Nerves: about my microteaching

As one of the methods of evaluation, professor Lídia Cardoso demanded us to present a 20 minute microteaching using elements, techniques and schemes that enable students to identify which approach was being used.

Physical surroundings and atmosphere in classroom are the vital factors to make sure that "the students feel comfortable and confident", and various techniques, including art and music, are used by the trained teachers. The lesson of Suggestopedia consisted of three phases at first: deciphering, concert session (memorization séance), and elaboration.

Deciphering: The teacher introduces the grammar and lexis of the content. In most materials the foreign language text is on the left half of the page with a translation on the right half, i.e. meanings are conveyed via the mother tongue not unlike the bilingual method.

Concert session (active and passive): In the active session, the teacher reads the text at a normal speed, sometimes intoning some words, and the students follow. In the passive session, the students relax and listen to the teacher reading the text calmly. Music (" baroque”) is played in the background.

Elaboration: The students finish off what they have learned with dramas, songs, and games.

Then it has developed into four phases as lots of experiments were done: introduction, concert session, elaboration, and production.

Introduction: The teacher teaches the material in “a playful manner” instead of analyzing lexis and grammar of the text in a directive manner.

Concert session (active and passive): In the active session, the teacher reads with intoning as selected music is played. Occasionally, the students read the text together with the teacher, and listen only to the music as the teacher pauses in particular moments. The passive session is done more calmly.

Elaboration: The students sing classical songs and play games while “the teacher acts more like a consultant”.

Production: The students spontaneously speak and interact in the target language without interruption or correction.

Could you recognize it? Yeah! It was suggestopedia!

I decided to show the difference of this specific method – suggestopedia – with another one presented by another student – TPR.

And here is the lesson plan for the microteaching:

Lesson time	Teacher task	Student task	Rationale	Mode of communication
Setting the stage (0-4 minutes)	Teacher asks students about their previous day and what they did, teacher puts on a background song and role a certain scene/Dialogues accompanied by music in background; role-play using objects that represent the scene	Students will pay attention to the teacher’s act out, relax and concentrate which will allowed them to internalize the language	By doing the act, students are introduced to the Simple Past Tense and REGULAR ED verbs pronunciation	Interpretive
4-8 minutes	Teacher repeats the act	Students will concentrate on the story, paying attention to the verb forms in Simple Past Tense	Teacher uses the target language to expose students to the two aimed ED pronunciations: /t/ and /d/	Interpretive
PROVIDING INPUT (8 – 13 minutes)	Teacher introduces REGULAR verbs, models and ask students to notice the similarities and differences among the verbs	Students listen,   speak and point out the differences and similarities among the verbs	Get students to notice the difference between final /t/ and /d/ ED endings	Interpersonal
GUIDED PRACTICE (13 – 18 minutes)	Teacher gives each student 2 cards with /t/ and /d/ pronunciation	Teacher pronounces different REGULAR  verbs and students should raise the card containing the correct pronunciation of the final ED	Students should apply the new knowledge to identify the distinct pronunciations of final ED	Presentational
EXTENSION	Teacher give students a handout with a lyrics of Christina Aguilera’s song “You lost me”	Student should put the verbs given into the correct Simple Past form	Practice REGULAR verbs	Presentational