The purpose of this course is to strengthen the educational and teaching competence of postgraduate students, to further familiarize them with the use of new technologies in teaching, to develop their ability to monitor and evaluate teaching behavior, to encourage the formulation of alternative and improvement proposals for teaching performance, and to cultivate a broader research interest in the field of didactics.
Upon successful completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:
Knowledge:
- Understand the principles, methods, and tools for educational planning and design.
- Analyze the principles, characteristics, and specificities of the educational process.
- Comprehend the principles governing group dynamics in learning environments.
- Know the basic principles and specifications of experiential learning.
- Be familiar with active learning techniques and their applications.
- Know the instructional media and teaching equipment and understand their potential uses.
- Recognize the importance of, and the methods and techniques for, evaluation and self-evaluation.
- Design and structure a microteaching session.
- Compare different instructional media and educational equipment and understand their appropriate use.
- Compare, combine, and select theoretical frameworks according to the objectives, content, and context of instruction.
Skills:
- Utilize their experience, combined with appropriate theoretical approaches, the main objectives of educational policies, the key parameters of the socio-economic context, and the learners’ needs and interests in designing, organizing, and preparing an educational intervention.
- Structure their instructional intervention into teaching units and subunits.
- Integrate their teaching unit within its educational framework.
- Negotiate the proposed instructional plan and the organization of the intervention with the learning group.
- Apply experiential exercises within the learning group’s functioning.
- Contribute to the development of group dynamics and the activation of group members by utilizing the three levels of interaction in the learning process (individual, subgroup, plenary).
- Capably utilize the heterogeneity of the learning group to enrich the learning process.
- Select and apply appropriate teaching techniques depending on the situation.
- Implement activities that promote dialogue and critical thinking.
- Contribute to the development of learners’ learning abilities.
- Adapt the educational setting (space and time) appropriately.
- Operate instructional media and educational equipment effectively in support of learning objectives.
- Collect and evaluate data for the assessment of the educational process and for self-evaluation.
Attitudes:
- Transform their perception and mindset regarding the traditional teacher-centered instructional model.
- Prefer collaborative teaching methods using active learning techniques.
- Support the implementation of needs analysis as an essential component of effective learning.
- Encourage fellow educators to work collaboratively with a focus on group dynamics and learners’ needs.
- Adopt principles and techniques that support vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in the learning process.
- Be further motivated to use technology in education.
General Competences
- Search, analysis, and synthesis of data and information using the necessary technologies
- Teamwork
- Independent work
- Respect for diversity and multiculturalism
- Exercise of critical and self-critical thinking
COURSE CONTENT
For the successful completion and accreditation of the course, postgraduate students are required to attend a cycle of theoretical approaches (seminars/lectures) and a cycle of practical applications. Participation in the implementation/presentation program of Microteaching sessions is mandatory, involving alternating roles as instructors, learners, and evaluators, for a total duration of at least thirty-six (36) hours. The practical application cycle may be implemented either at host institutions or at the University of West Attica, following the decision of the relevant governing bodies of the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program (I.P.P.).
Content:
Theoretical Approaches Cycle (Seminars/Lectures):
- The Concept of Microteaching: Highlighting the advantages of microteaching and micro-lessons.
- Basic Principles of Microteaching.
- Teaching Techniques.
- Stages of organizing a Microteaching session: formulation of objectives, content development, and organization.
- Phases of the Microteaching Process.
- Design of Microteaching: planning a teaching unit, defining educational objectives, structuring content, selecting instructional media and techniques, and evaluation.
- Recording and Feedback.
- Alternative Approaches to Implementing Microteaching.
- Presentation of Microteaching (Experiential Seminar): Theoretical approaches, demonstration by the instructor, observation and analysis of teacher behavior, feedback and discussion.
Practical Applications Cycle:
- Participation in recurring programs of Microteaching Implementation/Presentation (15–20 minutes).
- Rotating roles as instructors, learners, and evaluators.
- Course Evaluation by students.
- Course Evaluation by instructors.