EFFECTIVE LESSON PLANNING

Prepared by Ionie Liburd Willett

OVERVIEW • To discuss the value of effective planning • To outline various components of an effective lesson plan • To examine sample lessons • To provide a generic template for a lesson plan

KEY THOUGHTS ON LESSON PLANNING • Lesson plans should reflect the individual needs, strengths, and interests of the teacher and the learners. • Anticipate what is likely to happen as you teach your planned lesson, and make adjustments as needed.

WHY SHOULD WE PLAN LESSONS? • Successful teaching is linked to effective lesson planning • Thinking about a lesson in advance helps to anticipate potential problems; • provides structure for classroom activities; • provides a record of what has been taught • Provides security for novice teachers

WHY SHOULD WE PLAN LESSONS? • Successful teaching is linked to effective lesson planning, • Provides direction for effective teaching, • Identifies the knowledge, skills and dispositions of teaching, • Thinking about a lesson in advance helps to anticipate potential problems, • provides structure for classroom activities,

WHY SHOULD WE PLAN LESSONS? • Lesson Plans are records that can be used to plan for assessment (quizzes, tests, etc) • Lesson Plans can be used by other teachers when the class teacher is absent. • provides a record of what has been taught • Provides security for novice teachers • To help with classroom management by keeping students on-task and engaged

WHY SHOULD WE PLAN LESSONS? • Plans are developed to provide students with meaningful learning experiences, • Encourages reflection, refinement, and improvement, • Enhances student achievement.

WHY SHOULD WE PLAN LESSONS? The greater the structure of a lesson and the more precise the directions on what is to be accomplished, the higher the achievement rate. Wong, H. The First Days of Teaching: How To Be An Effective Teacher

COMPONENTS OF A LESSON PLAN • General Information: – Subject – Date – Topic – Sub-Topic – Lesson duration

– Ability of students – No. of Students – No. of Males – No. of Females – Age of Students

COMPONENTS OF A LESSON PLAN • • • • • •

Instructional objectives Previous/Prerequisite knowledge Instructional resources Introduction Presentation/Development Assessment ● Closure ● Reflection

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES • A description of what the student will be able to do at the end of the lesson –Use behavioral verbs to describe the expected outcomes (ACTION) –Do not use verbs like: appreciate, enjoy, understand, love, etc.

PREVIOUS/PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE • What must students already be able to do before this lesson? • What concepts have to be mastered in advance to accomplish the lesson objectives? • What factual, procedural, strategic knowledge do learners have?

INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND MATERIALS • A list of instructional materials needed for the lesson: realia, books, equipment, resources, textbooks, story books, worksheets, manipulatives • What needs to be prepared in advance? (typical for science classes and cooking or baking activities) • Have enough manipulatives (when needed) for groups or individuals. • Use visual, and auditory resources

INTRODUCTION • An activity used at the beginning of a lesson to attract learners’ attention and interest – play a game, tell a joke or story, discuss a current news topic, ask a question, use a saying, have an activity, use a discussion starter, etc.)

• relate new lesson to a previous one • Review content from a previous lesson (whole-class, partners, in writing)

PRESENTATION/DEVELOPMENT • a detailed, step-by-step description of what the teacher and learners do during the lesson, • What does the teacher do to facilitate learning and manage the various activities?

PRESENTATION/DEVELOPMENT • Provides specific activities to assist students in developing the new knowledge, • Provides modeling of a new skill, • Take into consideration what students are learning (a new skill, a rule or formula, a concept, fact, idea, an attitude, or a value).

PRESENTATION/DEVELOPMENT • Graphic organizers • Creative play • Peer presenting • Performances • Role playing • Debates • Game making • Projects

• Cooperative groups • Inquiry learning • Direct instruction • Differentiation • Direct Instruction

PRESENTATION/DEVELOPMENT • Choose one of the following techniques to plan the lesson content based on what your objectives are: Demonstration: list in detail, and sequence, the steps to be performed; Explanation: outline the information to be explained; Discussion: list of key questions to guide the discussion

ASSESSMENT • In-class or homework assignment, • In-class work does not always have to be written: oral presentation, role-playing, • How will you evaluate the objectives that were identified? Have students practiced what you are asking them to do for evaluation? (Task and learning outcomes – objectives must be aligned)

ASSESSMENT • Do not introduce new material during this activity. • Avoid asking higher level thinking questions if students have not yet engaged in such practice during the lesson. • Provide guided and independent practice (differentiated practice)

ASSESSMENT • Assess the learning: – Teacher made tests – In-class or homework assignment – Project to apply the learning to real-life situation – Recitations and summaries – Performance assessments – Rubrics – Portfolios – Journals – Informal assessment

CLOSURE • An activity to wrap up the lesson • draw the ideas together for students at the end: How will you provide feedback to learners to correct their misunderstandings and reinforce their learning? – Students summarize the major concepts – Teacher recaps the main points – Teacher sets the stage for the next phase of learning

REFLECTION • What went well in the lesson? • What problems did I experience? • Are there things I could have done differently? • How can I build on this lesson to make future lessons successful?

A Word of Advice –Murphy’s Law "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong".

Thank you!