Microteaching through the practice curriculum: Developing new practice educators
Keywords:
Microteaching, practice curriculum, practice educator, teaching in practice, skills developmentAbstract
The value of microteaching was explored in a small-scale study to help social practice educators in training to integrate their programme learning with the practicalities of providing practice teaching and supervision in the workplace. The project involved adapting and testing a bespoke model of microteaching to respond to social work practice contexts. In 2020-21, two small facilitated peer groups of up to five practice educators rehearsed targeted practice teaching activities and received observational feedback along with structured self-reflection. The events were evaluated using written surveys. Findings indicated consistently positive results concurring with many of the claims in the microteaching literature. With further validation, microteaching could be considered more widely as a worthwhile experiential learning strategy for social work partnerships’ curriculum developers to help new practice educators to integrate theory and practice, and to rehearse their practice teaching activities in a safe learning environment, helping develop their professional skills and increase their confidence in practice teaching.
References
Allen, D. W. (1966) Micro-Teaching: A new framework for in-service education. Stanford University [Accessed 9 December 2020 at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED013240.pdf]
Allen, D.W. and Clark (1967) Microteaching: Its rationale. The High
School Journal, 51, 2, 75-79 [Accessed 1 November 2020 at https://www.jstor.org/stable/40366699?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents]
Ananthakrishnan, N. (1993) Microteaching as a vehicle of teacher training: Its advantages and disadvantages. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, 39, 3, 142-3
Bell, L. and Webb, S. A. (1992) The invisible art of teaching for practice: Social workers’ perceptions of taking students on placement. Social Work Education The International Journal, 11, 1, 28-46
Biggs. J. (2003) Teaching for Quality Learning at University: What the student does. (2nd Ed.) Buckingham SRHE/Open University Press
Bogo, M. and Vayda, E. (2017) The Practice of Field Instruction in Social Work: Theory and process. (2nd Ed.) Toronto: University of Toronto Press
British Association of Social Workers (2019) Professional Capabilities Framework. BASW. [Accessed 1 February 2021 at https://www.basw.co.uk/social-work-training/professional-capabilities-framework-pcf]
Caspi, J. and Reid, W. J. (2002) Educational Supervision in Social Work: A task-centered model for field instruction and staff development. New York: Columbia University Press
Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (1992) The requirements for post qualifying education and training in the personal social services: A framework for continuous professional development, Paper 31. London: CCETSW
Cooper, J. M. (1967) Developing specific teaching skills through microteaching. In D. W. Allen. Micro-teaching: A description. Stanford University (pp.122-129) [Accessed 9 October 2020 at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED019224.pdf]
Cooper, J. M. and Allen, D. W. (1970) Microteaching: History and present status. [Accessed 9 December 2020 at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED036471.pdf]
Cooperrider, D. L. and Whitney, D. (2005) Appreciative inquiry: A positive revolution in change. Oakland CA: Berrett-Koehler
Croisdale-Applby, D. (2014) Re-visioning social work education: An independent review. Department of Health and Social Care [Accessed 1 March 2021 at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/285788/DCA_Accessible.pdf]
D’Eon, M; Overgaard, V; and Harding, S. R. (2000) Teaching as a social practice: Implications for faculty development. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 5, 151–162
Department for Education (2014) Making the education of social workers consistently effective: Report of Sir Martin Narey’s independent review of the education of children’s social workers. [Accessed 1 March 2021 at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287756/Making_the_education_of_social_workers_consistently_effective.pdf]
Department for Education (2021) Expanding the Teaching Partnerships Programme: Creating the right environments for excellent practice and innovation. [Accessed 1 March 2021 at https://socialworkers.blog.gov.uk/2021/06/22/expanding-the-teaching-partnerships-programme-creating-the-right-environments-for-excellent-practice-and-innovation]
Dennick, R. (1998) Teaching medical educators to teach: The structure and participant evaluation of the teaching improvement project. Medical Teacher, 20, 6, 598-601
Dennick, R. (2003) Long-term retention of teaching skills after attending the teaching improvement project: A longitudinal, self-evaluation study. Medical Teacher, 25, 3, 314-318
Domakin, A. (2014) Are we making the most of learning from the practice placement? Social Work Education: The International Journal, 33, 6, 718-730
Domakin, A. (2015) The importance of practice learning in social work: Do we practice what we preach? Social Work Education: The International Journal, 3, 4, 399-413
Donnelly, R. and Fitzmaurice, M. (2011) Towards productive reflective practice in microteaching. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 48, 3, 335-346
Field, P., Jasper, C. and Littler, L. (2016) Practice Education in Social Work: Achieving professional standards (2nd Edn.) St Albans: Critical Publishing
Higgins, A. and Nicholl, H. (2003) The experiences of lecturers and students in the use of microteaching as a teaching strategy. Nurse Education in Practice, 3, 4, 200-227
Higgins, M. (2014) Can practice educators be a ‘bridge’ between the academy and the practicum? The Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 12, 3, 62-78
Jones, C. A., Watkins, F. S., Williams, J., Lambros, A., Callahan, K. E., Lawlor, J., Williamson, J. D., High, K.P., and Atkinson, H. H. (2019) A 360-degree assessment of teaching effectiveness using a structured video-recorded observed teaching exercise for faculty development. Medical Education Online, 24, 1
[Accessed 9 December 2020 at https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/zmeo20]
Karlstrom, M. and Hamza, K. (2019) Preservice science teachers’ opportunities for learning through reflection when planning a microteaching unit. Journal of Science Teacher Education, Vol 30, 1, 44-62
Klinzing, H. G. and Floden, R. E. (1991) The development of the microteaching movement in Europe. American Educational Research Association [Accessed 9 December 2020 at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED352341.pdf]
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F. and Swanson, R. A. (2005) The Adult Learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Burlington MA: Elsevier
Korthagen, F. A. J. (2010) Situated learning theory and the pedagogy of teacher education: Towards an integrative view of teacher behavior and teacher learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 98-106
Krpalek, D., Pavlovich, S., Javaherian-Dysinger, H., Beach, K., Boehning, A., Lim, J., Paja, M., Patel, A., Pham, C. (2017) Effectiveness of microteaching for developing observation, communication, and professional behavior skill sets among occupational therapy students. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71
Kusmawan, U. (2017) Online microteaching: a multifaceted approach to teacher professional development. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 15, 1
Lakshmi, M. J. (2009) Microteaching and Prospective Teachers. New Delhi: Discovery
Lawson, H. (2017) The role of the practice educator in helping students develop critical reflection. The Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 15, 2, 38-55
Ledger, S., and Fischetti, J. (2020) Micro-teaching 2.0: Technology as the classroom. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 36, 1, 37-54
Mann, J. (2016) Filling the gap: Constructive approaches to the erosion of training standards for practice educators. in A. Bellinger, and D Ford. (Eds.) Practice placement in social work: Innovative approaches for effective teaching and learning. Bristol: Policy Press (pp. 165-180)
Mergler, A. G., and Tangen, D. (2010) Using microteaching to enhance teacher efficacy in pre‐service teachers. Teaching Education, 21, 2, 199-210
Neal, D. and Regan, A. (2016) Observations of student practice: What difference does observer qualification make? in A. Bellinger and D. Ford (Eds.) Practice Placement in Social Work: Innovative approaches for effective teaching and learning. (pp.149-164)
Pandachuck, K., Harley, D., and Cook, D. (2004) Effectiveness of a brief workshop designed to improve teaching performance at the University of Alberta. Academic Medicine, 79, 8, 798-804
Parker, J. (2006) Developing effective practice learning for tomorrow’s social workers. Social Work Education the International Journal, 26, 8, 763-779
Plenty, J. and Gower, D. (2013) The reform of social work practice education and training and supporting practice educators. Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 12, 2, 48-66
Ralph, E. G. (2014) The effectiveness of microteaching: Five years’ findings. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education, 1, 7, 17-28
Remesh, A. (2013) Microteaching: An efficient technique for learning effective teaching. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 18, 2, 158–163
Roush, R. E. (2018) Being ‘on stage’: Improving platform presentation skills with microteaching exercises and feedback. Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, 29, 3, 248-256
Sapsford, R. (2007) Survey Research. London: Sage
Schwartz, R. (2005) Ground rules for effective groups. in R. Schwartz, A. Davidson, P. Carlson, and S. McKinney (Eds.) The Skilled Facilitator Field Book: Tips, tools, and tested methods for consultants, facilitators, managers, trainers, and coaches. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass (pp.61-68)
Shardlow, S. and Doel, M. (1996) Practice Learning and Teaching. Basingstoke: Macmillan
Shore, B. M. (1972) Microteaching: A brief review. [Accessed 9 December 2020 at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED066863.pdf]
Slater, P. (2007) The passing of the practice teaching award: History, legacy, prospects. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 26, 8, 749-762
Smoyer, A. B., O’Brien, K. and Rodriguez-Keyes, R. (2020) Lessons learned from COVID-19: Being known in online social work classrooms. International Social Work, 63, 5, 651-654
Social Work England (2021) Qualifying education and training standards 2021. Social Work England [Accessed 1 March 2021 at
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2019) Subject benchmark statement: Social work. QAA [Accessed 1 March 2021 at https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-social-work.pdf]
Trevithick, P. (2000) Social Work Skills: A practice handbook. Buckingham: Open University Press
Tülüce, H. S. and Çeçen, S. (2018) The use of video in microteaching: Affordances and constraints. English Language Teaching Journal, 72, 1, 73–82
Turney, C. (1970) Micro-Teaching: A promising innovation in teacher education Australian Journal of Education, 14, 2, 125-141
Varghese, R. (2020) Teaching without being taught how: Social work practice faculty voices. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 39, 2, 145-159
Woods, T. (2015) Practice educators’ experiences of facilitating and assessing student values and ethics learning: constructing dialogue. Social Work Education, 34, 8, 936-951
Yan, C., and He, C. (2017) Pair microteaching: An unrealistic pedagogy in pre-service methodology courses? Journal of Education for Teaching, 43, 2, 206-218
Zaidi, N. (2015) Micro-teach Masterclass: Preparing and delivering your micro-teach for the award in education and training and for interviews in teaching. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright lies with the journal. Enquiries regarding reproduction should be sent in the first place to enquiries@whitingbirch.net.Accepted 2022-09-19
Published 2023-03-02
