Introduction
You know that the economic prosperity and good quality of any nation depends upon the development of human resources of that nation. The significant fact in the development of manpower resource refers to the competencies and the level on which these competencies are imparted. You also know that it largely depends on those who develop these competencies. Therefore, for this purpose we need highly competent teachers for imparting these competencies. It is essential that teachers imparting these competencies should have the capability to perform their task efficiently. For this, they need to acquire requisite competencies themselves.Here we will attempt to understand as to what competencies are essential for becoming better teacher and how these competencies can be imparted.
Teaching - Meaning
You know that the economic prosperity and good quality of any nation depends upon the development of human resources of that nation. The significant fact in the development of manpower resource refers to the competencies and the level on which these competencies are imparted. You also know that it largely depends on those who develop these competencies. Therefore, for this purpose we need highly competent teachers for imparting these competencies. It is essential that teachers imparting these competencies should have the capability to perform their task efficiently. For this, they need to acquire requisite competencies themselves.Here we will attempt to understand as to what competencies are essential for becoming better teacher and how these competencies can be imparted.
Teaching - Meaning
- Teaching is the stimulation, guidance, direction and encouragement of learning.
- Teaching is the communication between two or more persons, who influence each other by their ideas and learn something in the process of interaction.
- Teaching is to fill the minds of the learner by information and knowledge of facts for future use.
- Teaching is the process in which learner, teacher and other variables are organized in a systematic way to attain some pre-determined goals.
- Teaching is to cause the child to learn and acquire the desired knowledge, skills and also desired ways of living in the society.
- Teaching is the stimulation, guidance, direction and encouragement of learning.
- Teaching is to cause the
child to learn and acquire the desired knowledge, skills and also desired ways
of living in the society.
“Teaching is an intimate contact between a more mature personality and less mature one which is designed to further the education of the latter.” - (H.C. Morrison, 1934)
"Teaching means many different things, that teaching act varies from person to person and from situation to situation. " - (Bar, 1961)
"The behaviour or activities of persons as they go about doing whatever is required of teachers, particularly those activities which are concerned with the guidance or direction of learning of others." - (Ryan, 1965)
"Teaching is the arrangement of contingencies of reinforcement under which students learn. They learn without teaching in their natural environment, but teachers arrange special contingencies which expedite learning and hastening the appearance of behaviour which would otherwise be acquired slowly or making scene of the appearance of behaviour which might otherwise never occur." - (B.F. Skinner. 1968)
"Teaching as an act of interpersonal influence aimed at changing the ways in which other persons can or will behave." - (N.L. Gage, 1963)
What is a teaching skill ?
· A teaching skill is
that behaviour of the teacher which facilitates pupils’ learning directly or
indirectly.
· A teaching skill
includes all arts and behaviour of the teacher which maximizes pupils’
learning.
· A teaching skill is
that art of the teacher which makes communication between the teacher and
pupils sufficiently.
Attempts have been made to list teaching skills. Allen and Ryan listed the following
teaching skills at Stanford University U.S.A.
1.
Stimulus
Variation
2.
Set
induction
3.
Closure
4.
Teacher
silence and non-verbal cues
5.
Reinforcing
pupil participation
6.
Fluency
in questioning
7.
Probing
questioning
8.
Use
of higher questions
9.
Divergent
questions
10.
Recognizing
and attending behaviour
11.
Illustrating
and use of examples
12.
Lecturing
13.
Planned
repetition
14.
Completeness
of communication
B.K. Passi has given the following list of Teaching Skills in his book “Becoming Better Teacher;
Micro-teaching Approach” :
1.
Writing
instructional objectives
2.
Introducing
a lesson
3.
Fluency
in questioning
4.
Probing
questioning
5.
Explaining
6.
Illustrating
with examples
7.
Stimulus
variation
8.
Silence
and non-verbal cues
9.
Reinforcement
10.
Increasing
pupil participation
11.
Using
black board
12.
Achieving
Closure
13.
Recognizing
attending behavior
NCERT
(National Council of Educational Research and Training) in its publication Core Teaching Skills (1982) has
laid stress on the following teaching skills…
- writing instructional objectives
- Organizing the content
- Creating set for introducing the lesson
- introducing a lesson
- Structuring classroom questions
- Question delivery and its distribution
- Response management
- explaining
- illustrating with examples
- Using teaching aids
- Stimulus variation
- Pacing of the lesson
- Promoting pupil participation
- Use of
blackboard
- Achieving closure of the lesson
- Giving assignments
- Evaluating the pupil’s progress
- Diagnosing pupil learning difficulties
and taking remedial measures
- Management of the class
Component of Teaching Skill
Component of teaching Skill is the sub-skill
to be practiced or maintained to achieve the mail skill
Core Teaching Skills
It
is not possible to train all the pupil teachers in all these skills in any
training programme because of the constraints of time and funds. Therefore a
set of teaching skills which cuts across the subject areas has been identified.
They have been found very useful for every teacher. The set of these skills are
known as CORE TEACHING SKILLS
Core
Teaching Skills are:
1.
Skill
of Probing Questions
2.
Skill
of Explaining
3.
Skill
of Illustrating With Examples
4.
Skill
of Stimulus Variation
5.
Skill
of Reinforcement
6.
Skill
of Classroom Management
7.
Skill
of Using Blackboard
8.
Skill
of Introducing a lesson
Core Teaching Skills and their Components
|
S.No.
|
Skill
|
Components
|
|
1.
|
Probing Questions
|
Prompting,
seeking further information, redirection, focusing, increasing critical
awareness.
|
|
2.
|
Explaining
|
Clarity,
continuity, relevance to content using beginning and concluding statements,
covering essential points.
|
|
3.
|
Illustrating with
examples
|
Simple,
relevant and interesting examples appropriate media, use of inducts,
deductive approach.
|
|
4.
|
Stimulus variation
|
Body
movements, gestures, change in speech pattern, change in interaction style,
pausing, focusing, oral-visual switching.
|
|
5.
|
Reinforcement
|
Use
of praise words and statements, accepting and using pupils’ idea, repeating
and rephrasing, extra vertical cues, use of pleasant and approving gestures
and expressions, writing pupils’ answer on the black board.
|
|
6.
|
Classroom
Management
|
Call
pupils bynames, Makenorms of classroom behaviour, attending behaviour
reinforced, clarity of direction, check non-attending behaviour, keep pupils
in Eye Span, check inappropriate behaviour immediately.
|
|
7.
|
Use
of blackboard
|
Legible,
neat and adequate with reference to content covered.
|
Meaning and Definition of Microteaching
- Meaning
Microteaching is a procedure in which a
student teacher practices teaching with a reduce number of pupils in a reduced
period of time with emphasis on a narrow and specific teaching skill.
Definition
•
“Microteaching is a
scaled down teaching encounter in class size and time” - D.W.Allen(1966)
•
Microteaching is
defined as a system of controlled practice that makes it possible to
concentrate on specified teaching behaviour and to practice teaching under
controlled conditions.- D.W. Allen & A.W.Eve (1968)
•
Microteaching is a
scaled down teaching encounter in which a teacher teaches a small unit to a
group of five pupils for a small period of 5 to 20 minutes. - L.C. Singh (1977)
Objectives
of Microteaching
•
To
enable teacher trainees to learn and assimilate new teaching skills under
controlled conditions.
•
To
enable teacher trainees to master a number of teaching skills.
•
To
enable teacher trainees to gain confidence in teaching.
Characteristic
of Microteaching
•
Microteaching
is a highly individualized training device
•
Microteaching
is an experiment in the field of teacher education which has been incorporated
in the practice teaching schedule
•
It
is a student teaching skill training technique and not a teaching technique or
method
•
Microteaching
is micro in the sense that it scale down the complexities of real teaching
•
Practicing
one skill at a time
•
Reducing
the class size to 5 – 10 pupil
•
Reducing
the duration of lesson to 5 – 10 minutes
•
Limiting
the content to a single concept
•
immediate
feedback helps in improving, fixing and motivating learning
•
The
student are providing immediate feedback
in terms of peer group feedback, tape recorded/CCT
Phases of
Microteaching Procedure
1.
Knowledge Acquisition Phase (Pre-Active Phase)
It includes the activities such as;
Ø
Provide
knowledge about teaching skills.
Ø
Observe
the demonstration of teaching skill.
Ø
Analyze
and discuss the demonstration of the teaching skill.
2.
Skill Acquisition Phase (Inter-active Phase)
It includes the activities such as;
Ø
Planning
and preparation of micro lesson for a skill.
Ø
Practicing
the skill.
Ø
Evaluation
of the practiced skill (Feedback).
Ø
Re-plan
, Re-teach and re-feedback till the desired level of skill is achieved.
3.
Transfer Phase (Post –Active Phase)
Ø
Giving
opportunity to use the mastered skill in normal class room teaching.
Ø
Integrate
the different skill practiced
Steps of
Microteaching
- Orientation of the student teachers
– Providing
necessary information and theoretical background about microteaching such as :
• Concept of
Microteaching
• Significance of using
of microteaching
• Procedure of
Microteaching
• Requirements of
microteaching
- Discussion of Teaching Skills
• Discuss various
skills.
• Discuss component
behaviour of teaching skills
- Selection of a Particular Teaching Skill
• Persuade and help the
trainees to select a particular skill.
• The student teacher
may be given necessary background for the observation of a model of
demonstration lesson on the selected particular skill
- Presentation of a Model Demonstration
Lesson
• Presentation of model
lesson can be done by;
o
A
Teacher Educator or an expert can demonstrate the use of the skill.
o
By
exhibiting a film or a video tape.
o
By
making the trainees listen an audiotape.
- Observation of the Model Lesson and Criticism.
• Observation should be
with an observation schedule.
• Careful analysis of
the observation of model lesson helps the trainees to know the desirable and
undesirable component behavior of the skill thoroughly
6 6. Preparation of Micro Lesson Plan.
• Prepare a micro
lesson plan by selecting the proper content to practice the demonstrated skill.
7. Creation of
Microteaching Setting.
• Should provide proper
facilities.
• Pupils: Real
pupils/Peer Trainees (Number of pupils- 5-10(Normal
• Available Time :6 Minutes.
• Supervisor : Teacher Educator and Peer Trainees.
8. Practice of the Skill (Teaching)
• Trainee teaches micro
lesson for 6 minutes.
• Teaching is observed
by the teacher educator and peer both with an observation schedule.
• Lesson can be taped
on a video or audio tape for providing feedback
9. Providing Feedback
• Feedback is provided
in terms of the component behaviours.
• Mechanical gadgets
can also be used.
• Duration :6 Minutes.
10.
Re-planning.
• Re-plans micro lesson
in view of feedback.
• Available Time:12
Minutes.
11.
Re-teaching.
• Teacher trainee
re-teaches micro lesson on the basis of re-plan and re-arranged settings.
• Duration :6 Minutes.
12.
Providing Re-Feedback
• Trainee gets
re-feedback on the basis of performance in the re-taught micro lesson.
• Duration :6 Minutes.
13.
Repetition of the Microteaching Cycle.
Time duration for the
microteaching is;
•
Teach : 6 Minutes.
Teach : 6 Minutes.
• Feedback : 6 Minutes.
• Re-Plan :12 Minutes. Total 36 mts.
• Re-Teach : 6 Minutes.
•
Re-Feedback : 6 Minutes.
Re-Feedback : 6 Minutes.
Plan : This
involves the selection of the topic and related content of such a nature in
which the use of components of the skill under practice may be made easily and
conveniently. The topic is analyzed into different activities of the teacher
and the pupils. The activities are planned in such a logical sequence where
maximum application of the components of a skill is possible.
Teach : This
involves the attempts of the teacher trainee to use the components of
the skill in suitable situations coming up in the process of teaching-learning
as per his/her planning of activitieó. If the situation is different and not as
visualized(in the planning of the activities, the teacher should modify his/her behaviour ás
per the demand of the situation in the Class. He should have the courage and
confidence to handle the situation arising in the class effectively.
Feedback : This term refers to giving information
to the teacher trainee about his performance. The information includes the
points of strength as well as weakness relating to his/her performance. This
helps the teacher trainee to improve upon his/her performance in the desired
direction.
Re-plan : The teacher trainee replans his lesson
incorporating the points of strength and removing the points not skillfully
handled during teaching in the previous attempt either on the same topic or on
another topic suiting to the teacher trainee for improvement.
Re-teach : This involves teaching to the same
group of pupils if the topic is changed or to a different group of pupils if
the topic is the same. This is done to remove boredom or monotony of the pupil.
The teacher trainee teaches the class with renewed courage and confidence to
perform better than the previous attempt.
Re-feedback : This is the most important component
of Micro-teaching for behaviour modification of teacher trainee in the desired
direction in each and every skill practice.
14.
Integration of Teaching Skills (Link Practice)
When mastery has been attained in
various skills ,the teacher trainee is allowed to teach the skills together.
This separate training programme to integrate various isolated skills is known
as ‘Link Practice’
ü
It
helps the trainee to transfer effectively all the skills learnt in the micro
teaching sessions.
ü
It
helps to bridge the gap between training in isolated teaching skills and the
real teaching situation faced by a student teacher.
ü
Desirable
Number of Pupils :15-20
ü
Preferable
Duration :20minutes.
ü
Desirable
Number of Skills :3-4 Skills
•
Link
practice or integration of skills can be done in two ways;
1.
Integration in parts
3 or 4
teaching skills are integrated and transferred them into a lesson of 15-20
minutes duration. And again 3 or 4 skills are integrated and are transferred
all the skills to one lesson.
2.
Integration as a whole
Student teacher
integrates all the individual teaching skills by taking them as a whole and
prepares a macro lesson then transferred
them into a real teaching situation
Merits of
Microteaching
•
It
helps to develop and master important teaching skills.
•
It
helps to accomplish specific teacher competencies.
•
It
caters the need of individual differences in the teacher training.
•
It
is more effective in modifying teacher behaviour.
•
It
is an individualized training technique.
•
It
employs real teaching situation for developing skills.
•
It
reduces the complexity of teaching process as it is a scaled down teaching.
•
It
helps to get deeper knowledge regarding the art of teaching
Limitations
of Microteaching
•
It
is skill oriented; Content not emphasized.
•
A
large number of trainees cannot be given the opportunity for re-teaching and
re-planning.
•
It
is very time consuming technique.
•
It
requires special classroom setting.
•
It
covers only a few specific skills.
•
It
deviates from normal classroom teaching.
•
It
may raise administrative problem while arranging micro lessons
Microteaching
Vs Traditional Classroom teaching
Microteaching
•
Teaching
is Relatively Simple
• Carried out in
controlled situation
• The Class Consist of
a small group of students
• takes up one skill at
a time
• Teaching time is 5 to
10 mts.
• Immediate Feed back provided
• Provision for
re-teaching
• Students gains
confidence in teaching
Traditional Class room Teaching
• Teaching is Complex
Activity
• Carried out in uncontrolled
Situation
• Classroom consist of
less than 35 to 40 students
• Teacher practices
several skill at a time
• Teaching time is 40
to 45 mts
• No immediate feedback
• No provision for re- teaching
• Students usually
tensed and scared
