MICROTEACHING

Quick Guidelines for Advance Preparation

All new UK TAs, regardless of previous teaching experience and assigned role, will participate in Microteaching sessions during the two-and-a-half day TA Orientation.

WHAT IS MICROTEACHING?

Microteaching provides you with an opportunity to build your confidence in teaching before you go into your first class session at the University of Kentucky.  Every year, new TAs tell us that Mictroteaching is the most valuable part of the Orientation.

Microteaching involves teaching an 8-10 minute mini-lesson during which you will put into practice many of the elements of effective teaching.  At registration you will be randomly assigned to a small group of eight to ten other TAs.  You will work with this group during portions of the Orientation and will do your min-lesson with them on the second day.  Each group will be led by a faculty member or experienced TA.
 
You will present your lesson with your group members serving as students.  The presentations will be video-recorded (probably by webcam and uploaded to a secure server).  You will then view and critique your own recorded presentation.  Your private replay and self-analysis will be followed by a one-on-one confidential conference with your group leader.  The conference will help you identify strengths in your presentation and provide suggestions for the areas you would like to improve

HOW SHOULD YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR MINI-LESSON?
                 
Choose an introductory topic in your discipline, one that is straightforward and one whose content you know well. You should focus on helping your students learn foundational skills and processes, rather than sophisticated content.  Your “students” (your peers in your microteach group) will be from a variety of disciplines and may have little knowledge of your subject area. (See the PowerPoint below for further guidelines and for a sample lesson.)

Think about ways you will actively involve students in your presentation.  Will you lecture only? Do a demonstration?  Engage students in a hands-on activity?  Create a dialog?  Ask questions?  Role play?  Use classroom assessment techniques?

PowerPoints or other computer technology will not be allowed; only a chalk or dry-erase board will be available to you.

Some time is built into the program schedule for preparation and consultation with your group leader.  On the first day of Orientation your leader and members of your group will help you build on your ideas, determine your lesson's learning goal and state it properly, and organize your lesson plan. 

Click here for the Mini-Lesson Observation Form used during Microteaching (both by the group leader to give you feedback, as well as by you as you plan your lesson and as you self-evaluate during the replay).

Click here for an Instructional Traits Rubric

Click here for a PowerPoint titled "Microteaching: A Micro-Introduction," which includes a sample lesson plan. (This PowerPoint is also available as a PDF file.)

Instructions for using the video recording and uploading system

Direct link to Blue Media (for viewing Microteaching videos online)

(NOTE: Microteaching and the International TA Language Screening are two separate and distinct activities. Microteaching focuses on building teaching skills, whereas Language Screening focuses on evaluating English language communication skills. Although ITAs may use the same topic for both activities, the approach, length of presentation, and expectations should be tailored accordingly. For information on Language Screening, click here.)

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Last updated 21 July 2009