October-Lesson Planning
INTASC: Principle 7 Planning for Instruction- The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
October
Act 1: Creating a Lesson Plan
Act 2: Planning for Understanding
Act 5: Pacing a Lesson
Act 6: Organizing a Lesson
Objective: Participants will utilize strategies for effective lesson planning and to extend student thinking in order to create a successful learning environment.
Questions to consider: How do you plan for lessons? What strategies do you use to extend your student’s thinking during a lesson?
Agenda:
If the online training was longer: If more time was allowed for the online training, we would have teachers (both new and veteran) discuss effective lesson planning and instruction either over a video chat or online discussion. Teacher communication is essential in order to share their expertise and suggestions. Their strategies can be utilized in a variety of classrooms, and teachers should be exposed to different strategies in order to create a classroom environment with engaged learners. In a video chat forum such as Skype, teachers could model effective teaching strategies and share resources. The discussion and online modeling is practical since teachers can attend the training from the comfort of their own home. They also could record the session if all teachers involved agreed to it for future viewing and implementing.
October
Act 1: Creating a Lesson Plan
Act 2: Planning for Understanding
Act 5: Pacing a Lesson
Act 6: Organizing a Lesson
Objective: Participants will utilize strategies for effective lesson planning and to extend student thinking in order to create a successful learning environment.
Questions to consider: How do you plan for lessons? What strategies do you use to extend your student’s thinking during a lesson?
Agenda:
- Read about strategies for effective lesson planning here. This is a nice example of a template for lesson planning. It explains six steps that should be utilized in order to plan effective lesson plans. (5-10 minutes)
- Watch this video about teachers thinking critically in regards to their teaching practices. The teachers work together successfully to solve a problem of practice. These ideas can be used in planning for lessons in your classroom. (12 minutes)
- Read about strategies to extend student thinking (step 4) here in order to use in future lessons. These strategies will help to engage student learning throughout the lesson and include all students. (3 minutes)
- Watch video about think-pair-share strategy. This strategy can used to check for understanding within your lesson with students. Students engage in small and whole group discussions and learn from one another. (5 minutes)
- Watch video about strategies to improve time management and transitions. Wendy Hopf utilizes finger signs and a timer to keep the pace of the lesson. She is a veteran teacher who understands her students, utilizes technology, and communication and collaboration effectively in her classroom. Classroom takeaways listed at the end of the video are great suggestions for using within lesson plans in order for students to achieve academic success. (14 minutes)
- Reflection: (15 minutes)
- Before this training, how did you plan lessons? What new strategy or strategies will you utilize while lesson planning in the future?
- Why is creating effective lesson plans essential for student learning?
- What strategies do you currently use in your classroom to extend student thinking?
- Which strategies that you have seen in the videos or have read do you want to use in your classroom to extend student thinking? Why do you think they will be successful?
- Why is it important for both new and veteran teachers to observe and discuss lessons in a variety of classrooms?
- Before this training, how did you plan lessons? What new strategy or strategies will you utilize while lesson planning in the future?
If the online training was longer: If more time was allowed for the online training, we would have teachers (both new and veteran) discuss effective lesson planning and instruction either over a video chat or online discussion. Teacher communication is essential in order to share their expertise and suggestions. Their strategies can be utilized in a variety of classrooms, and teachers should be exposed to different strategies in order to create a classroom environment with engaged learners. In a video chat forum such as Skype, teachers could model effective teaching strategies and share resources. The discussion and online modeling is practical since teachers can attend the training from the comfort of their own home. They also could record the session if all teachers involved agreed to it for future viewing and implementing.
