Cooperative Learning within Microteaching

To encourage collaboration and community among first-year B.Ed. students during Microteaching, I used Dyson and Casey's (2016) cooperative learning model. The model emphasizes positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, interpersonal skills, individual accountability, and group reflection. Figure 1 summarizes the initiative, which involved providing learning materials in various formats in advance of classes and allowing students to complete their reflective portfolios in written or narrated format. The focus was on cooperative learning throughout the Microteaching cycle, with guidance from the tutor. Students were assessed during peer teaching sessions and on their reflective portfolios using this grading rubric available to download here. The aspects of the initiative linked to each stage of the cooperative learning model are outlined in Figure 2.

Before the first week of the module, I briefed all Microteaching tutors on the initiative and the plan for the semester ahead. In week 1, Microteaching was introduced to the students and the process of planning, peer teaching, recording, and reflecting were explained. The assessment tasks were also shared with the learners. The students self-selected groups of 3 to 4 peers, completed a peer group agreement and self-selected the weeks each group member would teach their first and second lessons.

During week two, peer groups collaborated during workshops to plan their lessons. They shared draft lesson plans with their peers for feedback and practised teaching their lessons. From weeks three to five, they engaged in peer teaching and provided constructive feedback to the teachers. The teachers and peer groups completed self assessment forms and peer feedback forms. The groups engaged in reflective discussions and helped the teachers set improvement goals. Teachers reviewed their videos and completed the second reflective portfolio task to identify their strengths, challenges, and learnings.

In weeks six to nine, the students built on what they had learned in Teach 1 and focused on more advanced learning outcomes. They followed a similar cycle of collaborative planning, peer teaching, and individual and group reflection. In week ten, they engaged in reflective discussions and shared feedback on their experiences as beginning teachers, and their experiences with the cooperative learning approach used in the module. The students then completed anonymous questionnaires to provide feedback on their learning experiences. In the final weeks of the module, they submitted their entire reflective portfolios, which included four reflective tasks that elicited their learning, development, and future goals.

Students described supportive learning environments and a sense of community as they acknowledged great levels of support received from their peer groups, which helped them to “feel less alone” and more comfortable asking for help when needed. They felt they could practice their ideas and give and receive feedback in a safe, supportive environment. My colleagues noticed the interdependence among the groups, they specifically mentioned the sense of accountability and interdependence among the students as they had to plan, teach and reflect to a high standard, not only for themselves but to support their peers.

The students reported that the peer feedback helped them feel more confident as things they were doing well that they hadn’t noticed themselves were highlighted. Planning with their peers helped them to feel more confident in their plans and less nervous about teaching.

Students acknowledged enhanced classroom experiences by learning from and with their peers. They gained valuable insights by engaging in planning sessions, observing their peers teach and from guided feedback discussions. Giving and receiving peer feedback helped students improve their teaching and learning skills. Students reported that the guiding questions helped them to deconstruct the lessons and enabled them to focus on and identify specific features of the lesson e.g., introduction, and effective pedagogical approaches e.g., higher-order questioning, etc. They also identified important skills they gained through the cooperative learning process such as communication and social skills, collaboration and teamwork skills, evaluation and critical reflection skills. My colleagues also acknowledged that students’ teaching and planning were at a higher level than in previous years. They felt that this may be due to the support with planning they received from the resources provided, as well as working collaboratively with their peers.

Many students expressed that the guided self-assessments and reflective discussions enhanced their learning by enabling them to reflect critically. They found the forms “helpful as the questions acted as effective prompts and triggered parts of the lesson [they] may have forgotten afterwards”. They helped students identify specific successes and areas for development. My colleagues and I also noticed that the students were engaging in much deeper levels of reflection in their discussions and reflective writing. The students went beyond the descriptive level and articulated how they could progress their skills. Students were more competent in engaging in professional conversations as they were using the vocabulary from the feedback forms. It was evident that they were more aware of what success looked like and of the components of an effective lesson.

• Include relationship-building activities at the beginning of the semester. Explain the contribution of peer feedback to learning and development, how the peer feedback process will be carried out and establish group contracts and confidentiality.
• Facilitate opportunities for focused peer group engagements during class time.
• Keep peer groups small and assign specific roles and tasks each week.
• Include a variety of question types (higher and lower order questions) in peer feedback and self-assessment forms to highlight important theoretical and procedural knowledge, as well as to promote critical thinking, analysis and evaluative skills. The forms and peer discussions served as stimuli for the reflective portfolio tasks which were open-ended prompts.
• To recognise the value of their cooperative efforts, consider how it is reflected in their assignments e.g. In their reflective portfolios the students articulated the learning gleaned from their peers.
• Have students submit the self-assessment form as part of their assessment.

The cooperative learning model, in conjunction with the guided self-assessment and peer feedback forms, motivated students to learn and support each other. I will continue to develop and refine this approach in future modules with a particular focus on fostering a sense of community while developing student feedback literacy. I will continue to refine the questions so that the exercise is meaningful and effective.

To ensure that students have a real choice in expressing their learning, I acknowledge the importance of facilitating the students with opportunities to create narrated presentations throughout the semester so that this option is accessible to all students.

Another key consideration for the future is to provide the students with an opportunity to team-teach a lesson. This would ensure that the students collaborate more meaningfully through all phases of the Microteaching process.

CAST (2018) Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from UDL Guidelines.

Dyson, B. and Casey, A. (2016) Cooperative learning in physical education and physical activity: A practical introduction, Routledge.

Hofstede, G. H., & Hofstede, G. J. (2005) Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.