Microteaching sessions are practice teaching sessions where instructors present short lessons to a small group of peers and receive detailed feedback on their performance. As a teaching development technique, microteaching was first introduced at Stanford University in 1963. CTE microteaching sessions are designed to provide graduate students participating in the Fundamentals of University Teaching Program with opportunities to practice different teaching methods and receive constructive feedback in a supportive, low-risk environment.

Each microteaching session has 4-5 participants and one CTE facilitator and is approximately 3 hours in length. Participants take turns teaching 15-minute interactive lessons. Each mini-lesson is timed so it is essential that you adhere to the 15-minute timeline. The mini-lesson is followed by a short (1 minute) reflection by the mini-lesson instructor on how the lesson went and 15 minutes of verbal feedback from peers as well as the CTE facilitator.

Feedback is an important part of microteaching.  It focuses on what was done well and suggestions for improvement. Each participant is expected to give and receive constructive feedback! 

The following diagram explains the structure of CTE microteaching sessions.

Mini-lesson (15 min.) Participant teaches interactive lesson

Self-assessment (1 min.) Participant reflects on how the lesson went

Peer feedback (15 min.) Participant receives oral feedback from peers and CTE facilitator

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Written feedback from CTE facilitator (via email) 1-2 days after the session

The main focus of microteaching sessions is on your approaches to teaching, not the content.  Each 15-minutes lesson has a different thematic focus to give you opportunities to practice various teaching methods.  You need to successfully complete one microteaching session on each of the following topics (in any order):

1. Your favourite theory or theorist in your field of study.
2. A key concept or skill from an introductory course in your field.
3. Your favourite teaching method (No PowerPoint in this lesson - you need to teach the teaching method and not teach your topic using the method).

We encourage use of visual aids such as whiteboard, pictures, handouts, short videos, etc.  You may use PowerPoint for some of the lessons.  However, to make sure participants do not rely exclusively on PowerPoint, we ask that one of the lessons – the one about your favourite teaching method – is taught without the use of PowerPoint (any other teaching aids are acceptable).

Microteaching is about more than content delivery. The goal is to teach your audience members about your topic and encourage their participation so you can see what they have learned.  In our microteaching sessions, your audience members are graduate students from different departments across campus.  When preparing your lesson, it is important to consider ways to engage them in the lesson and select teaching methods appropriate for your topic and audience.  You might want to start by asking questions to find out what your audience already knows about your topic (this is known as prior learning assessment).  To make your lesson interactive, consider using demos, questions, quizzes, games, videos, think-pair-share, brainstorming and other techniques to help your audience engage with the material and practice new knowledge.

To help you select active learning activities suitable for your lesson, we suggest that you consult CTE Teaching Tips such as:
Active Learning Activities
Varying Your Teaching Activities
Activities for Large Classes

To help you prepare your first mini-lesson, we require that you attend the Effective Lesson Plans workshop. This workshop is offered every month and covers the steps involved in planning a unit of instruction, including writing objectives, selecting appropriate teaching methods, assessing student learning, etc. To help you plan your lesson, we ask that you prepare a lesson plan using the Microteaching Lesson Plan and send it to the session facilitator by the stated deadline.  Another useful resource on lesson planning is the CTE Teaching Tip on Planning a Class.

Here are the steps to signing up for a microteaching session:

1. Complete Effective Lesson Plans workshop prior to your first microteaching session.
2. Send an email with your name, department, and a choice of at least two possible dates for your microteaching session to Plinio Morita.  You can view the available dates of the upcoming sessions at Events. 
3. Once we schedule your microteaching session, you will receive an email confirming the date of the session and the name and email of your session facilitator. 
4. You will then need to prepare your lesson plan using the Microteaching Lesson Plan and email it to your session facilitator at least 5 days prior to the session. The facilitator will review your lesson plan and let you know if the lesson plan is acceptable or requires changes.

Note that you can sign up only for one microteaching session at a time.  Once you successfully complete one microteaching session, you can register for the next session following the same procedure.

If you cannot participate in the microteaching session, please let us know as soon as possible by contacting your session facilitator.  We ask for 3 business days notice for cancellations as this would allow us to offer the spot to another student and give them enough time to prepare their mini-lesson.

If you cancel your participation in the microteaching session less than 3 days in advance, you won’t be able to sign up for microteaching sessions during the next 4 weeks.

You can complete 3 microteaching sessions per term, provided there are available spaces.  You can complete a maximum of two microteaching sessions per month provided they are at least two weeks apart.  You cannot sign up for two microteaching sessions in two consecutive weeks.

1. To receive credit for a microteaching session, you must attend the whole session.
2. If your microteaching session is not accepted, you will be asked to incorporate the feedback from the CTE facilitator and re-teach your lesson during a later microteaching session.

1. Decide on the learning objectives for your lesson. What will a learner be able to do as a result of your lesson?
2. Your lesson needs to be interactive. Involve the audience in the lesson as much as possible. Don’t rely exclusively on lecturing!
3. Decide on the breakdown of the lesson. Your lesson cannot exceed 15 minutes!

MICROTEACHING LESSON PLAN
Time: 15 min.

Name:
Student ID #:
Attended Effective Lesson Planning workshop: Yes___ No___

Lesson Title:
Please check the topic of the lesson
1___ Your favourite theory or theorist in your field of study.
2___ A key concept or skill from an introductory course in your field.
3___ Your favourite teaching method (no PowerPoint in this lesson).

Learning objectives (list 1-2 specific objectives): (What will learners know or be able to do after your lesson?) Hint: Consult Bloom's taxonomy to select appropriate action verbs.

Pre-assessment: (If you plan to find out what learners already know about your topic, how will you do it?)

Opening your lesson: (How will you get learners’ attention and motivate them?)

Learner engagement and participation: (How will you engage your audience with your topic and encourage their participation in the lesson?) Describe specific learning activities and interaction you are planning.

Supporting materials/resources: (What teaching aids do you plan to use?)

Post-assessment: (If you plan to assess whether you met your learning objective, how would you do it?)

Closure: (How will you end your lesson?)

Microteaching Feedback Form

(click here for PDF version)

Date:                                                 
Session Title:
Presenter’s Name:

1. What were the strengths of this mini-lesson? Why?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. How did the instructor involve the audience?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. What can you suggest to make the lesson more effective or understandable?

 

 

 

 

Delivery	Structure	Audience Engagement
Solid eye contact with audience Appropriate vocal qualities (good pace and volume, clear articulation) Positive facial expressions Useful gestures/movement/posture Confidence/enthusiasm/professionalism Extemporaneous quality (vs. reading from notes) Appropriate design and use of visuals	Appropriate amount of content Clear preview Clear points with mini-summaries Helpful transitions Solid audience awareness Use of examples, anecdotes, etc. Varieties of explanation Strong time management Activities support intended learning outcomes	Integration of questions from self and learners Use of activities Strong class participation