When designing the scheme of work and lesson plan for my microteach, I drew strong influences from lessons which I had previously seen during observations. However, The way in which I carefully constructed the lesson plan was influenced by a number of issues which are explored across education. This essay will explore four topics which largely informed the planning and delivery of my microteach; differentiation and learning, formative assessment and the Curriculum Cymreig. These three topics had the strongest influence in the development of my scheme of work and their presence within my microteach episode are very clear.

Firstly, my understanding of learning theories and differentiation in learning influenced how I structured my lesson. I was particularly interested in proposals by Lev Vygotsky, and his work on scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development. According to Muijs (2011), Vygotsky’s work on scaffolding shows us that his theories centred around co-operation in learning. The Zone of Proximal Development refers to a gap between what a person is able to do alone and what that person can do with the help of someone who is more knowledgeable or skilled. Although Muijs claims that Vygotsky’s theories are rather general and have not been fully worked out, he also acknowledges the influence which the zone of proximal development has had on classroom practice. Kirschner et al (2006) also acknowledge the importance of scaffolding, claiming that when students learn my discovery, it often results in poor learning, and when students are provided with considerable guidance, the results are far greater. 
The idea that guidance from an external source has a positive impact on learning can also be supported by the cognitive load theory, proposed by Sweller (1988). Kirschner et al (2006) claim that when students learn in an environment with very little guidance, it can lead to a much larger cognitive load, which in turn leads to poor learning, especially for ‘novice learners.’ Hattie (2011) supports this idea, by claiming that working as individuals forces us to struggle with a heavy cognitive load. Therefore, working in groups enables pupils to pool their resources and knowledge together, sharing the burden of the cognitive load in the process. 
The importance of scaffolding and cognitive load was acknowledged strongly in my microteach and was planned carefully into the lesson. My main activity, which covered assessing the effectiveness of different weapons in siege warfare, was scaffolded in the sense that each pupil was given a certain amount of information, and through discussion with peers and help from myself, were able to lift their knowledge to a higher level as they developed their skills from a descriptive level to an evaluative level.

The research which I carried out on assessment had a strong influence on how I modelled certain aspects of the overall microteach. Dixon et al., (2016) claim that formative assessments can occur in a spontaneous form, which can then be broken down into question-and-answer sessions which takes place during the lesson. This was modelled into the earlier part of my lesson, as I gained an idea about student understanding. Black et al., (1998) strongly support the use of questioning in the classroom but urge caution in how this method of formative assessment is carried out, as it can sometimes lead to a negative effect on a pupil’s learning if poorly executed. Their research has claimed that often teachers do not give pupils enough time to think about how they are going to answer a question before the lesson moves on. One solution which they claimed that a way to improve this could be done simply by giving pupils time to respond, but also to give them time to discuss their thinking in small groups.

My research has also enabled me to understand the importance of success criteria, and how it guides learning. Wiliam et al (2015) notes that in order for learning to be effective, teachers need to have a clear idea of what direction they are going to take the learning in. Clarke (2003) also acknowledges this, but that designing good success criteria is actually very difficult. Wiliam et al (2015) explains the importance of samples of work, and how they can be used to communicate quality. He further states how it could be important for students to look at other students’ attempts to do similar tasks. However, Wiliam (2013) also acknowledges how the use of rubrics can sometimes be limiting, and how an effective way to teach could be to construct a rubric with the students. To an extent, I developed this with my pupils during the microteach, as I asked for their ideas when determining how to approach answering the activity. Hattie (2011) also stresses the power of worked examples, and how they allow for a logical transfer practice where learners shift from initially acquiring their knowledge to seeing how this knowledge can be applied. This idea is further supported by Sweller & Cooper (1985), who found that studying a worked example of something in mathematics reduced the working memory load.
	An article which I read online (https://ateacherswonderings.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/open-ended-tasks-and-questions-in-mathematics/) also stressed the difference between using open ended questions in teaching, resulting in the students thinking more beyond a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. 

Arguably one of the most important aspects which influenced my microteach was the Curriculum Cymreig. A case study which I discovered in Estyn’s report on the Cwricwlwm Cymreig (2006) on a comparison of two castles had a huge impact on how I developed my overall scheme of work to focus on change and continuity in Welsh castles. The report states how field work enabled students to ‘develop a deeper understanding of the political and historical importance of these events, and the way in which contemporary Wales has evolved as a result.’ For these reasons, I believed that my overall scheme of work should utilise the historical importance of castles within Wales, and fulfil the aim set out by the This the ACCAC report (2003), which stresses the importance of learning about the local history of Wales, and how the discipline of history itself provides a wide range of opportunities to promote the Curriculum. In addition, Estyn (2006) also claimed that very few schools had schemes of work which showed clear, coherent continuity or an understanding of the Curriculum Cymreig. I believe that the theme of Welsh castles which ran throughout my scheme of work clearly aligned with the aims set out by ACCAC (2003) for history and geography to ensure relevance for pupils through the study of local history and geography.









Part B (ii) (1,557 words)

Overall, I feel that a strong degree of planning went into my microteach lesson, and I executed the prepared material very well, resulting in an engaging and thought-provoking lesson for all involved. I set out clear learning objectives from the outset and the activities which I prepared linked bacπk to those objectives throughout the lesson, ensuring that the students had a clear learning focus.
On the other hand, I made some additions which may not have been entirely necessary. Although I felt that my enquiry question (‘How hard was it to capture a castle in Medieval Britain?’) for the scheme of work was well crafted and explored throughout the six-lesson plan, in hindsight I see that it did not necessarily need to be touched upon during this particular lesson. During the planning stage, I spent a lot of time focusing on where to place the question, eventually settling on having it after the plenary. As a result, including it here resulted in taking the focus away from the actual learning objectives and confusing students’ thinking to an extent. 
In addition to this, although my activities were well-scaffolded, a few parts of the discussion focused more on projecting my own ideas, rather than encouraging learner ideas. This was particularly clear during the discussion stage where teacher and student discussed the strengths and weaknesses of Medieval siege weapons. Although I encouraged learners to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, my PowerPoint was designed to give a wide range of answers for each category. When reflecting upon this, I understand how doing this with a younger group of learners, , learning intentions might be confused, as displaying answers which are at odds with what they have decided may result in them thinking that they have answered the question wrong. In a way, it may appear that I was giving them what I believed to be the correct answer, rather than enabling them to identify particular issues and formulate their own opinions about each thing.
	Furthermore, I believing timing was another issue which could have been dealt with in a better manner. Although this was a thirty-minute segment of an hour long lesson and activities were deliberately hurried as a result of this, I believe that the amount of work which I set may have been too excessive for a Year 7 class and may not have been completed within the allotted amount of time. Although my intention here was to provide challenge for all learners, and my decision to place students in groups was influenced by the idea of sharing cognitive load, I felt that I did not take into account the needs of each learner enough, which is something that I will need to take into greater consideration when planning future activities.

Following amendment recommendations by my tutor and my review of literature, there are a number of different directions I could take this exercise if I were to do it again. During my microteach lesson, a number of opportunities arose for the students to expand upon their ideas through speaking yet were unable to do so due to time constraints. If I were to cover this particular topic, I would consider reducing the amount of content and instead focus on setting up a debate-styled activity where students are separated into groups, each assigned with a siege weapon and then given time to prepare a speech on why they believe their weapon would be best suited to aid attackers when carrying out a siege in Medieval times. I believe doing an activity like this would give students more of an opportunity to think critically and build teamwork skills to an even greater extent, while presenting ideas would allow students to take their oracy skills to a greater extent. 
	Extended reading and feedback has also strongly informed my knowledge of the use of peer assessment within learning, and this is something which I would like to explore further in future teaching. Now that reading has informed me that learners are more likely to heavily scrutinise work which is not their own, I believe doing this could result in students taking charge of their own learning to a much greater degree. Through 
	Additionally, I would place a much stronger emphasis on differentiating materials going forward. In this assessment, I was teaching a group of adults of similar ability to myself and for this reason, I did not take differentiation into account as much as I should have. Having now taught a few classes, I clearly understand the need to prepare materials which address the needs of a range of learners. If this lesson was carried out in a real classroom environment, I would tweak my resources to make the lesson accessible to more students, maybe providing more detailed descriptions of siege weapons to challenge the thinking of higher ability learners, while including more visual aids on other resources to engage students who have greater need of support. I believe this is also an area which would require a large amount of teacher development. I need to include myself as an invaluable resource in the classroom, and through developing my own skillset, I can adapt my explanations to ensure that all learners have an understanding of what they have to do.

In the case of differentiating the lesson to a greater degree, I believe that this would impact not only learning but behaviour as well. Students need to be challenged, but I feel that undesirable behaviour can often arise when the work set has pushed them beyond their comfort zone and out of an area where are challenged without causing undue stress. Through pitching learning materials at the right level, students are much more likely to be focus and be engaged with the work they are being asked to do. When they are engaged, they are more inclined to learn, as opposed to give up because they feel too panicked and stressed.
	Changing activities to a more debate focused model during this lesson would also shift the learning into a format similar to the discovery learning environment which was touched upon by Kirschner et al (2006), where students operate with minimal guidance from the teacher. Although this type of learning was considered to have very little effect on the development of learning in lower level learners, it may be a way to push those in the class who are of higher ability. Therefore, if I was to use this model, I would ensure I provide a strong degree of support to the students who are in greater need of it. Through doing this, all students would be able to reach the same learning expectations which had been set at the start of the lesson, 




My own approach and thinking towards teaching has certainly developed since carrying out this exercise, notably the need to address the needs of a range of different learners. A number of QTS standards refer to how essential it is for a teacher to understand the diverse learning needs of learners, and my teaching should be differentiated to meet the needs of all learners, regardless of their academic ability and background.
Moreover, a QTS standard which has developed my own thinking greatly is the important of time management, and how teaching and learning time needs to be organised effectively. This is something which has developed during my microteach episode and also after teaching classes on my first placement. I have started to realise how every minute in a lesson is very important and how carrying out very small tasks efficiently can result in maximising learning time. My microteach feedback commented on my effective use of this as I distributed resources while students were carrying out another task. However, when planning lessons, I feel that time management is an issue which needs to be examined relentlessly. However, the strengthening of time management skills is something which can really be developed when a teacher becomes aware of the class in front of him/her. Once a teacher knows how much work students can get through individually or when working as a group or individually, it is only then that timing can be adjusted more accordingly and planning can be scrutinised to a much greater degree.
During my development as a teacher, I am now beginning to understand how setting objectives are an essential component which inform the planning and delivery of lessons. Not only do these objectives set high standards which all learners are expected to meet; they set a focus which all actions that students carry out during the lesson should be linked back to. During the early stages of planning the microteach lesson, my learning objectives were not entirely clear, and I had some difficulty planning activities which matched up with what I wanted the students to learn. However, once I set clear learning objectives, I was given a much greater sense of direction and was able to plan more accordingly.

To conclude, although I was very happy with the way my microteaching episode worked out, I am fully aware that there were also many areas which could have been improved and there was many things which could have been done differently to impact learning to an even greater degree. Consulting literature, along with my recent experiences learning how to teach in a secondary school, has caused me to analyse