Micro teaching log

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". Nelson Mandela

What went well and what challenges did I face?

What went well during my online lesson?

I feel as though my lesson was successful due to how interactive my learners were throughout my lesson. The learners grasped the content and were able to answer the questions posed to them following each section, demonstrating their comprehension. My recap game that I created in PowerPoint worked successfully and the learners were actively engaged and were able to answer all the questions successfully until a winner, the learner with the highest score, was revealed. Throughout my lesson my audio and image was clear to ensure accurate learning could occur. I was able to provide instructions that were clear prior to the activities which prevented learners from getting confused, and allowed them to successfully complete the required tasks. My digital tools all worked seamlessly, enhancing the lesson to promote interactive learning. I managed my time successfully, to ensure all the content got covered in the lesson with enough time for learners to ask questions if they were confused. I received positive feedback from my peers which helped me identify the positive aspects of my lesson and possible areas I can improve.

What challenges did I face and how did I over come them?

Prior to the lesson, I noticed PowerPoint animations were not compatible with blackboard which lead me to rather sharing my screen to display my presentation rather than uploading my slides. Due to having to share my screen, I was not able to see the chat between learners when answering questions. For this challenge I asked the learners to rather respond verbally, which I found actually made them more interactive because they had no choice but to verbally respond.

Did I meet the lesson objectives and were appropriate ICT tools selected?

Did I meet the lesson objectives I set out to achieve?

Prior to my lesson, my lesson objectives were:

By the end of the lesson the learners will be able to

identify a variable
identify a constant
solve basic algebraic expression sums

Following the completion of my lesson I feel as though all my objectives were met. The learners successfully answered all the questions posed to them regarding the above objectives, demonstrating that they understood the content and that the objectives set out for the lesson were met.

Were the appropriate ICT tools selected?

For my lesson, the ICT tools I selected were PowerPoint, where I created two games in it along with the content to teach, and Kahoot. I believe the appropriate tools were selected as PowerPoint allowed for me to create an engaging presentation, where I could organize the content along with incorporating visuals, to allow the content to be shared in a coherent way. The crack the code game and recap card game imbedded in the PowerPoint allowed for a fun introduction activity, as well as an interactive way to test the learners understanding as the content was being taught. The Kahoot game was a great choice for an interactive quiz, using gamification to assess the learners understanding of the content taught throughout the lesson. The Kahoot game allowed for real-time feedback to be given, so that any problem areas can be explained as they arise. Combing these two ICT tools allowed for the content to be structured in a way that promoted active participation and interaction. These applications created a dynamic and immersive learning environment.

What did I learn from this experience and incorporating peer feedback

What did I learn from this experience that I can apply when teaching it in class?

Based on this experience, I really enhanced my ability to communicate clearly. I was able to provide concise and clear instructions online that avoided confusion for the learners. Using this skill, I can provide instructions in the same manner when teaching this lesson in a classroom. The engagement strategies I used, such as the Kahoot game, can be transferred to a classroom environment and adapted to incorporate more groupwork. The presentation format can be used in the same way, and projected onto the board to enhance the learning experience. Through the online experience I learnt how to correctly manage my time, identifying what areas I need to spend less time on and what areas could use some more time allocated to it. This can be translated into the classroom environment to ensure the lesson runs smoothly and that the objectives are met. Being in an online space, it taught me to be more flexible and adjust to challenges as they came up, I can use this in my class in the same way, helping me to remain calm throughout the lesson.

How did I incorporate feedback from my peers, mentor or learners into my lesson improvement process?

Although most feedback I received from my peers was positive, I still feel that I learnt alot on how I can improve my lesson process. Following my lesson I discussed it with my peers to see which aspects they enjoyed and which could use improvement. Following this feedback I either added more aspects that they enjoyed or edited aspects that could use improvement. M y mentor debriefed me following my lesson and commented on a technical difficulty I experiences where multiple slides were showing at once. This helped cement the issue to ensure it does not happen in the future. I observed how the learners engaged with the different aspects of my lesson, to identify which sections there was a higher level of engagement. Using this observation I can edit areas with a lower engagement to ensure the learners are interactive throughout the entire lesson.