About Me

Sunday 29 December 2013

Lesson Planning



Pedagogical analysis and Planning
Pedagogy is the art (and science) of teaching. Effective teachers use an array of teaching strategies because there is no single, universal approach that suits all situations. Different strategies used in different combinations with different groups of students to improve their learning outcomes. Some teaching strategies are better suited to teaching certain skills and fields of knowledge than are others. Some strategies are better suited to certain student backgrounds, learning styles and abilities. Pedagogy, incorporating an array of teaching strategies that support intellectual engagement, connectedness to the wider world, supportive classroom environments and recognition of difference, should be implemented across all key learning, and subject areas. Pedagogical practice promotes the wellbeing of students, teachers and the school community - it improves students' and teachers' confidence and contributes to their sense of purpose for being at school; it builds community confidence in the quality of learning and
teaching in the school.
Pedagogical Analysis and Effective Teaching
In its simple meaning the term pedagogical analysis (a composition of two words pedagogy and analysis) stands for a type of analysis based on pedagogy. For its further understanding let us try to be acquainted with the term analysis and pedagogy. Analysis as a term stands for a process of breaking or separating a thing into its smaller parts, elements or constituents. We break a teaching unit into its constituents –subunit, topics or single concepts etc. through the process of unit analysis. In addition, we can break the contents of the prescribed course in a subject into its various constituents – major and minor sections, sub-sections, units and sub-units, major concept and minor concepts, topics etc by carrying out a process of content analysis. Therefore, “the analysis of a given content material in any subject any topic carried out well in the spirit of the science of teaching (Pedagogy) is known by the term pedagogical analysis of the contents”.

Components and Operations Involved in the task of
Pedagogical Analysis
Looking in the way, by the term pedagogical Analysis of any subject content we certainly aim to carry out the task of the analyzing the prescribed course material or a particular unit/sub-unit/topic/single concept of the subject being taught to a particular class by systematically executing the following four operations in a close interactive style.
A. Content analysis of the unit/topic/single concept being taught by the teacher in the subject.
B. Setting of the objectives of the content material of the topic in hand by writing them in a learner centered approach.
 C. Suggesting methods, techniques, teaching learning activities, aids and equipments helpful for the teaching learning of the topic in hand quite in tune with the realization of the set instructional objectives.
D. Suggesting appropriate evaluation devices in the form of oral, written or practical activities and test questions etc for evaluating the outcomes of the teaching learning process carried in relation to the teaching of the topic in hand.
In this way when a teacher is asked to perform pedagogical analysis of the contents of a subject/unit or topic to be taught in the class he has to go through the cycle of the above mentioned four components namely (i) content analysis (ii) objective formulation (iii) selection of the teaching method and material and (iv) selection of the evaluation devices.


Planning for Instruction
Year Plan
Points to consider
  • Total no. of working days
  • Total no. of periods available for the subject
  • Term wise units to be covered
  • Unit wise strategies/ methods to be selected
  • C E items to be completed- term wise/ Unit wise
Unit Plan
Name of Teacher:…………………………….. Standard……………………..

Name of Unit…………………………………. Total periods available…………

Learning objective/ Outcome
Ideas, concepts, Principles
Method/ strategies for transaction
inputs/ material support required
product/ outcome/
 CE
No.of periods

















Lesson Plan
Name of Teacher:                                                                                                Standard:
Name of School:                                                                                                  Division:
Unit:                                                                                                                     Topic:

Learning objective/ learning outcome:
  •  
Issue/ sub issue: (for standard VIII only)
(Refer unit wise learning objectives and issues in teachers’ handbook)
Content analysis:
                    Facts: (Core facts of the area concerned- small statements only)
      •  
      •  
      •  
§   
§   
Concepts/Principles:
Pre requisits:
Materials/ resource support needed:
(Two column lesson plan is needed)
Classroom interaction procedure                   (Learning Process)
      Response/           Evaluation



Point to consider
  • Learning objectives/ Outcomes are formulated by the education department for each unit. We can select one or more objective for a period considering the content area to be covered in a period.
  • If content area included in an objective is not possible to cover within a single period, a specific objective has to be furnished (after the listed objective from hand book) delimiting the content area for the particular period.
  • Learning process should start with introductory activity and ends with proper review cum consolidation. Activities should have learner participation/ involvement ie activity means learning activity.
  • If group work is planned, grouping technique, no of groups etc should be mentioned. Each group should be allotted specific area and learning tasks should be mentioned as discussion points:
      •  
§   
§   
As far as possible one discussion point for each group should help to develop divergent thinking/ critical thinking related to the area of study. If more groups get same area for discussion, that should be mentioned.
  • Groups should get chance to present what they have identified. Proper suggestion should be there in lesson plan for presentation aspects
  • Provide material support to groups wherever needed and attach a copy the reading material provided( in addition to the text book), with lesson plan during criticism/ practice teaching classes. Those copies can be clubbed in to a separate scrap book later.
  • At last there should be proper consolidation from the part of teacher. Teacher can consolidate properly through asking review questions.
  • Follow up activities should be there at the end.


Response/ evaluation
The term expected pupil’s response is a behaviourist concern. Now we consider the actual response only. At every stage of lesson process the response/ involvement/ outcome of learners are to be noticed and mentioned in lesson plan.
  • involvement/ success of the introductory part
  • strategy adopted to develop lesson- involvement of learners, task allotment- success and outcome
  • Personal attention to some students- active participation, leadership, coordination, those who are not involving and need more attention
  • Presentation aspects – how it benefitted- time management
  • Overall assessment of lesson process and outcome
The above said points to be considered while writing response/ evaluation column.


Any doubts please contact 9447202286 or email to kusstec@gmail.com

Wednesday 4 December 2013

MICRO TEACHING



Micro-teaching
Introduction:
Micro-teaching is one of the most recent innovations in teacher education or training programme which aims at modifying teacher’s behavior according to the specific objectives. It is a process of subjecting samples of human behavior to 5 R’s of video tape- ‘recording’, ‘reviewing’, ‘responding’, ‘refining’, and ‘redoing’. Micro-teaching is a controlled practice that makes it possible to concentrate on teaching behavior in the student-teacher training programme.

Definitions of Micro-teaching
Micro-teaching has been defined in a number of ways. Some selected definitions are given below:
Allen,D.W (1966): Micro-teaching is a scaled down teaching encounter in class size and class time.
Allen,D.W. and Eve,A.W. (1968): Micro-teaching is defined as a system of controlled practice that makes it possible to concentrate on specified teaching behavior and to practices teaching under controlled conditions.
Bush,R.N (1968): Micro-teaching is a teacher education technique which allows teachers to apply clearly defined teaching skills to carefully prepared lessons in a planned series of 5-10 minutes encounter with a small group of real students, often with an opportunity to observe the result on video-tape.
Singh,L.C.(1977): Micro-teaching is a scaled down teaching encounter in which a teacher teaches a small unit to a group of five pupils for a small period of 5-20 minutes. Such a situation offers a helpful setting for an experienced or inexperienced teacher to acquire new teaching skills and to refine old ones.
Concept of Micro-teaching:
Micro-teaching is a training concept that can be applied at the pre-service and in-service stages in the professional development of teachers. Micro-teaching provides teacher with a practice setting for instruction in which the normal complexities of class- room are reduced and in which the teacher receives a great deal of feedback on his performance. To minimize the complexities of the normal teaching encounter, several dimensions are limited. The length of the lesson is reduced. The scope of the lesson is narrowed, and the teacher teaches only a few students.
Basically in micro-teaching, the trainee is engaged in a scaled-down teaching situation. It is scaled down in terms of class size, since the trainee is teaching a small group of 5-10 pupils. The lesson is scaled down in length of class-time and is reduced to 5-10 minutes. It is also scaled down in terms of teaching tasks. These tasks may include the practicing and mastering of a specific teaching skill such as lecturing or teaching explanation, questioning or leading a discussion; mastering of specific teaching strategies; flexibility, instructional decision making, alternative uses of specific curricula, instructional materials and class- room management. Only one skill or task is taken up at a time. If possible micro-lesson is video-taped or tape-recorded. The student-teacher immediately views his lesson, evaluates it, amends his approach, reteaches the lesson to another group of pupils, reviews and evaluates.

Features of Micro-teaching
1.    Micro-teaching is relatively a new innovation in the field of teacher education
2.    Real teaching: Micro-teaching is real teaching but focuses on developing teaching skills.
3.    Scaled down teaching: Micro-teaching is a scaled down teaching:
           (i)       To reduce the class size to 5-10 pupils.
          (ii)       To reduce the duration of period to 5-10 minutes.
         (iii)       To reduce the size of the lesson.
         (iv)       To reduce the teaching skill.
4.     Individualised device: Micro-teaching is a highly individualized training device.
5.    Providing feedback: It provides the adequate feedback for trainee’s performance.
6.    Device for preparing teachers: Micro-teaching ia a device to prepare effective teachers.
7.    Selection of one skill: It provides opportunity to select one skill at a time and practice it through scaled down encounter and then take others in a similar way.
8.    Use of videotape and closed circuit television makes observation very effective.
9.    Micro-teaching is an analytic approach to training.
Main Assumptions of Micro-teaching
In the words of Allen and Ryan, micro-teaching is an idea at the core of which lie five essential assumptions:
1.    Real teaching: Micro-teaching is real teaching. Although the teaching situation is a constructed one in the sense that teacher and students work together in a practice situation, nevertheless, bonafide teaching does take place.
2.    Reducing complexities: Micro-teaching lessens the complexities of normal class-room teaching. Class size, scope of content, and time are all reduced.
3.    Focus on training: Micro-teaching focuses on training for the accomplishment of specific tasks. These tasks may be the practice of techniques of teaching, the mastery of certain curricular materials, or the demonstration of teaching methods.
4.    Increased control of practice: Micro-teaching allows for the increased control of practice. In the practice setting of microteaching, the rituals of time, students, methods of feed back and supervision, and many other factors can be manipulated. As a result, a high degree of control can be built into the training programme.
5.    Expanding knowledge of results: Micro-teaching greatly expands the normal knowledge of results or feedback dimensions in teaching. Immediately after teaching a brief micro-lesson, the trainee engages in a critique of his performance. To give him a maximum insight into his performance, several sources of feedback at his disposal.

Procedure in Micro-teaching:
1.    Defining the skill: A particular skill is defined to trainees in terms of teaching behaviours to provide the knowledge and awareness of teaching skills.
2.    Demonstrating the skills: The specific skill is demonstrated by the experts or shown through video-tape or film to the teacher trainee.
3.    Planning the lesson: The student teacher plans a short (micro) lesson with the help of his supervisor, in which he can practice a particular skill.
4.    Teaching the lesson: The pupil-teacher teaches the lesson to a small group of pupils (5-10). The lesson is observed by supervisor or peers or video-taped or audio-taped or televised at close circuit television (CCTV).
5.    Discussion: The teaching is followed by discussion to provide the feedback to the trainee. The video-tape or audio-tape may be displayed to observe his own teaching activities by the trainee. The awareness of his own teaching performance provides the reinforcement to the pupil-teacher.
6.    Replanning: In the light of the discussion and suggestions the pupil-teacher replans the lesson in order to practice the small skill effectively.
7.    Reteaching: The revised lesson is retaught to another small group of students of same class for the same class duration to practice the small skill.
8.    Rediscussion: The reteaching is again followed by discussion, suggestions and encouraging the teaching performance. Thus the feedback is again provided to the trainee.
9.    Repeating the cycle: The ‘teach-reteach’ cycle is repeated till desired level of skill is achieved.
Thus we find that in micro-teaching the pupil-teacher tries to complete the 5 R’s viz, Recording, Reviewing, Responding, Refining and Redoing.
Phases of Micro-teaching:
According to J.C. Clift and others, micro-teaching procedure has three phases:
(i)               Knowledge acquisition phase
(ii)              Skill acquisition phase
(iii)            Transfer phase









Observe
Analyze and


1. Knowledge Acquisition Phase
Demonstration
Discuss


              (pre-active phase)
Skill
Demonstration








2. Skill Acquisition Phase
Prepare
Practice
Evaluate


         (inter-action phase)
Micro Lesson
Skill
Performance















Re-teach








3. Transfer Phase
Transfer of Skill to actual


   (post-active phase)
Teaching Situation













Phases of Micro Teaching


1.    Knowledge acquisition phase: In this phase, the student teacher attempt to acquire knowledge about the skill- its rational, it role in class room and its component behaviours. For this he reads relevant literature. He also observes demonstration lesson-mode of presentation of the skill. The student teacher gets theoretical as well as practical knowledge of the skill.
2.    Skill acquisition phase: On the basis of the model presented to the student-teacher, he prepares a micro-lesson and practices the skill and carries out the micro-teaching cycle. There are two components of this phase:
(a)  feedback
(b)  micro-teaching settings.
Micro-teaching settings includes conditions like the size of the micro-class, duration of the micro-lesson, supervisor, types of students etc.
3.    Transfer phase: Here the student-teacher integrates the different skills. In place of artificial situation, he teaches in the real classroom and tries to integrate all the skills.






Micro Teaching Cycle


The above diagram gives us an out look about Micro teaching process. The cycle continues up to the extend when a trainee will able to master a specific skill.
Comparison between Micro Teaching and Traditional Teaching

1
Objectives are specified in behavioural terms
Objectives are general and not specified in behavioural terms.
2
Class consists of small group of 5-10 students.
Class consists of 40-6- students.
3
The teacher takes up one skill at a time
The teacher practices several skills at a time.
4
Duration time for teaching is 5-10 minutes.
The duration is 40-50 minutes.
5
There is immediate feed-back.
Immediate feed-back is not available
6
Teaching is carried on under controlled situation.
There is no control over situation.
7
Teaching is relatively simple.
Teaching become complex.
8
The role of supervisor is specific and well defined to improve teaching.
The role of the supervisor is vague.
9
Patterns of class room interaction can be studied objectively.
Patterns of classroom interactions cannot be studied objectively.