Microteaching-Explicit Instruction

Submitting Authors: Dr. Stephen D. Kroeger and Dr. Kate Doyle from the University of Cincinnati
Definition: Microteaching is a practice-based learning opportunity that can be used at any point in a teacher
education program. Microteaching is a system of controlled practices that make focusing on specific teaching
behaviors and practicing teaching those behaviors under specific, bounded conditions possible (Benedict,
Holdheide, Brownell, & Foley, 2016; Brownell, Benedict, Leko, Peyton, & Pua, 2019). In microteaching
activities, teacher candidates take turns playing the role of teacher and P-12 students. During microteaching,
candidates have opportunities to discuss and reflect on how they implemented a specific teaching behavior
and the impact it had on their peers’ learning. They also have opportunities to receive feedback on their
performance from teacher educators. Microteaching has been shown to be an effective PLO for training and
assessing teacher candidates (and practicing teachers) on specific teaching practices, particularly when teacher
candidates have time to plan, analyze, and revise the instructional behaviors they are learning (Tyminski,
Zambak, Drake, & Land, 2014), and when microteaching is followed by practice in an authentic setting.

Description of this activity:

This microteaching Practice-Based Learning Opportunity (PLO) ) develops candidates’ knowledge of explicit
instruction and provides guided opportunities to practice using explicit instruction in a simulated environment.
Candidates use explicit instruction to teach one to two peers at an instructional reading level appropriate for
the students they are simulating. The microteaching process consists of four phases: 1) Planning, 2)
Implementation, 3) Reflection and Commentary, and 4) Collaborative Reflection.

This microteaching PLO primarily addresses the second and fourth components of McDonald and colleagues’
(2013) enactment cycle as candidates prepare for and rehearse the activity with peers and engage in
reflection/assessment using the video of the lesson. In this description, we discuss how to use the practice
with candidates to support them in learning about explicit instruction, but professional development (PD)
providers can also use microteaching to support in-service teachers who are initially learning to use explicit
instruction.

Context: This PLO occurs early in the preparation program, after candidates have sufficient knowledge related
to explicit instruction and lesson planning from previous coursework. The PLO is part of a course on reading
instruction, and candidates use the knowledge they have gained about explicit instruction and combine it with
what they are learning about planning and implementing instructional reading strategies (e.g., decoding,
vocabulary, reciprocal teaching) to plan and implement the microteaching lesson.

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Stage 1: Planning Stage
What is this stage about?

In this stage, the instructor develops knowledge of explicit instruction, helps teacher candidates learn how to
plan a lesson that incorporates explicit instruction, and helps students learn about the microteaching cycle.

-How does the instructor implement this stage?

Step 1: The instructor ensures that candidates understand explicit instruction and its components. The
structured video analysis PLO and the simulated interaction PLO provide resources that instructors can use to
help candidates acquire knowledge of explicit instruction.

Step 2: The instructor models for candidates how to develop a lesson plan in which explicit instruction is
demonstrated and also helps candidates see how to use the reflection and collaborative assessment tools. In
this example PLO, lesson planning is taught in a literacy methods class. The edTPA was used as a framework for
helping candidates understand what to include in a lesson plan or learning segment. Specifically, candidates
are taught to design a series of lessons that address three to five specific objectives. The Kaltura planning
video link mentioned in the resource section will be useful.

Step 3: The candidates are taught to establish a baseline of student performance that they will use to inform
the lesson objectives. They are also taught how to collect data to establish this baseline.

Optional: If the program does not use a standard template for lesson planning, then the instructor will need to
emphasize the common features of a lesson plan. The instructor can use a crosswalk of several plans to
identify common implements (e.g., three to five objectives, data collection/baseline, and reference for the
strategy/intervention).

*Emphasize common features of lesson plans if a standard template is not required (Emphasize via a
crosswalk of multiple plans to identify common elements, including three to five objectives, data
collection/baseline, and reference for the strategy/intervention.)

-Materials/resources needed to implement

Resource A: Sample lesson plan and video links describing the microteaching process, including models of how
to engage in the planning process, establish a baseline of student performance, and complete data collection.
The teacher candidate can use other materials to teach the lesson.
Resource B: Blank lesson plan template
Resource E: Syllabus describing the microteaching process

Other references that are useful:

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. Routledge Taylor and Francis
Group.

Highleveragepractices.org

McLeskey, J., Maheady, L., Billingsley, B., Brownell, M. T., & Lewis, T. J. (2018). High leverage practices for
inclusive classrooms. Council for Exceptional Children and Routledge.

-Questions other faculty/PD providers might have when implementing this stage
1. Does this practice generalize across content areas? This process is appropriate for instruction across various
content areas.

2. Where does instruction on lesson planning occur in the course sequence? Lesson planning occurs in the first-
semester method course. Lesson planning may vary across programs.

3. How would you navigate differences in expectation between cooperating or mentor teachers and teacher
candidates regarding a “culture of planning”? Planning is an essential element of the microteaching process.
The expectation to teach from lesson plans can be set as a program requirement.

Stage 2: Implementation Stage

-What is this stage about?

In this stage, candidates work collaboratively to teach the lesson. One candidate teaches the planned lesson to
small groups of peers, a peer in the group video records the lesson, and the remaining one to two peers act
the role of students. The cycle repeats itself until all candidates in the group have taught.

-How does the instructor implement this stage?

Step 1: Divide students into groups of three.

Step 2: Have students prepare to teach the planned lesson.

Step 3: Have candidates collaboratively teach the lesson and provide instructions on how peers should play the
part of students.

-Materials/resources needed to implement

Video recording capacity (e.g., camera, phone, Swivl device)

Resource B: Lesson Planning Template

-Questions other faculty/PD providers might have when implementing this stage
How much of the lesson should candidates record? Recordings can range from five to 20 minutes.
If candidates (or in-service teachers) practice microteaching with real k-12 students, how should instructors
address consent? The edTPA consent form is available.
Stage 3: Reflective Commentary Stage
-What is this stage about?

In this stage, the instructor helps candidates learn to analyze their instruction. Candidates are taught to
connect what unfolds in the lesson to theory, research, and/or principles of learning. For example, the teacher
candidate might note that he or she prompted peers to make connections to prior learning by asking them to
recall something they know about the topic before reading.

-How does the instructor implement this stage?

Step 1: The instructor models for candidates how to use the reflective commentary to develop a running
record of instructional events and analyze their lesson (see Kaltura link for the reflective commentary). In
completing the reflective commentary, the instructor shows candidates how they can connect what unfolds in
the lesson to theories of learning and research that they have studied previously.

Step 2: Candidates observe their video-recorded lesson and complete a running record of what occurred in the
lesson. The candidates are taught to stop the video every minute and record lesson events and comment (see
Step 3).

Step 3: Candidates record meta-cognitive comments in the reflective commentary. These comments focus on
the connections candidates make between lesson events and theories of learning and research.

-Materials/resources needed to implement

Course content: Candidates are encouraged to use course content to develop reflection commentary

Resource A: Kaltura link of instructors modeling how to complete the reflection commentary
Resource C: Reflection Commentary
Resource E: Syllabus describing the microteaching process

-Questions other faculty/PD providers might have when implementing this stage
How should the instructor support candidates or teachers in this process? The instructor should be very specific
and intentional in modeling this process. They should shift ownership to the candidates or teachers. Probing
questions will help shift ownership and develop the ability to reflect.

How can instructors identify candidates or teachers who might not be as reflective or who struggle with
drawing conclusions? Levels of reflectivity may be determined through reviewing the reflective commentary or
assessment log. Instructors can provide more probing questions to support candidates or teachers.

Can the reflective commentary be used in other ways? The designers of this PLO have used the reflective
dialogue for formative assessment. It has helped them determine when candidates need to learn more about
explicit instruction or better understand student learning.

Stage 4: Collaborative Reflection

-What is this stage about?

In this stage of microteaching, candidates work through a series of reflective prompts with their peers. This
phase is designed to deepen the candidates’ ability to analyze their instruction.

-How does the instructor implement this stage?

Step 1: The instructor should ensure that candidates have the prerequisite knowledge they need to complete
the collaborative log, to include constructing and/or implementing data collection tools, interpreting data for
instructional decision making, defining outcomes for the target lesson, and analyzing data to determine if
students (peers in the microteaching activities) achieved outcomes.

Step 2: The candidate teaching the lesson selects a five-to-seven minute segment of the microteaching video.

Step 3: Identify a note-taker who becomes the facilitator of the session so the teacher is free to reflect.

Step 4: Peers review the clip with the teacher and provide in-depth feedback using the collaborative
assessment log as a guide for reflection.

Step 5: The candidate teaching the lesson submits his or her reflection log from Part 3 and the collaborative
assessment log to the instructor for review and feedback.

Step 6: Establish a follow-up learning goal and activity for the candidate (e.g., improve student engagement
during modeling with peer coaching).

-Materials/resources needed to implement

Resource A: Kaltura link of instructors modeling how to complete the collaborative assessment log
Resource D: Collaborative Assessment Log
Resource E: Syllabus describing the microteaching process.

Questions other faculty/PD providers might have when implementing this stage
How can this collaborative reflection be used as a formative assessment? Instructors can use comments to
identify the insights candidates are developing about student learning. They can also ascertain if candidates
are achieving learning goals in subsequent microteaching activities or during other PLOs.

Resources

• Resource A: Sample Lesson Plan

• Resource B: Lesson Plan Template
• Resource C: Reflection Commentary
• Resource D: Collaborative Assessment Protocol
• Resource E: Syllabus for Microteaching

Definition References
Benedict, A. E., Holdheide, L., Brownell, M. T., & Foley, A. M. (2016). Learning to teach: Practice-based
preparation in teacher education. Special issues brief prepared by the Collaboration for Effective
 Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) Center and the Center on Great
Teachers and Leaders. Retrieved from www.CEEDAR.org
Brownell, M. T., Benedict, A. E., Leko, M. M., Peyton, D., Pua, D., & Richards-Tutor, C. (2019). A continuum of
pedagogies for preparing teachers to use high-leverage practices (HLPs). Remedial and Special
Education, 40, 338-355. doi: 10.1177/0741932518824990
Dawson, M. R., & Lignugaris/Kraft, B. (2017). Meaningful practice: Generalizing foundation teaching skills from
TLE TeachLivE™ to the classroom. Teacher Education and Special Education, 40, 26-50.
Tyminski, A. M., Zambak, V. S., Drake, C., & Land, T. J. (2014). Using representations, decomposition, and
approximations of practice to support prospective elementary mathematics teachers practice of
organizing discussions. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 17(5), 463-487. doi:
10.1007s1085701392614

Video

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