This was the first session where I met my tutor group. We were asked to teach 20-minute sessions based on the object-based learning lecture we had had previously. It was fascinating to see what colleagues from different departments and disciplines brought in, and their approach and styles.
Daniel’s session was the most challenging for me as it started out with a scientific diagram of a condenser which I didn’t understand and made me panic. (I really struggled with science at school and was not allowed to do physics after Year 8). This resonated with an earlier session when we discussed learning styles and what attitudes/anxieties etc students bring with them to the classroom and how it affects their learning in ways we don’t necessarily appreciate. Once it became clear however that Daniel wanted to us to play around with the object and use it to take our own photos it all became much more enjoyable, and he was very patient.
Angela teaches fashion and brought in two beautiful but very different garments – a tailored purple silk jacket and a frilly pink and black slip. Both were beautifully made and we were able to handle them. We were asked to note down words describing our reaction to them an draw a detail from each. The focus in the room was palpable as we drew and when Angela started to speak and ask us questions it was hard for us to stop drawing. This was interesting in relation to an earlier session where we had discussed how to interrupt – either to get students to start or stop doing something. Sometimes they may not want to stop because they are really engaged with what you have asked them to do – good!
A precious object from our past
My choice was a a “Welsh doll” in national costume, which I used to help my “students” practise interview skills. I come from Wales and as I child we went to school dressed in the costume on St David’s Day, 1 March. This was a very exciting day, a half-day holiday, in a very rural primary school with only 60 children
Interviewing is a key skill in journalism, which at its heart is about telling stories about people and what they are up to, from politicians and celebrities to criminals and “ordinary people”. 1st year journalism students can find interviewing challenging, especially if they are apprehensive about talking to strangers. Talking about an object from the interviewee’s past can be quite revealing about people’s sense of identity, what has formed them and their values, without being too intrusive. The object could be a toy, book, item of clothing, piece of kit etc.
Initial spider diagram for lesson plan
I often start off a new project/session/ unit plan like this before refining it and typing it up as a word doc – see below. It’s a kind of personal brainstorm
Here is my lesson plan:
LCC PG Cert Microteaching Feb 11 2022
5 mins
Introduce self and explain that we are going to practise interview skills through talking about a precious object from our childhood – something that meant a lot but that we no longer have or maybe still do. Being able to talk to people and get them to open up is a key journalistic skill – having a focus through something that means a lot to the interviewee can be a helpful way of drawing them out and getting them to open up.
Pass doll around and ask them to look at it for a few seconds, touch it, ask questions or talk amongst themselves about it
Explain why the doll means a lot to me
5 mins
Explain they are going to work in pairs asking each other about a treasured possession, something that still means a lot to them.
Ask students if there is something from their childhood that meant a lot to them – a toy, a game, a book and why it was special.
Give them a minute to think about what it could be.
Give them the worksheet and go through it, explain they can ask different questions but the idea is to find out something about the other person – their childhood, their past, what they value from it. Encourage them to ask open ended questions: What? How? Why? etc. They need to note down the answers or record the conversation.
Their task after the class for this week is to write up the interview in the first person – using only the words – ie direct speech – of their partner.
8 minutes
Students work in pairs, 4 minutes each to interview and then they swap.
3 minutes
Ask one or two students to report back to the class about what they found.
Remind them about task and to email me their pieces
Here is the Worksheet I handed out to students: (there were spaces for them to fill in the answers on the actual sheet).
Practising Interview skills using objects
Here are some questions to ask your partner about an object that meant a lot to them in their childhood – a toy, car, game, book – it doesn’t really matter what it is. They may no longer have the object – or maybe they do. Feel free to ask different questions. Make notes below, or you could record the conversation.
Can you describe the object? What does/did it look, feel, sound like?
Who gave it to you, or why was it yours?
Why did it mean something to you?
What happened to it? If you no longer have it, would you like to?
I hoped the exercise might open up a discussion about identity, how we make assumptions about where people come from and their background – an important issue at UAL with its incredibly diverse student body. But it didn’t! Which just goes to show how what one thinks might happen in the classroom often doesn’t.
Tutor’s feedback for the microteaching
This was very helpful and I noted the tutor’s calm, measured way of delivering sometimes quite critical feedback. The main points I took away were:
Verbal rewards: Always thank students for making a verbal contribution an ask if anyone else wants to add anything – this can encourage quieter students to speak. . It can also help to create “invisible threads” between students – soft structures alongside harder ones like physical groups.
Paraphrasing what students have said can reward them: “upselling what they’ve said”.
I need to do more of all this.
Explain clearly what is going to happen in a teaching session so that students know what to expect. Providing worksheets that help them structure tasks/exercise they are given can help with this. I think I am doing ok with this – I like planning ahead.
Be confident in the way you come across to students, responding to them with eye contact, body language, speaking up and making sure students can see what is on the screen. This can help quell over assertive students who dominate the room.
Triggering In the case of the childhood object, the tutor pointed out that this could be uncomfortable for some students – the circumstances of the loss, a reminder of someone. I hadn’t thought about this but took it on board. This led to a short discussion about when encouraging students to step out of their comfort zone might be triggering – a grey area.