Medical Education. MVP Journal of Medical Sciences, 1(2), 84. https://doi.org/10.18311/mvpjms/2014/v1/i2/822
Cooper, J. M., & Allen, D. W. (1970). Microteaching: History and present status. Washington, D.C.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teacher Education.
Gajjar, N.B. (2012). Microteaching A Gateway For Become a Teacher. Lap Lambert Academic Publishing
Remesh, A. (2013). Microteaching, an efficient technique for learning effective teaching. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 18(2), 158-163.