Lesson planning. Obviously, I know how to do it. If I didn't, I couldn't have survived in my job for the past 22 years. I would even say, having worked on many curriculum writing teams throughout my career, I know how to do it pretty well by now. But, when Joyce asked the "teacher group" in class what we thought of the lesson plan template in our text book and whether we could suggest better alternatives, I wasn't sure what to say. I do create formal, detailed lesson plans from time to time, mostly when I have formal observations for Q-Comp or PAS assessments. The lesson plan format I use for these observations is solely dependent upon what my district requires at the moment. When I started teaching it was a Madeline Hunter template, then came OBE (Outcome Based Education), then...well, I'm sure there were others whose names are escaping me at the moment. Currently, we use the UBD (Understanding By Design) model which seems to work as well as anything else.
Though I don't know that any one template is significantly different or more effective than the others, and though I don't think it is necessary to write out entire lesson plans each and every day (who has that kind of time?!), I have learned that what is most effective is to determine the outcomes you desire first, then build your lessons around them. For instance, I am just finishing up teaching the play Henry V with my regular English 12 students. What do I want students to be able to do? 1. Gain strategies for reading a difficult text. So, I built in some lectures and formative assessments in my unit plan to help them with that as we read. 2. Think critically about the issues presented in a classic text and then make connections to other, more modern texts. So, I built in some journals, discussions, and an essay to get them started thinking about ways in which the themes in the various texts we read might relate to each other. 3. Appreciate Shakespeare, or at least approach his works without fear. So, I tried to build some fun, interactive, creative group assignments into my lessons as well. I don't really care if they can write in iambic pentameter, if they know many details about Shakespeare's life, or even--I have to admit--if they have read every line of the play. So, I didn't create lessons and/or assessments around those things.
It is easy, when teaching, to lose sight of the forest through the trees. To get caught up in the minute details of any one text or historical event or math problem. Or to insist students sit through a very long lecture about something in which I am interested (iambic pentameter, Shakespeare's life, and every line of Henry V), but that does not relate to any of the outcomes. It means, sometimes, letting go of the things that don't matter as much and spending time and energy on those aspects that do. It also means thinking daily about how each and every activity relates to your final outcomes. The rest of lesson planning, then, will fall into place. Yes, it helps to make sure you have an engaging anticipatory set (thanks, Madeline), that you have all the materials prepared ahead of time, that you provide a variety of direct instruction, cooperative learning, and independent work time, that you scaffold skills, provide alternative assessments for those who need it, etc., etc., etc. But, really none of that matters much (well, besides just keeping students occupied) if you are not working towards a meaningful end.
Though I don't know that any one template is significantly different or more effective than the others, and though I don't think it is necessary to write out entire lesson plans each and every day (who has that kind of time?!), I have learned that what is most effective is to determine the outcomes you desire first, then build your lessons around them. For instance, I am just finishing up teaching the play Henry V with my regular English 12 students. What do I want students to be able to do? 1. Gain strategies for reading a difficult text. So, I built in some lectures and formative assessments in my unit plan to help them with that as we read. 2. Think critically about the issues presented in a classic text and then make connections to other, more modern texts. So, I built in some journals, discussions, and an essay to get them started thinking about ways in which the themes in the various texts we read might relate to each other. 3. Appreciate Shakespeare, or at least approach his works without fear. So, I tried to build some fun, interactive, creative group assignments into my lessons as well. I don't really care if they can write in iambic pentameter, if they know many details about Shakespeare's life, or even--I have to admit--if they have read every line of the play. So, I didn't create lessons and/or assessments around those things.
It is easy, when teaching, to lose sight of the forest through the trees. To get caught up in the minute details of any one text or historical event or math problem. Or to insist students sit through a very long lecture about something in which I am interested (iambic pentameter, Shakespeare's life, and every line of Henry V), but that does not relate to any of the outcomes. It means, sometimes, letting go of the things that don't matter as much and spending time and energy on those aspects that do. It also means thinking daily about how each and every activity relates to your final outcomes. The rest of lesson planning, then, will fall into place. Yes, it helps to make sure you have an engaging anticipatory set (thanks, Madeline), that you have all the materials prepared ahead of time, that you provide a variety of direct instruction, cooperative learning, and independent work time, that you scaffold skills, provide alternative assessments for those who need it, etc., etc., etc. But, really none of that matters much (well, besides just keeping students occupied) if you are not working towards a meaningful end.
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