The Impact of Micro Teaching Lessons on Teacher Professional Skills: Some Reflections from South African Student Teachers

Abstract

Micro lessons in teacher education are intended to empower student teachers by developing skills which are necessary in their teaching careers. The study used student teachers’ reflections to explore how participation in micro lessons develops skills which are key in the teaching profession. Experiential learning theory was the theoretical framework for this study. Purposive sampling was used to select 14 fourth year Bachelor of Education student teachers. A focus group interview was used to collect data which was narratively analysed. The findings revealed that micro lesson presentations can develop student teachers’ skills when there are different forms of progression in micro lesson presentations; micro lesson presentations should progress from friendship groupings, random groupings, and peer presentations. Participation in micro lessons develops teacher professional skills such as lesson planning, craft of teaching, how to use resources, reflection, decision making, time management, responsibility and professional conduct.