Relocating Online a Technology-Enhanced Microteaching Practice in Teacher Education: Challenges and Implications

Abstract

The rich repertoire of online practices adopted by educators during the Covid-19 pandemic opened up new perspectives for educational research to consider e-learning post-pandemic. Focusing on teacher education, it is worth considering the practices adopted to inform the development of future curricula that cultivate teaching competencies for e-learning. This paper examines microteaching, a well-established practice realised in teacher education as a learning-to-teach experience. As was the case with other teacher education practices, the forced online transition heavily compromised the vividness of microteaching -a technique inherently connected to face-to-face interaction-. On the other hand, this online relocation can be an opportunity to capitalise on online microteaching as a fulfilling e-learning experience in teacher education. The paper has two parts. In the first part, we conceptualise the potential of microteaching while applying Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL). The second part reports our experience relocating online a mature technology-enhanced microteaching practice (successfully implemented in face-to-face settings for seven years) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our research design utilises two implementations of microteaching practice. One was conducted in a typical face-to-face context pre-pandemic, and another was conducted in an online context during a lockdown imposed by the pandemic. On a first level, collecting qualitative data from both contexts allowed us to observe common TEL-related challenges. On a second level, we focused on identifying challenges distinct at the online context to infer and highlight the implications of the online relocation. These implications relate to (i) the organisational changes, as experienced from the instructor’s perspective, (ii) the technologies adopted for applying TEL, and (iii) the challenges that pre-service teachers (PSTs) face in the online environment. Our findings extend the previous research scope on face-to-face microteaching practice. New challenges of relocating technology-enhanced microteaching online include technical difficulties in handling technologies and reduced participation in whole-class discussions. However, challenges that remain relatively unaffected concerning the typical face-to-face practice are (i) the PSTs immersion in the roleplaying character of microteaching, (ii) the misconceptions on the principles and methods of teaching techniques roleplayed, (iii) the adoption of digital tools for applying TEL, (iv) the selection of suitable digital tools, and (v) the burden of time limitation. In conclusion, we argue that these insights reveal an unexplored potential for technology-enhanced microteaching in an online context. We discuss how the implications of shifting microteaching practise online may model future microteaching implementations in teacher education post-pandemic. We support that online microteaching, apart from providing an alternative method when circumstances impose it, should be integrated within the typical teacher education curriculum to cultivate teaching competencies for e-learning.

Experiences of Preservice Teachers on Online-Based Microteachings: New Insights for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Programs

“…Still, there are study findings that imply design-based challenges in an online environment (Amiel & Reeves, 2008;Burchum et. al, 2007;Zalavra & Makri), so that it is fair to say that preservice teachers, though they may be aware of variety of digital tools and environments, they may need further assistance in selection of relevant tools and environments to save much time and effort in design procedures.…”

“…Although it has mighty assets in teaching practicum, microteaching surely carries out certain units for fruitful results (Innocent, 2017). Compiled studies suggest that (Allen, 1967;Karlström & Hamza, 2019;Koech & Mwei, 2019;Zalavra & Makri, 2022) microteaching, should include three main stages and it initially starts with a planning/organization for the intended activity. The planning of the teaching activity should include set of information as outlined in a lesson plan.…”

“…Although online-based teaching intentions are appreciated in literature, Dyment and Downing (2020) make an emphasis on the disintegration of online teaching activities and pedagogical concerns of ITE programs in their systematic review study of prepandemic period. At this point, studies (Kidd & Murray, 2020;Zalavra & Makri, 2022) underline the idea of teachers as designers in online teaching activities, and they add that preservice teachers should design their original online context by pursuing the necessary steps of an instruction (gaining attention, delivering the content, evaluation etc. ).…”

“…In such a background, microteaching can be reorganized with online-based microteaching. Researchers (Sarimanah, Efendi, & Dewi, 2020;Zalavra & Makri, 2022) tried to encourage preservice teachers to practice online-based microteaching (OBM) activities both to make up the negative side-effects of COVID-19, and to map out new horizons to improve (digital) teaching skills. Online-Based Microteaching experiences in teacher education can enforce preservice teachers to practice digitally-saturated new, possibly an ongoing, set of skills that will contribute to their teaching behaviors in future.…”

Review of research on microteaching in mathematics teacher education: Promises and challenges

“…Finally, even though using technology and microteaching has helped pre-service teachers improve their fundamental teaching skills, doing so might be difficult due to time management issues and technical issues. The adoption of technology-based microteaching is fraught with obstacles, according to certain studies (Yenmez et al, 2017;Lee, 2017;Setyawati & Indiati, 2018;Zalavra & Makri, 2022). These difficulties include handling technology correctly, reduced involvement, time constraints, and a lack of resources.…”