3 Peer Assessment in Microteaching
Dr Maryam Jaffar Ismail
Overview
Peer Assessment in Micro Teaching is an interactive evaluation technique where peers review and critique each other’s teaching presentations in a micro teaching session. Micro teaching is an innovative practice-oriented approach where teaching sessions are conducted on a smaller scale, often with a reduced duration and with a few students or peers acting as learners. This method facilitates a supportive environment where aspiring teachers can experiment with new teaching strategies, receive immediate constructive feedback, and engage in reflective practice. During these sessions, participants take turns teaching short lessons on chosen topics, after which they receive feedback from their peers based on specific assessment criteria such as lesson plan, delivery, clarity of instruction, interaction/ engagement strategies, content knowledge, uses of visual aid and/or technology integration, peer feedback and responsiveness to learner needs. Additionally, microteaching involves a cycle of steps of how to plan, the way of teaching, observation, assessing learning, replanning, reteaching, and reobserving. In general, microteaching is a useful tool for assisting novice teachers in learning about and reflecting upon good teaching methods and can be best assessed by peers.
Objective
The primary aim of Peer Assessment in Micro Teaching: This assessment method was designed to assess and improve teaching skills, pedagogical approaches, and classroom management strategies. By participating in peer assessment, educators are encouraged to critically evaluate their own teaching practices and those of their colleagues, promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement. The process is intended to help i) educators become more adaptable, responsive, and effective in their teaching methods, ultimately enhancing student learning outcomes. ii) to promote a reflective teaching practice, and iii) to build a collaborative professional community where prospective teachers and educators can share best practices, challenges, and innovations in teaching.
Grading
The rubric consists of key aspects of teaching effectiveness and peer feedback. The aspect of teaching includes:
- Lesson Planning: whether the Lesson is well-structured, objectives are clear, and materials are effectively utilized.
- Lesson delivery: whether the teaching/class presentation considered student centered approaches, engaging, clear, and well-paced, with excellent use/choice of language.
- Observation on Patterns of interactions: whether the lesson has demonstrated exceptional ability to engage students, encourages participation, and responds effectively to questions and effectively uses technology for interactive learning.
- Uses of visual aid and technology integration/with technology enhanced activities: whether innovative methods of teaching aids were used, and technology integrated that may significantly enhance learning outcomes.
- Classroom management: whether there is evidence of exceptional ability to manage classroom dynamics, disruptive behaviours, maintaining an effective and inclusive learning environment.
- Language skills: skillfully integrated and balances all four language skills {listening, speaking, reading and writing) and subskills (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation etc ) , promoting comprehensive language development.
- Pragmatism and Cultural awareness: Lessons reflect practical application of concepts, encouraging real-world understanding and engagement. Incorporates real-world applications and cultural contexts into their lessons. These elements are crucial for creating engaging, relevant, and inclusive learning environments.
- Inclusivity: demonstrates outstanding ability to adapt lessons for adult learners who do not speak Kiswahili as a second/foreign language. Also focus on students with special learning needs, ensuring accessibility and engagement.
- Quality Peer Feedback: Provides constructive, specific, and respectful feedback that contributes to professional growth, and provide actionable feedback, including perspectives on inclusivity, differentiation for diverse learners.
Assessment criteria: From Excellent- Good – Satisfactory – Need Improvement Scoring points: Total points earned across all criteria determined the peer assessment grade. The maximum score was 20 marks. Feedback was detailed, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations
Implementing peer assessment in micro teaching fostered a collaborative learning environment where peers could openly share feedback, insights, and teaching strategies. This method significantly enhanced reflective practice, as participants were able to see their teaching through the eyes of their peers, leading to a deeper understanding of their pedagogical strengths and areas for improvement.
Areas for Improvement
One challenge noted was the variability in the quality and depth of feedback provided by peers, and culturally, peers were uncomfortable to offer feedback to their peers. The cultural discomfort associated with offering peer feedback, highlights the crucial areas for improvement in the implementation of peer assessments. Therefore, it is important to provide a) training sessions for peers on how to give effective, constructive feedback, b) develop rubrics together or share and distribute agreed detailed rubrics or guidelines that outline the criteria for assessment, and iii) share examples of high-quality feedback to demonstrate what comprehensive and constructive feedback looks like.
Recommendations for Instructors:
• Train participants on how to give effective, constructive feedback to ensure consistency and depth across all evaluations. • Implement a feedback review session where instructors can guide the discussion, helping to clarify and deepen the feedback provided by peers.
• Consider integrating peer assessment with instructor evaluations to provide a more comprehensive feedback experience.
• While encouraging peer feedback, maintain educator support as a cornerstone of the assessment process. Educators can model effective feedback, participate in discussions, and provide reassurance to students hesitant to offer peer critiques.
• Encourage an open dialogue about the importance of constructive criticism in professional growth.
• Integrate peer assessment regularly into activities to help normalize the process of giving and receiving feedback among peers. Frequent practice can help reduce discomfort over time.
• Consider incorporating anonymous feedback mechanisms, especially in the initial stages, to help peers feel more comfortable providing honest feedback without fear of personal conflict.
• 4. General Advice
• Encourage an atmosphere of trust and respect to ensure feedback is received in a constructive manner.
• Emphasize the importance of specific, actionable feedback to enhance teaching practices.
• Utilize the peer assessment process as a learning opportunity not just for the presenter but for the evaluators as well, as analyzing and assessing teaching practices can deepen one’s own understanding and approach to teaching.
• Invest in digital learning assessment.
