" SEC | S19W2: Micro Teaching "

This topic reminds me of when I witnessed my first microteaching on campus. As the name implies in simple terms, it means small teaching where a teacher is expected to teach with limited time and with a small audience. I did mine some months ago and it was very successful. So for the purpose of this contest, I'll be evaluating some things.

Teaching with limited time is one of the factors that affect learning and implementation of the curriculum but this can be tackled if you're strategic. You don't need details in microteaching as it would consume your time and you may not be able to cover main points.

Assuming you are given a class to carry out Micro Teaching and you have 20 minutes to do this. Using the sample of the lesson plan above prepare a lesson plan. (Take note of the presentation and conclusion columns and present the needed information in them at least 150 words)

First of all, my class size would be limited since it's microteaching and then with the 20 minutes given which on a normal is always 40 minutes in normal teaching, I'll be very strategic about this and it would be the structure or layout of my lesson plan which would serve as a guide to good and effective delivery.

I refused to be specific in this lesson plan as to what time I'll be able to cover up a particular objective. You're not lecturing but teaching. Delegating time will help though but not necessary so as not to make the students feel it's a lecture they are receiving as classroom must be interactive and questions shouldn't be kept in suspense to enhance learning and understanding.

If I'm given 20 minutes, my objectives will actually help me avoid details and save time, thereby enhancing critical thinking and interactive learning. The use of an instructional material which is a chart will help explain things for you as you may not necessarily need to say much with the aid. Student factor too do contribute to time consumption. So putting all these in place and striving to meet up the objectives is what I would do.

Sometimes using things they are familiar with like the air we breathe when showing them an element called oxygen and silicon too in form of sand when demonstrating these elements. It facilitates understanding and saves time.

Still on assumption, the steps taken to ensure the students aaee focused on hearing me is not to be unnecessarily authoritative while taking full control of the class. While teaching, you can't force students to give you maximum attention except you employ strategies that would help in this. If I'm to ensure focus, I'll be teacher friendly.

• Teacher friendly: What I mean here isn't to open teeth with the students and laugh with them excessively as it may deviate from main focus. Students are more open and attentive to teachers that have their personal interests at heart. Like I said, I'll start by motivating these students and also chip in a small joke that would wake the class up before teaching. Let the students know why you're in class and why they need to spare their time for you.

• An interesting class is a class no one would love to miss. I'll make such my class is very much practical and interactive while having full control. If a class is majorly about **taking notes, long talks etc, students may feel bored and divert their attention to something else. This is what I'll tackle when teaching to bring up that level of focus which enhances learning among students

• Focused is left when students don't understand what you're teaching or they aren't following. I'll try my best to ensure I start from the simplest to the most complex by using things they are familiar with to enhance my explanation. Focusing on those who are brighter academically and leaving the dull ones behind usually bring about lack of focus and disturbance as those dull ones will feel left out in the teaching process and then to do other things.

If by any chance there's distraction or disturbance, I'll still be strategic by.......

• imposing a form of punishment that would scare those disturbing. I can say anyone caught making noise or disturbing in my class will come out and teach the class. No one would want to be spotlighted this way and the distraction would be minimal.

	A student distracting while class is ongoing

• not being too dramatic which would make you lose control of the class. The use of an authority too makes them compose themselves while maintaining decorum. I'll also ask abrupt questions like; what was my last statement to those distracting to see if they were following.

• requesting notes should be submitted at the end of the class otherwise punishment would be served. This helps students copy notes in class and prevent disturbance which may be as a result of not copying notes or not having particular interest in the class.

	A student who lost interest in the teaching process

These are some ways I'll be strategic as a teacher to enhance effective teaching and learning in my class. Some behaviours I do observe in students during teaching is that most of them do - sleep, eat, make noise, play, gist, or write other notes that doesn't concern the class.

Remembering I have 20 minutes will make me lay my foundation before the begining of the class to avoid distractions during the class which prevents time consumption.

Recall that you have 20 minutes assigned to you to deliver your lecture or to teach the students, how were you able to manage the time? Share with us how you managed the allocated time.

I had 20 minutes to deliver the topic Periodic table. I managed this time by not being objective in class or rushing the objectives to meet up the curriculum. I'll give a breakdown on how I started.

• Managing my 20 minutes requires I set a good foundation in class before the lesson commences to avoid time consumption. I then used 3 minutes out of the 20 minutes given to make my class lively by motivating and encouraging these students with speeches and cheap jokes. After making sure my class is lively, I go straight to introducing the topic in question. I have 17 minutes
  

• Using 2 minutes to introduce the topic and use familiar things related to the topic to enhance effective introduction is what I'll spare to maintain attentiveness and focus.

• Explaining the modern period law and the periodic table as a whole would take me just 4 minutes. Leaving me with 11 minutes.

• Using 4 minutes to deliberate on major elements in the periodic table [1-10] and their arrangements in the periodic table is what I'll be strategic about. I'll also give room for use of instructional material which would be passed on while teaching is ongoing. I have 7 minutes left.

	The use of instructional materials

• I'll use 4 minutes to lay a foundation on what groups and periods are in the periodic table and how to identify the groups and periods of these elements without the use of the periodic table. This would be interactive a bit.

• Lastly, I'll use 3 minutes to summarise the lesson, give room for questions and then ask mine to see the lesson is understood

I've achieved my three objectives using this limited time given me and I was very strategic about the lesson, trying as much as possible to avoid details. The picture above shows me having completed my microteaching presentation of which we were given 5 minutes to teach and we were to teach the lecturers who groomed us on how to be effective while managing time.

Teaching is not an easy work as it requires time but the limited time given can be utilised in such a way that it enhances understanding and learning. Starting small like this will prepare you for large class size and how to manage .

Most pictures here are used majorly to convert idea and not just the physical representation. Since microteaching has to do with teaching fewer students, these pictures are used to convey ideas of what can be seen during the teaching process.

I invite @dwings, @artist1111 and @soulfuldreamer