MICRO TEACHING AND TEACHING SKILLS

T. C. Thankachan M.A (Pol.), M.A (Socio.), M. Ed, M.Phil

Lecturer, St. Thomas College of Teacher Education, Pala

Micro-teaching is one of the most recent innovations in teacher training programme. It aims at
modifying teacher’s behaviour according to the specified objectives. It was first introduced at the Stanford
University in 1961. It is a training procedure aiming at simplifying the complexities of the regular teaching
process. In a micro-teaching procedure, the trainee is engaged in a scaled down teaching situation. It is
scaled down in terms of class size, class time and teaching task.
A teacher can use several techniques and procedures to bring about effective learning on the part
of his students. These activities include introducing the lesson, demonstration, explaining or questioning.
These activities form what are called teaching skills. Micro-teaching allows practicing any skill
independently and integrating it with other skills in familiar environment.

A. DEFINITION
1. Micro-teaching is a scaled down teaching encounter, in class size and class time.(Allen D.W.)
2. Micro-teaching is a system of controlled practice that makes it possible to concentrate on specific
teaching skills and to practise teaching under controlled conditions.(Allen & Eve).
3. Micro-teaching is a training technique which requires student teachers to teach a single concept
using specified teaching skill to a small number of pupils in a short duration of time.(B.K.Passi &
Lalitha M.S.)

B. TEACHING SKILLS
Teaching skills are specific instructional activities and procedures that a teacher may use in the
class room. (Gage 1968). Skill is an act of teaching. (Allen). A teaching skill is a group of teaching acts/
behaviours intended to facilitate pupils learning activity directly or indirectly.

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF TEACHING SKILLS

 Teaching skills have three basic components perception, cognition and action.
 Teaching skills have three basic dimensions- non verbal behaviour, openness and nature of
moves in teaching to which the skill belongs.

II. SOME TEACHING SKILLS

1) THE SKILL OF QUESTIONING

a. Lower Order Questions
Knowledge questions. In these questions the pupils recalls facts, make
observations or gives definitions. These questions imply that pupils answers are
from existing knowledge and are not expected to modify, develop or use their
ideas.
b. Middle Order Questions
Comprehension and application questions. These questions ask pupils to
apply known techniques or rules to solve problems. Process covered include
 comparison, translation, interpretation etc. these questions imply that pupils
answer by making use of their existing knowledge and apply to new context.
Eg. Can you express this equation in words?
c. Higher Order Questions
Analysis, synthesis, evaluation questions. These questions ask pupils to go
beyond what they know. Pupils are expected to answer by analyzing a problematic
situation in terms of its constituent elements, by solving problems, making
predictions, producing original communication ascertaining validity of ideas or
judging or justifying artistic or other products. higher order questions are intended
to engage pupils in the skill of thinking and of creating knowledge.

Skill of probing questions

If pupils respond inadequately or not at all to the higher order or middle order
questions then the teacher can go deep into the students’ answers and try to elicit more
correct answers and it is known as the skill of probing questions. These techniques have
two main characteristics in common:
a. They are initiated by the teacher immediately after the student has responded.
b. They require the student to think beyond her/his initial response.
Components:
a. Seeking Clarification: the teacher may ask the student for more clarification or
information, by saying: “What, exactly, do you mean?”, “Please rephrase that
statement.”,. “Could you elaborate on that point?”, “What do you mean by the
term…?”etc.
b. Increasing Students’ Critical Awareness; S/he wants the student to justify her/his
response. eg. “What are you assuming?”. “What are your reasons for thinking that
is so?”. “Is there more to it?”. “How would an opponent of this view respond?”
c. Refocusing: If a student has given a satisfactory response, it might seem
unnecessary to probe it. However, the teacher could use this opportunity to refocus
on a related issue. Eg.. “If this is true, what are the implications for…?”. “How
does john’s answer relate to…?”. “Can you relate this to…?”. Let ‘s analyze that
answer/comment.”
d. Prompting : Giving hints or clues to lead the students from no response or wrong
response to correct response .sometimes the initial questions may be too difficult
for children to answer. In such cases instead of abandoning the questions they can
be modified possibly by breaking it down into parts giving clues or hints. They are
prompting questions. Eg. In a triangle, A=60, B=70, what is C
Prompting question: what is the sum of the angles of a triangle?
e. Redirection: Directing the same questions to other pupils when there is a wrong
response, incomplete response, partially right response, or while prompting or
while seeking further information and so on.

2) THE SKILL OF REINFORCEMENT.

Reinforcement constitutes one of the essential conditions of learning. Hence every
teacher has to master the skill for adopting appropriate strategies for reinforcing the
 learners. This skill has to be exhibited by teachers in the manner in which they respond to
the responses and actions of pupils. Reinforcement results in response modification and is
based on the principle of feed back followed by immediate rewarding of desirable or correct
responses and actions. Encouraging reactions of a teacher would strengthen and
discouraging reaction would weaken pupils responses involved in the learning process.
Hence teacher should manage his reactions to pupil response with skill.
The stimuli that provide or contribute to the pleasant experience are called positive
reinforcement or desirable behaviours. While the stimuli providing unpleasant experience
can be termed as negative reinforces. Thus in the class room teaching positive reinforces
are used for strengthening the desirable responses of learners and negative reinforces for
weakening or eliminating the undesirable responses or behaviours.

Components of the Skill of Reinforcement

1) Positive verbal reinforcement
Students can be motivated through verbal expressions like good, right, excellent,
well done, fine, carry on, go ahead etc. Using extra verbal clues like um, aha etc also
will encourage pupils to progress.
2) Positive non-verbal reinforcement
Teacher uses gestures or some other behaviour to reinforce pupils learning.
Nodding of the head, smiling, patting, friendly look etc. are examples. Writing pupils
answers on the blackboard for others to watch also can be an effective reinforcement.
3) Negative verbal reinforcement.
Words like wrong, incorrect, no, as well as sarcastic remarks can be considered as
negative reinforcement.
4) Negative non-verbal reinforcement.
Disapproval without using words has the effect of negative reinforcement.
Gestures such as frowning, staring, looking angrily, shaking the head, also have the
same effect.
5) Denial of reinforcement
Certain teachers do not attempt reinforcement in situations that warrant it. This is
likely to discourage pupils. Such teachers are really losing an opportunity to inspire
pupils for active participation in the learning process.
6) Inappropriate use of reinforcement
Reinforces should be wisely selected by teachers. It should suit the nature of the
response. Inappropriate use will lesser its effect.

3) THE SKILL OF PROBING.

4) THE SKILL OF EXPLAINING.

5) THE SKILL OF STIMULUS VARIATION.

Any external force that disturbs the equilibrium is known as stimulus. So by
stimulus variation we mean the change n the intensity of the external force by a teacher
while teaching. The skill of stimulus variation in other words means the regulation of
stimuli by the teacher while teaching. Thus skill of stimulus variation may be defined as a
set of observations for bringing desirable change or variation in the stimuli used to secure
and sustain pupil’s attention towards class room activities.
It has been generally observed that children especially up to the age of 10 years are
not able to attend to one thing for a long period. The effectiveness of the teaching learning
process in such a situation depends to a great extent on the stimulus variation used by the
teacher behaviour. Some of the common teacher behaviours in the class room which fall
under variation are:
a. Movement of the Teacher in the class
This component of the skill helps in capturing and sustaining the attention
of the class while teaching. Therefore the movement of the teacher in the class is
of essential. But only meaningful movements are to be made. Thus a teacher while
practicing the skill of stimulus variation should learn to make well planned
meaningful movements for securing as sustaining the attention of students.
b. Gestures of the Teacher in the class
Gestures are non-verbal clues which enhance the value of the message.
They are usually made with the help of the movement of the eye, hand, head, body,
facial expressions, like extending the hands in a typical shape to indicate how big
or small one object is.
c. Change of voice by the Teacher
It involves the variation in the tone, pitch or speed of his or her voice,to
pay apecial attention to a particular point or sentence or paragraph while teaching.
Variation of voice by the teacher is directly noted by the students and it has direct
influence in capturing the attention of the students.
d. Focusing by the Teacher
The component of focusing of the skill of stimulus variation refers to the
behaviours that help in focusing pupil’s attention on a particular object word, idea,
rule, concept, method, formula or generalization during teaching.
To exercise the component of focusing by the teacher the following
methodology is followed.
a) The use of verbal statements “look here in the map”, “it is important to
note”
b) The use of gestures
c) The use of both verbal statements and non-verbal gestures.
e. Change in interaction styles by the Teacher
The process of teaching learning involves interaction. Change in
interaction style means the change in the process of teaching learning. There are
three main styles of interaction such as
a) Teacher pupils or teacher group interaction (teacher coveys or gets
responses from the class or groups as a whole)
b) Teacher pupil interaction (here teacher communicates with an
individual pupil.)
c) Pupil-pupil interaction here a teacher employs many pupils in a
dialogue without doing direct discussion.
f. Pausing by the Teacher
 Pausing refers to the behaviour related wit h introducing silence during
teaching. A pause of approximately of 3 or 4 seconds is regarded as quite effective
in securing and sustaining the pupils attention in the class while teaching.

6) THE SKILL OF INTRODUCING A LESSON.

7) THE SKILL OF ILLUSTRATING WITH EXAMPLES.

8) THE SKILL OF USING BLACKBOARD.

The black board or chalkboard is the visual aid most widely used by teachers for
class room interaction. It is one of the quickest and easiest means of illustrating an
important point. No doubt teaching can be made effective by skillful use of blackboard.
Matter once written on the blackboard can be erased easily and new materials added as the
lesson progress. For the skillful use of blackboard teacher has to take care of three aspects.
Legibility of handwriting, Neatness in the blackboard work and Appropriateness
What the teacher writes on the blackboard should be legible enough to be read by
pupils without any difficulty. Legibility of handwriting can be attained up to a satisfactory
level if a teacher is careful about the distinctness of letters, their proper size, shape and
slant, needed space between any two letters and words adequate size of small and capital
letters. For neatness in the blackboard work a teacher may take care to see that words or
sentences are written horizontal lines parallel to the base of the blackboard, with adequate
space between the lines, that only the relevant matter which has been under focus of class
room discussion is retained on the blackboard. For appropriateness of written work on the
blackboard only the salient points as they are developed should be written in their logical
sequence and continuity. The blackboard summary should be brief and simple so that the
pupils can follow the whole lesson at a glance. For the purpose of focusing, underlining
and use of coloured chalk may be employed judiciously. Illustrations and diagrams should
be simple, clear and large enough to convey the ideas presented.
Additional points to be remember
• Check whether or not the BB is clear at the start of the lesson.
• Stand one side and do not come in between the pupils and BB
• Avoid squeaking noise of the chalk while writing.
• Avoid committing mistakes in the content written on the BB.
Stance: the most convenient place to stand is towards the left side of the chalkboard.
Holding chalk: impressive BB work depends upon the style of holding the chalk or writing
instrument. For good BB work always take half stick of the chalk and hold between the
thumb and forefinger so that an inch or less project.

9) THE SKILL OF SILENCE AND NON VERBAL CUES.

10) THE SKILL OF USING AUDIO – VISUAL AIDS.
11) THE SKILL OF RECOGNIZING ATTENDING BEHAVIOUR.
12) THE SKILL OF ACHIEVING CLOSURE.