13.2 Supervised Practice Teaching, Microteaching & Delivery Techniques
Key Takeaways
TCCP practice teaching is 10 hours, in person or virtual, plus two 15-minute videos submitted as part of the practicum.
Dwight Allen's microteaching cycle (Plan, Teach, Observe/Record, Critique, Re-Plan, Re-Teach) isolates specific instructional competencies within scaled-down teaching encounters.
Clear instructional delivery requires succinct staged directions, physical modeling, and verification via Instruction Checking Questions (ICQs) and Concept Checking Questions (CCQs) rather than ambiguous comprehension checks.
Purposeful board work architecture organizes visual input into designated spatial zones for lesson roadmaps, focal linguistic items, and emergent learner contributions.
Three of Jerry Gebhard's six supervision models (directive, collaborative, nondirective) structure post-observation conferences to foster non-defensive analysis and self-directed pedagogical growth.
13.2 Supervised Practice Teaching, Microteaching & Delivery Techniques
Note
Transitioning from observer to instructor is the defining stage of teacher development. Supervised clinical teaching provides an authentic setting where candidates apply theoretical lesson plans, manage real-time classroom interactions, and refine delivery techniques through structured mentor feedback.
Supervised Practice Teaching in the TCCP
In the TCCP, Part 3 includes 10 hours of in-person or virtual practice teaching plus the submission of two 15-minute videos. Participants arrange their own host school or virtual classroom, so practice teaching may take place in an adult program, a school, or a synchronous online class.
Two kinds of evidence typically support supervised teaching:
- Live Observation: A host teacher or supervisor watches the lesson and records notes, timing, and feedback.
- Recorded Lessons: Video lets a trainer, and you, review exactly what happened. TESOL's public page specifies only that two 15-minute videos are submitted; follow your course instructions for any accompanying lesson plans or reflections.
The Microteaching Paradigm: Dwight Allen's Iterative Cycle
Developed at Stanford University in the 1960s by Dwight W. Allen and colleagues, microteaching is a scaled-down training technique designed to master discrete pedagogical skills in a low-stakes environment.
Microteaching reduces complexity across three dimensions:
- Class Size: Scaled down to 3–8 learners.
- Lesson Duration: Condensed to 5–15 minutes.
- Curricular Scope: Focused on an isolated skill (e.g., presenting lexis with CCQs, staging instructions, or board work).
Dwight Allen's Six-Stage Microteaching Cycle
| Cycle Stage | Target Objective | Core Operational Activities | Evaluative Criteria & Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Plan | Design focused micro-lesson | Prepare a 5–10 minute lesson targeting a single instructional skill | Alignment of scope to timeframe; clear linguistic outcome |
| 2. Teach | Execute target skill | Deliver lesson to 3–8 learners while maintaining natural pacing | Observable application of target skill; lesson plan fidelity |
| 3. Observe / Record | Capture performance data | Film delivery; observers record timestamped behavioral notes | Objective video record; detailed running logs |
| 4. Critique / Feedback | Analyze instructional efficacy | Review video with mentor and peers; candidate self-assesses first | Evidence-based analysis; identification of 1–2 target goals |
| 5. Re-Plan | Restructure delivery | Revise lesson plan to remediate diagnosed delivery issues | Concrete adjustments to staging, scripts, or visuals |
| 6. Re-Teach | Consolidate skill mastery | Deliver revised micro-lesson to a fresh group of learners | Observable behavioral refinement; skill internalization |
High-Leverage Instructional Delivery Techniques
Effective classroom delivery relies on mastering three fundamental instructional mechanics:
Staged Instruction Giving
Unclear instructions disrupt classroom momentum. Novice teachers often talk while distributing materials or speak in wordy sentences laden with filler ("What I want you guys to do next is..."). Professional instruction giving follows an efficient routine:
- Secure Total Attention: Ensure silence and eye contact before speaking ("Stop, look, and listen").
- Hold Materials: Distribute worksheets or digital links only after giving instructions to maintain visual focus.
- Use Imperative Chunks: Deliver directions in concise, sequential steps ("Look at exercise 2. Read silently. You have three minutes.").
- Model the Task: Demonstrate an example item on the board or walk through a sample dialogue with a volunteer student before initiating pair work.
Checking Understanding: ICQs versus CCQs
Asking "Do you understand?" fails because learners nod out of politeness, embarrassment, or an illusion of comprehension. Structured checking routines replace ambiguous questions:
- Instruction Checking Questions (ICQs): Verify procedural understanding before an activity starts using brief, binary, or single-word questions: "Are you working alone or in pairs?" (In pairs.) "How many minutes do you have?" (Five minutes.) "Do you write full sentences or bullet points?" (Full sentences.)
- Concept Checking Questions (CCQs): Deconstruct target grammatical, lexical, or functional language items into core semantic components to verify comprehension without requiring abstract metalanguage:
- Target Sentence: "She managed to pass the driving test." CCQs: "Did she pass?" (Yes.) "Was it easy or hard?" (Hard.) "Did she have to make an effort?" (Yes.)
- Target Sentence: "If I had seen him, I would have told him." CCQs: "Did I see him?" (No.) "Did I tell him?" (No.) "Is this about the past or present?" (The past.)
Board Work Architecture and Visual Organization
The classroom board serves as a visual cognitive scaffold. Dividing the surface into three standard zones establishes clarity:
- Left Column (Organizational Zone): Date, daily lesson agenda, learning objectives ("Can-Do" statements), and homework assignments. This section remains visible throughout the lesson to ground pacing.
- Center Canvas (Instructional Content): Focal target language structures, color-coded grammar paradigms (e.g., subject in blue, auxiliary in red), and key vocabulary with word stress markers and phonemic notation.
- Right Column (Dynamic Language & Parking Lot): Emergent student vocabulary and errors noted during communicative activities for delayed review.
Managing Anxiety and Cultivating Teacher Presence
Instructional anxiety often causes rapid speech or over-explaining. Building presence involves somatic regulation:
- Proxemics: Moving purposefully between center stage during presentations and the periphery during group monitoring.
- Vocal Control: Projecting from the diaphragm, lowering pitch, and pausing between stages.
- Inclusive Eye Scan: Sweeping all four room quadrants to keep all learners engaged.
Post-Observation Debriefing Conferences: Supervisory Frameworks
Jerry Gebhard (1984) described six models of supervision: directive, alternative, collaborative, nondirective, creative, and self-help-explorative. Three are especially common in practicum debriefs:
- Directive Supervision: The supervisor prescribes solutions, dictates methodology, and sets standards. Useful during novice crises, but limits teacher autonomy.
- Collaborative Supervision: The supervisor and teacher act as colleagues, examining observational data together and co-constructing pedagogical solutions.
- Non-Directive Supervision: The supervisor acts as a facilitator and active listener, using open prompts ("What did you notice about pair participation?") to help the candidate generate self-directed insights.
Post-Observation Supervisory Debriefing Framework
| Supervisory Model | Supervisor Role | Candidate Autonomy Level | Characteristic Discourse Triggers | Optimal Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directive | Expert judge and director | Low (follows supervisor directives) | "Next time, stop talking and write the rule on the board immediately." | Novice candidate experiencing complete classroom management breakdown |
| Collaborative | Peer colleague and co-investigator | High (shared problem-solving) | "Looking at the timestamp at minute 12, what alternative grouping could we try?" | Standard practicum candidates analyzing instructional decisions |
| Non-Directive | Active listener and facilitator | Maximum (candidate leads reflection) | "How did you feel about that transition? What cues did learners give you?" | Experienced candidates refining autonomous self-regulation |
Tip
Draft CCQs during lesson planning rather than trying to invent them during class. Ensure your checking questions use simpler syntax and vocabulary than the target language item being tested.
A teacher candidate concludes a grammar presentation on the third conditional by asking the class: "Do you all understand how to use the third conditional?" The students nod silently, but when assigned to pair-work, none can form accurate sentences. Why did this checking technique fail, and what should the candidate have done instead?
The candidate should have administered a timed summative grammar test to assign formal grades before pair-work began
The teacher should have asked students to translate the entire third conditional paradigm into their native languages before speaking
Students often nod to save face or because they think they understand; the teacher should have used concept checking questions instead.
Asking "Do you understand?" tests abstract grammatical terminology that students find uninteresting; the teacher should have assigned a silent multiple-choice worksheet
During a teacher education seminar, a candidate prepares a 7-minute lesson focused solely on setting up an information-gap speaking task. The candidate teaches the lesson to five peers, reviews the video recording with a supervisor, rewrites the instructional sequence based on feedback, and immediately teaches the lesson again to a new group. Which teacher training methodology does this sequence represent?
Brookfield's autobiographical reflection process designed to explore childhood language learning memories
Flanders Interaction Analysis coding designed to measure indirect teacher influence over large cohorts
Summative high-stakes teacher evaluation designed to determine professional licensure
Microteaching: a short plan-teach-critique-reteach cycle focused on one skill
During a post-observation debriefing conference, a mentor teacher says to a candidate: "Looking at your lesson timestamp at minute 18, we notice that students began chatting in their native languages when pair-work started. What do you think contributed to that transition? Let's brainstorm two different ways we could stage those instructions next time." According to Jerry Gebhard's supervisory framework, which style does this mentor exemplify?
Norm-referenced supervision, because the mentor ranks the candidate against a peer cohort bell curve
Non-directive supervision, because the mentor refuses to participate and forces the candidate to guess the answers
Directive supervision, because the mentor issues a mandatory checklist of corrections that the candidate must execute
Collaborative supervision, because mentor and candidate examine the evidence together as colleagues and co-construct solutions.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.