Microteaching: A Technique to Enhance English-as-a-Foreign Language Teacher Candidates’ Professional Learning

Gülten Koşar

doi:10.17679/inuefd.804714

Abstract

Practicing teaching occupies a vital place in initial teacher training programs, and microteaching technique is implemented in teacher training to create an environment where teacher candidates (TCs) have a chance to transfer accumulated content knowledge into practice. This qualitative case research was undertaken to explore a) English-as-a-foreign language (EFL) teacher candidates’ (EFLTCs) perceptions of the contribution of the microteaching they either conducted or observed in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYLs) II course to their professional learning, b) to what extent getting feedback on their microteaching from peers reinforces their professional learning, c) their conceptions of the contribution of reflecting on their own microteaching to their professional learning, and d) how they would redesign the way the microteaching process was gone through to better serve EFLTC professional learning. The findings demonstrated microteaching was viewed as effective at enhancing professional learning and the incongruence with respect to their views on the contribution of receiving peer feedback to their professional learning. Additionally, the findings indicated that engaging in self-evaluation prompted EFLTC professional learning and a set of suggestions were put forward to improve microteaching experience for EFLTCs. Even though the effect of microteaching on professional learning was evaluated in the context of initial EFL teacher training and TEYLs II course, the findings of this research could be thought-provoking for teacher educators from diverse disciplines already integrating or intending to integrate microteaching into their teaching.

Highlights

Putting theoretical knowledge into practice is indisputably of vital significance in initialEnglish-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teacher training programs given the fact that English-as-a-foreign language (EFL) teacher candidates can have the chance to practice the language teaching methods and techniques they have learned in the courses offered in the program through the medium of either personally practicing them or observing other teacher candidates applying them in their microteaching, thereby enabling meaningful EFL teacher candidate professional learning (Diana, 2013)
English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teacher training programs given the fact that EFL teacher candidates can have the chance to practice the language teaching methods and techniques they have learned in the courses offered in the program through the medium of either personally practicing them or observing other teacher candidates applying them in their microteaching, thereby enabling meaningful EFL teacher candidate professional learning (Diana, 2013)
Review of related literature has uncovered that the lack and/or paucity of research on the probable contribution of microteaching to EFL teacher candidates’ professional learning, the place of peer feedback on conducted microteaching and its self-evaluation in their professional learning (e.g., Karakaş & Yükselir, 2020), and their suggestions concerning improving the microteaching process to enhance their professional learning requires studies to be conducted

Summary

Introduction

Putting theoretical knowledge into practice is indisputably of vital significance in initial. Review of related literature has uncovered that the lack and/or paucity of research on the probable contribution of microteaching to EFL teacher candidates’ professional learning, the place of peer feedback on conducted microteaching and its self-evaluation in their professional learning (e.g., Karakaş & Yükselir, 2020), and their suggestions concerning improving the microteaching process to enhance their professional learning requires studies to be conducted. The related literature entails studies conducted in an attempt to investigate the effect of using microteaching technique on the professional development of practicing teachers, one of which is the one carried out by Donnelly and Fitzmaurice (2011). The review of the related literature disclosed the need for investigating EFL teacher candidates’ recommendations as to the way/s to be devised to enhance the effectiveness of microteaching in their professional learning. How would EFL teacher candidates redesign the structure of microteaching to better aid them in their professional learning?

Methodology Research Design

Findings

Objective evaluation of microteaching