Pair microteaching:an unrealistic pedagogy in pre-service methodology courses?. Issue 2 (15th March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yan, Chunmei; He, Chuanjun
• Is Part Of: Journal of education for teaching. Volume 43:Issue 2(2017)
• Page Start: 206
• Page End: 218
• Publication Date: 2017-03-15
• Subjects: Pair microteaching -- EFL pre-service methodology course -- China; Teachers -- Training of -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 370.71
• DOI: 10.1080/02607476.2017.1286783
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0260-7476

Abstract

Abstract: Despite its inherent nature of artificiality, microteaching has been widely used as a routine procedure in pre-service teacher education courses to apply theoretical knowledge and develop practical teaching competence. Its importance in the practice element of teacher education programmes has given rise to a considerable amount of attention to its potential in research. However, there has been little or no research on pair microteaching, which is exploited as a circumstantial compromise and innovation. This article reports on a small-scale study of the effect of pair microteaching on EFL (English as a foreign language) student teachers' professional learning. Triangulated sources of data were collected qualitatively to investigate a group of 30 student teachers' perspectives about their eight-week-long microteaching experience on an English language teaching methodology course. The results show a high level of endorsement of the experience despite the drawbacks of limited practice opportunity and artificiality of the experience. The article concludes that pair microteaching can be a feasible pedagogy in methodology courses that can be supplemented by other forms of direct and indirect school experiences.