'Designing and Reflecting on 'Good Lessons'... Nine Jeju National University Preservice Teachers to Compete Nationally

【Financial News Jeju = Reporter Yong-bok Jeong】 Jeju National University conducted training for preservice elementary teachers in which they designed lessons themselves, taught for 20 minutes, and then received evaluations from peers, practicing teachers, and professors.
Jeju National University Teachers College said on the 14th that it had held the preliminary round of the ‘Good Teaching Exploration Competition’ on the 11th for undergraduate students.
The competition was organized ahead of the ‘14th National Good Teaching Exploration Competition for Preservice Teachers at Teachers’ Colleges,’ scheduled for October 16 and hosted by the Ministry of Education, the Association of Presidents of Teachers’ Training Universities, and the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations (KFTA).
Rather than merely reproducing standardized teaching methods, Jeju National University Teachers College designed the competition to encourage preservice teachers to consider for themselves what constitutes a ‘good lesson’ and to design, conduct, and reflect on their teaching.
A total of nine people took part in the preliminary round. The competition covered three subjects—social studies, science, and English—with four participants conducting demonstration lessons and five observing lessons.
Participants conducting demonstration lessons analyzed the learning content for the assigned class period and prepared their own lesson plans. They designed teaching materials, questions to encourage student participation, and methods for providing feedback on student responses before conducting 20-minute mock lessons.
This approach differs from one that assesses only how well teachers know the subject matter. Even with the same learning content, the quality of an actual classroom lesson depends on what questions the teacher asks and how the teacher responds to students and connects their responses to the lesson.
Lesson observation went beyond simply watching. After analyzing the subject and class period assigned to them in advance, participants observed the demonstration lessons and recorded their own judgments about the lesson structure and progression in observation reports. The format was designed to develop both the ability to create good lessons and the insight to analyze other people’s teaching.
Six evaluators, including practicing elementary school teachers and department chairs, took part in the assessment. They evaluated the participants’ lessons according to established criteria covering lesson design, actual delivery, use of materials, questioning, and feedback.
A notable feature of the preliminary round was the ‘lesson discussion session’ held after the evaluations. Lesson demonstrators, observers, and evaluators gathered to review the lessons, discussing what had been effective and what needed improvement. Rather than simply ranking the competition results, the process allowed participants to reflect again after designing and conducting lessons, observing and evaluating them, and discussing them together.
This type of training is important in teacher education because actual school lessons cannot be completed through lesson plans alone.
Even with the same lesson plan, teachers must adjust their questions and explanations according to students’ levels of understanding and responses. They also need to respond to unexpected answers by connecting them to learning. A teacher’s professional expertise includes analyzing what worked after a lesson and revising the next lesson accordingly.
Jeju National University Teachers College also focused the competition on the process of exploring teaching rather than on delivering ‘one well-made lesson.’ Unlike last year, when the national competition was held remotely and preservice teachers had limited opportunities to watch and discuss one another’s lessons in person, this year’s event allowed them to share lessons face to face.
Shin Ae-kyung, vice president of Jeju National University and dean of its Teachers College, said, "Last year, the competition was held remotely, so there was no opportunity to share lessons in person. This year, however, it was held face to face, allowing us to watch preservice teachers’ lessons directly." She added, "We will continue expanding the competition to strengthen preservice teachers’ teaching abilities."
The students who participated in the preliminary round are scheduled to take part in the ‘14th National Good Teaching Exploration Competition for Preservice Teachers at Teachers’ Colleges,’ to be held on the 16th of next month.
[email protected] Yong-bok Jeong Reporter