Microteaching session overview
Not sure if this is part of my assessment or not, but I wanted to write about my experience yesterday during the microteaching seminar.
I got an immense amount out of my peers’ presentations and all but one got some fantastic crits. I’ve listened and learned and wasn’t judgmental about any teaching styles or the topics they were teaching. Some of them were quite obscure for a mathematician like me, but I was open minded and willing to learn. The same attitude wasn’t offered to me. I was the one who didn’t get a good crit. I have to admit, I was unprepared and wanted to have a discussion session rather than a 20 min presentation, which turned into a vicious attack on me. The dynamics of the group were difficult and rather judgmental, which I wasn’t ready for. The attacks were personal and very hurtful. I was made to feel unprepared, not a teacher, not being able to control the room and ultimately stupid. I’m very new to teaching and am now seriously considering if this is the right path for me. I don’t feel welcomed, supported or safe in that toxic environment. All of my peers and tutor felt offended about the topic that I chose. I do understand that the data analytics and online shopping is a taboo subject for creatives in the room, but that is the reason why I chose to have a lively debate. The whole concept was misunderstood but I wasn’t given a chance to explain. The attacks kept on coming and I shrunk, disappeared. This experience has alienated me from the group and is making me reconsider my choices. This programme was about learning in a safe space, but it certainly didn’t feel like that to me. So much judgement was present yesterday and people’s own insecurities highlighted.
I love sharing my knowledge, I love the energy of young students, their desire to live, play and learn. I get so much out of teaching, but yesterdays’ experience has put a negative spin on it. I’ve learnt so much from microteaching. All the different techniques, all the different interactions with the audience, tools we can use to get our point across. The silence and body movement were particularly interesting ways to teach, but sadly most of the content from microteaching cannot be used in teaching my units, the business side of fashion. The one thing I will take from the seminar is kindness and how important it is. Regardless of circumstances, everyone deserves it. Not me yesterday.
I found this post very moving and as I read I found myself feeling empathy and sadness.
To me the experience described speaks of the emotional aspect of teaching and learning, and that responses to the content we present can never be fully planned for. People sometimes become emotional and as a teacher we have no control over that. I would perhaps reflect on how you might have prepared the students my putting the lesson in to a cultural/political/social context, visually and with text (music perhaps), having a short ice-breaker activity, before presenting the main content information.
For me when I am teaching to a group or individuals I don’t there needs to be some sort of knowledge finding initially, for me to be able to ‘pitch’ the intended learning.; I need to know something about who I am teaching. I also think it is important for learners to know something about each other, so that they feel more comfortable in a group situation, thus perhaps more willing to ‘give’ something of themselves, to learn about themselves, about other people and to engage with the information presented from a safer position.
I like that you were so honest with how you felt during the micro-teach, which is a brave thing to do. I also liked that you ended with a mention of ‘kindness’, which for me is one of the most important aspects of human experience and of being a teacher 🙂