MICRO-TEACHING
Title: STAD & TGT: Cooperative Learning Techniques
Teacher: Todd Bingham and Christine Rivera
Introduction
I did not create an original micro-teaching presentation plan, only a PowerPoint Presentation and notes on how to deliver the mini lesson, so I will provide a summary here of the who, what, and how of our presentation. Additionally, my partner, Christine, was away but I am sure I would have benefited from her knowledge and participation.
The micro teaching lesson was intended to provide my peers with a description and an example of both Student Team-Achievement Division (STAD) and Teams-Games-Tournament cooperative learning techniques. STAD and TGT are Social Interaction family methods that combine content and social learning.
Lesson
I begin by showing my peers a map of the world, concentrating on the continents and oceans, and assessing their prior knowledge, by asking if they what they knew and if they could locate the continents and oceans on the map. Afterwards, I reviewed the continents and oceans and then explained that they would be broken up into groups of four, and each group would work cooperatively to assist one another in the mastery of the continents and oceans.
The groups were broken up and given photocopies of the world map to study in anyway that worked best for the group members. After an abbreviated amount of time the students were given a fill in the blank world map quiz (STAD) that each member took individually. After a shortened version of the quiz I gave the students an educational world map game (TGT) to play. In the game the students were separated into new groups of three, provided with a blank map and an answer sheet, and they took turns selecting numbered cards, representing a location on a continent or ocean of the world map. The person who’s turn it was, was given the chance to answer first, but if they did not know the answer, the person to right could challenge and answer the question. This too was shortened for time management.
During the group work I moved between the groups providing encouragement and suggestions. I also checked for understanding by asking how everyone was doing and if they had any questions or needed assistance. I was also present and available for assistance during the quizzes and games.
After the examples of STAD and TGT, I asked my peers what they thought of the two cooperative learning techniques and which one they liked the best. The students all liked the games the best, which was no surprise. Adding a relevant game or fun activity to a lesson can excite, challenge, and energize students.
I then discussed the two learning techniques using a PowerPoint Presentation as the outline and visual reference. At the end I fielded questions about the two techniques.
REFLECTION
I had a great experience with micro-teaching lesson. I felt like I had taken everything I had learned about teaching throughout the semester and attempted to apply it in the mini lesson. I believe I am becoming a better teacher, and really making the connections between the art and science of teaching. I spent a lot of time thinking about and preparing the PowerPoint and determining what and how I wanted to teach the techniques. I know it was not perfect, but as you say “teaching is learning twice” and I learned a lot about my presentation through feedback and self-analysis. I only wish that Christine had been there with me, but she was extremely helpful in putting together the outline and providing me with resources.
I feel like am finally a teacher, and micro-teaching in front of my peers is a big reason. I think teaching in front of other teachers can be tougher than students because you know that they have the critical eye and understand the what, how, and why it is you are teaching the lesson. In that sense, it made for a perfect setting to build up my confidence, fine-tune my skills, and receive constructive criticism, so that I can be the best teacher I can be for my future students
I worked on this lesson with Christine Rivera, and although she was not available to participate on the day of the micro-teaching, she helped create the outline and provided insight into what I needed for the presentation. Once I received the outline from her I made a few additions and then converted it into a PowerPoint Presentation. I then had to determine how I would go about teaching the techniques. I used the book Student Team Learning (Slavin, 1991) as a reference guide and created two examples of how STAD and TGT can be used to teach geography. I knew I needed to work fast and make it interesting, and I think breaking up the students into cooperative groups made that easier. I believe that variety, with purpose, is the slice of life, and that working together and trying new things intrigued my peers. It also helped that they were not sure what technique was being used until after the mini lesson. A sense of mystery can be a teacher’s friend.
Overall, I think the lesson went well and my peers enjoyed participating. I think the activities were fun and I used the techniques appropriately. I also liked the presentation we prepared. It was informative and visually pleasing. There were a few things I will or would change in the future. I think I could have managed my time a little more effectively. I got caught up in the moment and wanted everyone to grasp what I was teaching, but I probably could have done it in less time. I also think I needed to calm down, and speak a little slower so that everyone could follow along. It might not problem for adults, but I will need to but slow down for my future students. The final thing I would change is my Anticipatory Set. I don’t think it was as exciting or as had as much of a hook as I would like. I am unsure of how I would fix that yet, but I will work on something more dynamic the next time.
CONCLUSION
The lesson was a great way for me to wrap up my micro-teaching in the course. I wanted to finish strong, and demonstrate that I had become a better teacher because of my experiences. I believe I did a good job, with great participation from Christine. I know it could be better and will be each time I teach it. I am happy about the experience because I felt we did a good job and I thought my peers, were involved, asked good questions and gave me positive feedback, which leads me to believe that in the end they liked it.
References
Slavin, R.E. (1991). Student team learning: a practical guide to cooperative learning. Washington, D.C.: NEA Professional Library.
World map. Retrieved from