Microteaching is a required component of TA training in Cornell Engineering. In a microteaching session you teach a micro-lesson to a micro-class and then view a videotape of your teaching. These sessions provide a good opportunity for a small group discussion about teaching in general and about individual concerns and experiences in particular. Microteaching offers a valuable opportunity to see and reflect on your own teaching, to get feedback from your peers, to learn from the teaching styles of others, and to practice teaching in a safe environment.

After the four or five TAs have taught, the group views the videotapes, allowing each TA to consider his or her own teaching and to compare what is on the tape with what was planned and what he or she remembers from the teaching episode (this process is called video recall). The "students" are also encouraged to recall and share what they were thinking during each TA’s lesson.