Acing the Microteach

The microteach is a brief yet impactful demonstration of your teaching ability and can make or break your chance of landing your dream role! In the education sector the microteach is a common way institutions assess a potential candidates suitability for a role as part of their interview process. At TPP Recruitment, we have supported many academics, trainers, educators and lecturers with their microteach, so here are some of our top tips that we have put together to help you master the microteach! 

Know your audience 

When designing a microteach it is important to consider who your audience is.  

What is the demographic of your students? Consider their current education level and any additional learning needs they may have. Making sure your content is accessible to learners of all backgrounds is important. Striking a balance between challenging your learners whilst aligning with their educational abilities is crucial to keeping your students engaged.

Have a clear objective

The microteach is usually anywhere between 15-30 minutes long. 

Having a clear and achievable learning objective for your microteach is key to ensuring you achieve it in the short timeframe you have. 

Ensure your objective is SMART, (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.) Set this out at the beginning of your microteach so your leaners know that by the end of the session they will learn X. Keep your lesson concise and focus on the key points and avoid overwhelming your learners with too much information. 

Structure your microteach 

Ensure you have a clear and concise introduction, middle and end to your microteach.  

Outline your learning objective from the outset and close the lesson with a conclusion and summary of what they have learnt.  

The conclusion is a chance to review the aims and objectives you set out, testing their knowledge and that your learning objective has been reached. Ask your learners if they have any questions so you can be sure that you clarify anything that wasn’t understood during the lesson. 

Be engaging

Remember the microteach is not a presentation.  

You want to pique your student’s interest so try to grab their attention right from the beginning. Consider how you get the learners participating in your microteach? Try to incorporate interactive activities, group discussions, games or problem-solving tasks.  

Innovative teaching methods and visual aids are a great way to supplement your content and reinforce your learners understanding. Asking engaging questions is a great way to get your learners thinking outside the box and keeping them engaged.

Embrace feedback 

Practice your microteach with a peer or even better a current student and ask for feedback.  

Use the feedback constructively to reflect on your approach and identify areas for improvement. Even once you have delivered your microteach in an interview setting ask the panel for constructive feedback that you can take forward for future interviews. 

Reflect on what you feel went well and what could be improved and use the interview as a great learning opportunity! 

The microteach if planned well, is a great opportunity for you to showcase your teaching ability and passion for education. The ability to engage and inspire your learners is key to acing the microteach!

If you are an academic in the higher education sector looking for your next role, get in touch with us at education@tpp.co.uk or if you would like support with a microteach for an upcoming university interview, TPP are happy to book in a 121 session with you to provide feedback.