Individual Microteach Feedback and Reflection

Below are the pictures of the peer feedback and self-assessment forms.

The main thing that I learned from the microteach is that thorough lesson planning makes all the difference for a successful lesson. I spent a lot of time preparing for my microteach (probably more than I should have…) and it came out well. I was very intentional with the powerpoint that I designed for the lesson and how I coupled it with my demonstrative drawing. The powerpoint appears to have helped others in my group based on my feedback, and I was very glad to hear that.

I am someone who has a very difficult time with improvisation, and I am happy to say that this microteach gave me confidence for improvising. I had to improvise a little when my peer left and returned later in the lesson. When he returned, I had to think quickly about how to get him back on track. A few considerations went into this decision. One is thinking about where he left off in the lesson, another is thinking about what stage of the lesson he returned to, and the other was trying not to give him overwhelming instructions. In the end, I asked him to work with the current step we were on since his drawing was partially complete, so that he could still add to his drawing without having to go back over all the steps. Another moment where I improvised was when I was scanning to make sure students were meeting the lesson goals, and noticed that my position could be more appropriate for one of my peers to see better, and for me to see that peer’s drawing. We spoke to figure out a position that better suited us both. I was proud that I was able to navigate both situations and these give me confidence for being able to go “off script” in my lesson plan.

One thing I would like to improve is that I ran out of time for students to have enough reflection time at the end. I was just going off the time warnings from Susan, but I think it would have been more useful to have an eye on the clock so that I could make sure that students had enough time to complete all their activities. Another thing I would like to try is using more of a "hook" for my lesson. In this case, it would have been showing the bird dancing earlier in the lesson. I think hooks are particularly important for math lessons to get students engaged.

During the lesson, I struggled with all the materials I had to manage. I had a printed lesson plan and a computer, as well as a hard cover book, paper, and pencil for demonstrating the drawing. It was a bit overwhelming, and I didn’t feel I had enough space to work with. It might have helped to have more space to place materials, but I will continue thinking about how to make my teaching resources more organized.