The
second phase as identified by Saxena and Khajanchee (2012) and Ambili
(2013) is the acquisition phase. It is the interactive phase when the
student teachers are expected to plan micro-lesson on the basis of the
demonstration presented by the experts. The student teachers practice
the skills through the microteaching cycle and continue their efforts
till they attain mastery level. The feedback component of microteaching
contributes significantly towards the mastery level. The feedback is
given on the purpose of behavioral change of the teacher trainees in the
desired direction. The last phase is the transfer stage of
microteaching which can be referred to as the post-active phase. After
attaining the mastery level and command over each of the skills, the
student teachers integrate all these skills and transfer to actual
classroom teaching.
The major objective of microteaching as
enumerated by Aggarwal (2008) and Jason and Tiffany (2010) is to enable
student teachers to learn and assimilate new teaching skills under
controlled conditions or environment. Microteaching enables student
teachers to master a number of teaching skills which empower them to
gain confidence in teaching. One time- honored adage says, ‘You cannot
learn to swim if you do not get in the water’. Another objective of
microteaching mentioned by Ajibade (2009) is that it is geared towards
equipping student teachers to gain confidence in teaching. This it does
by making the student teachers to master a number of skills on a small
group of students. Gorgen (2003) stated that microteaching aimed at
helping student teachers to gain confidence and research skills. Through
microteaching, student teachers can gain pre-service and in-service
teaching experiences and academic self-confidence.
Microteaching is
made up of some characteristics. The student teachers are required to
teach a single concept, use a specified teaching skill, use a specified
teaching skill for a short time and use the skill on a very small number
of pupils. According to Allen and Ryan (1969), microteaching is a real
teaching situation where the complexity of the real classroom teaching
is reduced. The reduction is done in terms of class size (population),
time (duration) and content (task to be accomplished). The student
teachers who are regarded as the micro-teachers teach between 5-10
pupils who are likely to be their classmates, colleagues and friends
instead of facing the real classroom situation of about fifty (50)
pupils. Instead of teaching for forty (40) minutes as it is in the real
classroom situation, the micro-teachers prepare their lesson plan and
teach for maximum of ten (10) minutes.
Moreover, since there is
reduction in population and time, the task to be accomplished is also
reduced to one or two instructional objectives. Therefore, microteaching
affords the student teachers to have first-hand teaching experience in
the fear-free atmosphere. They practice the teaching skill in terms of
definable, observable, measurable and controllable form with repeated
cycles till they attain mastery in the use of skill.
Merits and Limitations of Microteaching
Microteaching has a lot of advantages over traditional technique of
training professional. This does not mean that it has no drawbacks which
act as its limitations. In spite of this, teacher trainers, educators
and educationists consider microteaching as an indispensable tool in
producing effective teachers. Microteaching is widely used in various
forms of education today. Microteaching is used in nursing, pharmacy,
health sciences, life sciences, mathematics and languages (Fayaz (2011).
This is due to its functions, roles and merits in various fields.
Ambili (2013) confirmed that microteaching has a pivotal role to play in
all educational training programs because it improves learning. Some of
its merits and limitations are discussed below.
Microteaching
provides a training opportunity for student teachers who benefit or
profit from all of the advantages of the situation. Such advantages are:
student teachers are able to act as pupils and as teachers, as sources
of feedback, as organizers of microteaching session and as video
operators. Slabbert (2013) explained that if video equipment is used to
make records of the microteaching lessons and to provide feedback, the
student teachers have to be able to handle the equipment during the
recording and replay. The student teachers are expected to engage in
only the most elementary operations that can be easily carried out by
inexperienced person after training. The operations include: following
the subject (teacher trainee) with a video camera, focusing on the
subject, zooming in and out on the feedback, inserting and ejecting
video cassette, making a recording (audio and video), playing back a
recording and the playback.
Another advantage of microteaching is
that it emphasizes training for mastery of teaching activities such as
skills, teaching methods and curriculum selection. Achuonye (2007),
Adewoyin (2007) and Ajibade (2009) submitted that microteaching makes
student teachers concentrate on specific teaching behaviors. They choose
and master a skill at a time. It is after mastering a skill that they
choose another one until they are able to master and integrate all the
microteaching skills. There is opportunity for a student teacher that is
unable to master a skill adequately to re-teach the lesson until
perfection is achieved.
There is immediate feedback using
microteaching. Kumar (2008) opined that microteaching enables the
student teacher to view and hear his own performance which allows him
make self-criticism. Afolabi (2010) and Ajibade (2009) noted that
microteaching greatly expands the normal knowledge of results of
feedback dimension in teaching and it gives room for immediate feedback.
The student teacher is given the opportunity of self- analysis of his
own behavior while teaching. Microteaching minimizes delay in feedback.
In
addition, microteaching provides the student teachers with a much less
complex learning than normal school practice. Microteaching lessens the
complexities of the normal classroom teaching by ‘scaling down teaching’
in terms of time, population, content and skill. Microteaching exposes
the student teachers to laboratory training procedure that is geared
towards simplification of the complexities of regular teaching learning
process. Achuonye (2007) observed that microteaching simplified teaching
task reducing the length and lessons’ complexity. Kumar (2008) viewed
microteaching as a training technique which enables the learner to learn
the teaching skills through a scaled down process of teaching and
learning. Micro-lesson is more manageable than real classroom teaching
in terms of time and size. Afolabi (2010) argued that student teachers
can learn teaching skills better as the complexities of a conventional
lesson are reduced. The complexities are in terms of number of students
(class size), duration (time) and content (objectives). Ambili (2013)
observed that microteaching skills help the novice teachers to learn the
art of teaching at ease and to the maximum extent.
Microteaching
offers the student teachers the opportunity to easily practice teaching
skills during the microteaching lessons’ presentation. Oguntunde (2009)
and Yusuf (2009) opined that microteaching is a laboratory approach to
training pre-service teachers. It helps the student teachers to develop
and improve their teaching skills. The student teachers are offered the
opportunity of practicing particular teaching skills until they are
mastered. Microteaching allows student teachers to accomplish a specific
skill at a time and later integrate all the acquired skills for use. In
support of Oguntunde, Kumar (2008) observed that microteaching permits
concentration on specific skills to be demonstrated.
Furthermore,
Achuonye (2007) opined that microteaching equips student teachers with
acquisition of vital teaching skills in examination free environment.
The teaching skills and behaviors acquired during micro-lessons tend to
persist for a long period of time. Kayode, Ajayi, Ibrahim and Adeyemi
(2005) observed that microteaching removes most discipline control and
organizational activities. This allows the student teachers to
concentrate on specific teaching skill at a time. Afolabi (2010) noted
that microteaching helps student teachers to identify, select and
practice teaching skills in a supportive and conducive environment.
According to Al- Methan (2003), concentration on specific teaching skill
provides teacher trainees with rich experiences which make them to
develop professionally.
In another development, microteaching afford
the student teachers the opportunity for self-evaluation. There is
availability of feedback from different sources. During microteaching,
the trainee’s performance is recorded by his supervisor and colleagues.
The records provided by the video and tape recordings are also there. He
watches the video and listens to the audio recording to evaluate him
and compare his assessment with that of his supervisor and peers. By
doing this, he makes meaningful contributions to his development and to
the improvement of his peers when he gives them feedback too. Afolabi
(2010) argued that the use of video tape, audiotape and evaluation card
ensures that student teachers do self-evaluation for improvement of
their teaching skills’ acquisition.
Micro-lessons prepare the way
for macro lessons. Microteaching is a preparatory ground for teaching
practice. One of the merits of microteaching identified by Ajibade
(2009) is that it facilitates data collection for improving teaching
practice evaluation. According to Achuonye (2007), microteaching guards
against exposing learners to poor teaching by potential teachers during
teaching practice program. Kayode et al., (2005) claimed that
microteaching as a training environment complements teaching practice.
Afolabi (2010) opined that microteaching provides student teachers with
teaching encounters before the actual teaching practice. Ijaiya (2013)
claimed that when microteaching is properly carried out, the teaching
practice exercise is likely to be a more rewarding and successful
exercise. This is because increase in the number of weeks spent for
teaching practice by student teachers cannot compensate for weak
campus-based practical training. Ambili (2013) opined that microteaching
promotes real-time teaching experience to student teachers.
In
addition, the gap between theory and practice is formed by systematic
practice of teaching skills. Microteaching is a training technique in
real teaching. Theoretically, student teachers read books about teaching
methods attend lectures and take courses on teaching. What they read in
books makes teaching simple than practice. This is because it is not
easy to get in front of students for the first time. It is a trying
experience for student teachers.
According to Tanga, Maja, Dairo,
Micheal, Stainer and Strittmatter (2013), it is not easy to transform
the theory into practice. This is because it is not easy to get in front
of the students for the first time. Instead of facing learners in the
real classroom situation, microteaching gives the student teachers the
opportunity of practicing with a small number of students (preferably
peers and colleagues) for a short period of 5-10 minutes. The student
teacher puts himself under a ‘microscope’ of a small group, in a
protected environment and gain confidence to face larger audience.
Achuonye (2007) explained that microteaching enables the student
teachers to practice all that they have studied theoretically. The
incumbent teacher has ‘a face-face encounter in an early marriage of
theory and practice’. According to Bell (2007), microteaching provides
student teachers with valuable teaching experiences and affords them the
opportunity to be aware of the benefits and relationship between
theories and practice.
