Online Micro-teaching Reflection

In an ever-changing 21st century, the use of technology in educational learning spaces is more important than ever. It is therefore integral for teachers in training to have the time and space in which to collaborate online and practice teaching in an online space. It is for this reason that I really valued my online teaching experience and the skills I have learnt from it.

I really enjoyed working on and engaging with online microteaching. First and foremost, I found it so easy and quick to make use of online platforms including Blackboard Collaborate, PowerPoint and Quizizz that I am familiar with. I felt as though I could make use of so many fun, interesting and engaging tools that supported my teaching well. However, there were a few things I did not like. It was a slight challenge to completely adapt my lesson to an online space as it is not something that I am used to. However, after playing around and practicing on the platform I soon became comfortable with the many options I had at my fingertips to make online teaching successful. As I am a very hands-on, concrete centred teacher, I found it particularly interesting how I was able to take the content and by means of visual aids make it semi-concrete to aid students' understanding.

Upon reflection of my peers' comments about my lesson, one important comment I take away is that I should include a written passage (story, poem or rhyme) that incorporates homonyms and homophones. However, because this was just a slice of my lesson it is noted that a story would have been completed for my introduction component of the lesson. One comment that came up numerous times from my peers was that they enjoyed the way in which I incorporated visual clues and images throughout my online lesson. In addition, what worked well in the lesson was the repetition I used and that I used relatable, every day sight words in my example.

I learnt many new skills from the online micro-teaching experience. The first skill was how to present on blackboard collaborate and how to make use of the tools on this platform in the best way to teach young students. I also learnt how to create an online quiz and how I could assign this for homework to students in the classroom. One of the most important skills I learnt through this experience is adaptability towards the online space in terms of connection problems, microphone challenges, video interruptions and so forth. The online space really is one in which you have to practice and engage with in order to gain the confidence to think on your feet and adapt properly. I really enjoyed making use of the online platforms and having to engage with students in a context I am not too familiar with. In a face-to-face lesson, I would need to make use of concrete resources, songs and images in order to get the full engagement of students in the classroom. I will also have words written visually for students to view throughout the lesson. In the future, I would have added a small story into the teaching and learning phase for students to apply their knowledge too. In addition, I would have used a different online platform for the Quiz as I could not track my learners progress while they completed it. Other than the slight issue with Quizizz, I feel as though I made good choices in respect to the online platforms I used which included PowerPoint and Blackboard Collaborate.

In a real-life teaching scenario, I will use the skills I have learnt from online micro-teaching to help me incorporate technology into my 21st century classroom. In addition, as times are changing and different needs arise, technology and online teaching can be used for homework, during holidays, for extra lessons and even during the school day. Online schools are also becoming more and more popular, meaning that as a new teacher the skills I have learnt from teaching online are invaluable.

All in all, I am very appreciative for the opportunity to have learnt how to teach in an online space and believe that it is hugely valuable for my future endeavours as a teacher.