I do not know why I was nervous going into this
micro-teach. I had already given this
lesson plan once (the first day of FOR242) and had made some changes to adapt
to a ten-minute time frame. Although I think the overall experience went
smoothly, I was flustered by issues with technology that caused me to change my
plan at the last second. This caused my students to potentially struggle with
one of my objectives as I glazed over it.
The feedback was the most helpful component of the
micro-teach. My harshest critic was the only person who gave me consistent
opportunities for improvement, which I know not to take too personally, but
give me more to think about as I continue developing lessons. For example, even
though I think I am being engaging, I may actually be intimidating.
What I learned from my peers in micro-teaching is the
variety of ways to incorporate activities and that the term “activity” takes on
many meanings. Some people view
discussion as activity whereas others have to actually be moving around or
using additional materials. Although I
thought I had an activity, others did not.
Oddly, the individual who thought I did not have an activity had a
similar activity to mine. It was also
interesting to see how 10 minutes lasted an eternity for some individuals while
10 minutes was too short for others.
I am awkwardly looking forward to seeing my video recording
of my micro-teach. I believe this will
help me the most in improving my teaching. I also wish I had had more than four
students to teach to. It was unclear, although I did not ask, how many students
to prepare for. Also, 4 reviews of my
performance did not seem to be enough. However, it may be useful to continue
micro-teaching opportunities to try new strategies and activities so that I may
have a practice run before a high stakes situation.
I would like to work on reflecting after my weekly
teaching. I have an hour and fifteen
minute commute home which is plenty of time to reflect. Perhaps I will try getting a voice recorder
or finding an app so that I can capture my thoughts aloud as I drive home. I am
not brave enough to try periscope and too uncoordinated for a video on my phone. Also, taking notes on my lesson plans will
help me remember changes I want to make in the future. If I can do the leg work now, it will make
preparing next year that much easier.
