EFFECTIVE LESSON PLANNING

Importance of Lesson Planning A lesson plan is the instructor’s road map of what students need to learn and how it will be done effectively during the class time. A lesson plan also serves as a record for the teacher. It is a valuable resource when planning assessment measures such as; quizzes, midterms, and final exams.

Importance of Lesson Planning Yet in spite the importance of planning, a good teacher will not allow the lesson plan dictate how the lesson goes. Rather, it serves as a guide on what to do during the class.

The impact of GOOD PLANNING 1)Keeps the teacher and students on track. 2)Helps to achieve the lesson objectives. 3)Helps teachers to avoid “unpleasant” surprises. 4)Provides the roadmap and visuals in a logical sequence. 5)Provides direction to a substitute. 6)Encourages reflection& improvement. 7)Enhances student performance.

POOR PLANNING Causes frustration for the teacher and the student. No connections to prior learning. Disorganization. Lack of needed materials. Waste of time. Poor management.

Before Planning A Lesson Before you plan your lesson, you will first need to identify the learning objectives for the class. Then, you can design appropriate learning activities and develop strategies to obtain feedback on student learning. A successful lesson plan addresses and integrates these three key components:

1) Objectives for student learning. 2) Teaching/learning activities (Procedures). 3) Strategies to check student understanding (Evaluation).

1. Objectives For Student Learning Specifying concrete objectives for student learning will help you determine the kinds of teaching and learning activities you will use in class, while those activities will define how you will check whether the learning objectives have been accomplished (see Fig. 1).

Figure 1

Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective A well-written objective should meet the following criteria: (1) describe a learning outcome. (2) be student oriented. (3) be observable (or describe an observable product). (4) be measurable.

Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective A well-written objective should describe a learning outcome (e.g., to spell the words correctly). It should not describe a learning activity (e.g., to practice the words by writing each one ten times). Learning activities are important in planning and guiding instruction but they are not to be confused with instructional objectives.

Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective A student-oriented objective focuses on the learner, not on the teacher. It describes what the learner will be expected to be able to do. It should not describe a teacher activity (e.g., to go over the words with the students, explaining their meaning and telling them how the words are pronounced).

Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective If an instructional objective is not observable (or does not describe an observable product), it leads to unclear expectations and it will be difficult to determine whether or not it had been reached. The key to writing observable objectives is to use verbs that are observable and lead to a well-defined product of the action implied by that verb.

Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective Verbs such as "to know," "to understand," "to enjoy, “ ”to learn” "to appreciate," "to realize," and "to value" "to recognize" are vague and not observable. Verbs such as "to identify," "to list," "to select," "to count," "to predict," and "to analyze" are explicit and describe observable actions or actions that lead to observable products.

Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective 1. Create a stem. Stem Examples: After completing the lesson, the student will be able to... After this unit, the student will have... By completing the activities, the student will.. At the conclusion of the course/unit/study the student will... By the end of the lesson, students will be able to..

Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective 2. After you create the stem, add a verb: analyze, recognize, compare, provide, list, etc.

Examples of Language Arts Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the student will be able to: 1)listen for the purpose of following directions... 2)use the vocabulary of _____ (shapes, colors, etc.) to describe _____ (flowers, etc.)

Examples of Language Arts Objectives: 3)explain the meaning of the word(s): _____. 4)generate ideas and plans for writing by using _____ (brainstorming, clustering, etc.) 5)develop a draft... 6)edit a draft for a specific purpose such as _____ (word choice, etc.) 7)discuss the differences and similarities between the two main characters from _____ and _____.

Examples of Language Arts Objectives: 8) identify the definition of _____ (fables, fairy tales, etc.). 9) draw parallels between _____(a text) and _____ (a text) 10) define the literary term _____. 11) re-tell in his/her own words _____. 12) summarize the plot of _____. 13) compose a _____ (verse, rhyme, poem, etc.)

Examples of Language Arts Objectives: 14) make inferences from the text... 15)listen critically to interpret and evaluate... 16) represent textual information by _____ (drawing, painting, etc.)

Examples of Language Arts Objectives: 17) state an opinion about _____, using examples from the text to support the opinion 18) compare the experience of _____ (a character in a text) to his or her own life 19) list the primary plot details in _____ (a text, short story, novel, or drama)

Examples of Language Arts Objectives: 20) explore allegory in various works of children's literature... 21) write a narrative version of _____, with appropriate plot characteristics of the genre 22) analyze _____ (a character's) desire to _____ 23) produce an effective essay which details _____

A GOOD LESSON INCLUDES 1)Objectives 2)Pre-assessment 3)List of materials 4)Warm-up and introduction 5)Presentation 6)Practice 7)Production or performance 8)Evaluation 9)Closure

LET’S BEGIN… The format of a lesson should: Go one step at a time Have a picture for every step Have a minimal reliance on words An effective lesson plan is a set of plans for building something – it “constructs” the learning.

To set objectives: 1. Identify a topic for the lesson. The topic is not a goal, but it will help you develop your goals. The topic may be determined largely by your curriculum and textbook. If you have some flexibility in choice of topic, consider your students’ interests and the availability of authentic materials at the appropriate level.

To set objectives: 2. Identify specific linguistic content, such as vocabulary and points of grammar or language use, to be introduced or reviewed. These are usually prescribed by the course textbook or course curriculum. If they are not, select points that are connected in some significant way with the topic of the lesson.

To set objectives: 3)Identify specific communication tasks to be completed by students. To be authentic, the tasks should allow, but not require, students to use the vocabulary, grammar, and strategies presented in the lesson. 4)Identify specific learning strategies to be introduced or reviewed in connection with the lesson.

To set objectives: 5)Create goal statements for the linguistic content, communication tasks, and learning strategies that state what you will do and what students will do during the lesson.

Consider the following questions: 1) What are the most important concepts, ideas, or skills I want students to be able to grasp and apply? 2) Why are they important? 3) If I ran out of time, which ones could not be omitted? 4) And conversely, which ones could I skip if pressed for time ?

(2) Develop The Introduction Now that you have your learning objectives in order of their importance, design the specific activities you will use to get students to understand and apply what they have learned.

start with a question or activity to gauge students’ knowledge of the subject or possibly, their preconceived notions about it. For example, you can take a simple poll: “How many of you have heard of X? Raise your hand if you have.”

You can also gather background information from your students prior to class by sending students an electronic survey or asking them to write comments on index cards. This additional information can help shape your introduction, learning activities, etc. When you have an idea of the students’ familiarity with the topic, you will also have a sense of what to focus on.

Develop a creative introduction to the topic to stimulate interest and encourage thinking. You can use a variety of approaches to engage students (e.g., personal anecdote, historical event, thought-provoking dilemma, real-world example, short video clip, practical application, probing question, etc.). Consider the following questions when planning your introduction:

Consider the following questions when planning your introduction: 1) How will I check whether students know anything about the topic or have any preconceived notions about it? 2) What are some commonly held ideas (or possibly misconceptions) about this topic that students might be familiar with or might espouse? 3) What will I do to introduce the topic?

WARM-UP AND INTRODUCTION Grab the attention of the students PROVIDE THE INTEREST/MOTIVATION factor Set the tone for the lesson connected to the objective A question A story A saying An activity A discussion starter BE CREATIVE

(2) Plan The Specific Material and Learning Activities The materials for a specific lesson will fall into two categories: those that are required, such as course textbooks and lab materials, and authentic materials that the teacher incorporates into classroom activities.

Prepare several different ways of explaining the material (real-life examples, analogies, visuals, etc.) to catch the attention of more students and appeal to different learning styles. As you plan your examples and activities, estimate how much time you will spend on each. Build in time for extended explanation or discussion, but also be prepared to move on quickly to different applications or problems, and to identify strategies that check for understanding. These questions would help you design the learning activities you will use:

1) What will I do to explain the topic? 2) What will I do to illustrate the topic in a different way? 3) How can I engage students in the topic? 4) What are some relevant real-life examples, analogies, or situations that can help students understand the topic? 5) What will students need to do to help them understand the topic better?

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 1)Graphic organizers 2)Creative play 3)Peer presenting 4)Performances 5)Role play 6)Debate 7)Playing a game 8)Projects 9)Cooperative groups 10)Inquiry learning 11)Direct instruction 12)Differentiation

(4) Plan To Check For Understanding Now that you have explained the topic and illustrated it with different examples, you need to check for student understanding: How will you know that students are learning? Think about specific questions you can ask students in order to check for understanding, write them down, and then paraphrase them so that you are prepared to ask the questions in different ways. Try to predict the answers your questions will generate. Decide on whether you want students to respond orally or in writing.

An important strategy that will also help you with time management is to anticipate students’ questions. When planning your lesson, decide what kinds of questions will be productive for discussion and what questions might sidetrack the class. Think about and decide on the balance between covering content (accomplishing your learning objectives) and ensuring that students understand.

(5) Develop A Conclusion Go over the material covered in class by summarizing the main points of the lesson. You can do this in a number of ways: you can state the main points yourself (“Today we talked about”). You can ask a student to help you summarize them. Or you can even ask all students to write down on a piece of paper what they think were the main points of the lesson.

You can review the students’ answers to gauge their understanding of the topic and then explain anything unclear the following class. Conclude the lesson not only by summarizing the main points, but also by previewing the next lesson. How does the topic relate to the one that’s coming? This preview will spur students’ interest and help them connect the different ideas within a larger context.

EVALUATION Assess the learning 1)Teacher made test 2)In-class or homework assignment 3)Project to apply the learning in real-life situation 4)Recitations and summaries 5)Performance assessments 6)Use of rubrics 7)Portfolios 8)Journals 9)Informal assessment

REFLECTION A lesson plan may not work as well as you had expected due to a number of extraneous circumstances. You should not get discouraged – it happens to even the most experienced teachers! Take time to reflect and ask yourself: 1)What went well in the lesson? 2)What problems did I experience? 3)Are there things I could have done differently? 4)How can I build on this lesson to make future lessons successful ?

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Conclusion To be effective, the lesson plan does not have to be an exhaustive document that describes each and every possible classroom scenario. Nor does it have to anticipate each and every student’s response or question. Instead, it should provide you with a general outline of your teaching goals, learning objectives, and means to accomplish them. It is a reminder of what you want to do and how you want to do it. A productive lesson is not one in which everything goes exactly as planned, but one in which both students and instructor learn from each other.

A teacher is one who brings us tools and enables us to use them. Jean Toomer A teacher is one who brings us tools and enables us to use them. Jean Toomer