A study on pre-service elementary school teachers’ educational connoisseurship based on their English class analysis: Focusing on microteaching and videos of an ideal class

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service elementary school teachers’ educational connoisseurship based on their analysis of English class microteaching and videos of an ideal class. Thirty-two pre-service teachers participated in the study and their peer-feedback and discussions were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. According to quantitative analysis, pre-service teachers paid a lot of attention to active and interesting activities, instructional materials and techniques. On the other hand, they showed little interest in group composition, comprehension check-up, and classroom English using non-verbal elements. In terms of qualitative analysis, videos of an ideal English class encouraged pre-service teachers to offer more detailed comments on teacher-student interaction and differentiated teaching. Microteaching enabled them to share more varied ideas on clear instruction on games or activities. Due to the environmental constraints provided by microteaching and videos, however, pre-service teachers could run the risk of overlooking some parts of educational connoisseurship. Based on these results, it is suggested that pre-service teachers need to develop instructional skills focusing on student’s individual differences and teacher talk when performing English class analysis.