Understanding Microteaching and Essential Teaching Skills

Microteaching is a teacher training technique used for professional development of teachers. It involves practicing specific teaching skills in a scaled-down, controlled environment. Instead of teaching a full lesson to a large class, a teacher practices a single skill or a few skills for a short duration (typically 5-10 minutes) with a small group of students or peers.

The core idea behind microteaching is to isolate and refine specific teaching skills. This allows the teacher to focus on one aspect of teaching at a time, receive immediate feedback, and then re-plan and re-teach to improve that skill. This iterative process is crucial for effective teacher training.

Key Teaching Skills Practiced in Microteaching

Microteaching focuses on mastering various fundamental teaching skills. These skills are broken down into smaller, manageable components, making them easier to practice and evaluate. Two common and important skills practiced in microteaching are:

• Blackboard skill (also known as Writing on the Blackboard skill or Whiteboard skill)
• Probing question skill

Blackboard Skill in Microteaching

The Blackboard skill (or Whiteboard skill in modern contexts) is fundamental for clear communication in the classroom. It involves the effective use of the blackboard or whiteboard to supplement verbal teaching. Important aspects of this skill include:

• Writing legibly and clearly.
• Organizing content logically on the board.
• Using diagrams, charts, or illustrations effectively.
• Maintaining eye contact with students while writing.
• Erasing appropriately.

Mastering this skill through microteaching helps teachers present information visually in an organized and engaging manner, enhancing student understanding.

Probing Question Skill in Microteaching

The Probing question skill is vital for stimulating student thinking, encouraging deeper understanding, and managing classroom interaction. Probing questions are follow-up questions asked after a student gives an initial response. They aim to:

• Seek clarification ('What do you mean by...?')
• Increase critical awareness ('Why do you think that happened?')
• Refocus ('How does this relate to...?)
• Prompt for more information ('Can you give an example?')

Practicing the Probing question skill in microteaching helps teachers guide students towards more complete or accurate answers and encourages participation. This is a crucial aspect of effective teacher training.

Conclusion: Both Skills are Essential

Both the Blackboard skill and the Probing question skill are standard and important teaching skills that are commonly practiced and refined using the microteaching technique. Microteaching provides a structured environment to focus on these specific aspects of teaching before applying them in a full classroom setting. Therefore, both skills are indeed used in microteaching practice for teacher training.