Quick answer
Micro teaching skills are specific teaching behaviours practised one at a time: introducing a lesson, questioning, explaining, illustrating with examples, stimulus variation, reinforcement, blackboard writing, and achieving closure. Each skill has components, such as pausing, using examples, or changing voice, that an observer can see and rate, so the trainee gets precise feedback.
- Each skill has desirable and undesirable components.
- Observers rate components on a schedule.
- Skills improve fastest when practised in short cycles.
- Skills combine naturally in full lessons.
What is the skill of introducing a lesson?
It is the ability to prepare students for new learning by connecting it to what they already know and making them curious.
- Use previous knowledge with a question or quick recap.
- Use a device: a story, a picture, a demonstration, or a puzzle.
- Maintain continuity between steps.
- Avoid irrelevant statements and rushing into content.
Example: before teaching evaporation, show a wet cloth drying in the sun and ask where the water went.
What is the skill of questioning?
- Fluency in questioning
- Asking clear, relevant, grammatically correct questions at a good pace.
- Pausing
- Waiting a few seconds after a question so students can think.
- Distribution
- Spreading questions across the class, not only to volunteers.
- Probing questions
- Following up to deepen an answer: prompting, seeking clarification, refocusing, and redirecting.
- Higher-order questions
- Asking why and how, not only what.
What is the skill of explaining?
- Use beginning and concluding statements.
- Link ideas with words such as because, therefore, and so that.
- Use simple language and define new terms.
- Check understanding with questions.
- Avoid irrelevant statements, vague words, and lack of continuity.
What is the skill of illustrating with examples?
It is the ability to make an idea concrete through examples that are simple, relevant, interesting, and familiar to students. Good practice is to move from simple to complex examples and to use both teacher-given and student-generated examples.
What is the skill of stimulus variation?
| Component | Example |
|---|---|
| Teacher movement | Moving purposefully around the room |
| Gestures | Using hands and face to emphasise |
| Change in speech pattern | Varying tone, volume, and pace |
| Focusing | Drawing attention with words or gestures |
| Change in interaction style | Teacher to class, teacher to student, student to student |
| Pausing | Short silences to signal importance |
| Oral and visual switching | Moving between talk, board, and visuals |
What is the skill of reinforcement?
- Positive verbal reinforcement: "good", "well thought through".
- Positive non-verbal reinforcement: nodding, smiling.
- Using student ideas in the lesson.
- Avoiding negative reinforcement such as sarcasm.
- Praising effort and reasoning, not only correct answers.
What are the skills of blackboard writing and closure?
- Blackboard writing
- Legible, well-sized writing in straight lines, with highlights for key points and a clear layout that students can copy.
- Achieving closure
- Summarising key points, linking to the next lesson, and checking understanding before the end.
Return to the micro teaching guide for the cycle and timings, or see lesson plan formats to combine skills in a full lesson.
Frequently asked questions
How many micro teaching skills are there?
Lists vary by textbook. Commonly taught skills include introducing, questioning, explaining, illustrating, stimulus variation, reinforcement, blackboard writing, and closure.
What is a probing question?
A follow-up question that helps a student improve or deepen an answer, such as asking for a reason or an example.
What is stimulus variation in simple words?
Changing how you present, such as movement, voice, and visuals, to keep students attention.
What is the skill of reinforcement?
Encouraging desired student responses with praise, gestures, or using their ideas.
Which skill is the most important?
Questioning is often seen as central, because it drives thinking and shows understanding.
How are skills assessed?
With an observation schedule that rates each component, often on a simple scale.
Can these skills be practised online?
Yes. Many can be practised in short recorded or live online sessions with peer feedback.