Mesmerizing. That is the exact word I would use to describe
the lesson plan panel we saw during class. I wrote down more notes in that
half-hour than I have in any one of our entire three hour classes. What became
my focus pretty quickly when I began to watch these teachers discuss the lesson
was writing down any and every question these three would throw at each other, anticipating
the moment when I sit down to write my first lesson. My objective was to
develop a list of questions I could refer to whenever I feel like I am either
lost or think I am finished, as It is becoming more and more clear that there
is no such thing in the pedagogical field as over planning.
Some
questions I now have in my back pocket when writing a lesson plan are: What is
the objective? What is the purpose? What will students be doing when this is
going on? What will you be doing? How will you “Hook” the students? Is this
good for some of the students, or all of them? How will you manage time? How
will you transition? How are you going to make sure everyone is
understanding/doing? How does this relate to the objective? Can the learning
target be met in multiple ways? These questions will be running through my head
at all times when I am planning a lesson, as they will guide me towards being
fully prepared for each and every lesson I prepare.
There
were some things I noticed that were a little enigmatic. For one, I noticed
that they didn’t start with the objective and instead began with talking about
group work and how to best implement it. I was ready for Buddy to ask what
their objectives were right off the bat, but that did not happen until midway
through that Buddy finally asked how the grouping activity will connect with
the learning target, and that was when they found the idea to group students
according to the four main conflicts in the story. I assume that this isn’t always
the case, and regardless, I am already in the mindset of Backwards design and
will only plan my lessons according to that framework. Another thing I noticed
was that if you are planning a lesson with someone, it is not easy to always
agree and sometimes you have to meet halfway. You will not always have it go
100% your way, but teaching never goes 100% your way anyway. As long as you can
live with the decision, sometimes it is better off come to a happy medium and
move on.
The
best thing about these questions is that they can be categorized in accordance
with Backwards Design. Some of the questions will help make sure my objectives
are purposeful. Others remind me to assess whether students have attained the
objective. Still others remind me to keep to the objective when brainstorming
activities. Listen, I am no expert on designing a lesson, and I could use all
the help I can get. That is why I found this panel so engaging, as I was face
to face with one of the main jobs a teacher has: planning an effective lesson.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI noticed that they didn't start with the objective too. They mentioned that they'd been working on planning before our class, so I just assumed that they had laid out a bunch of groundwork beforehand and were jumping right into the middle of the lesson. It's a good observation though, especially since it did seem like they were veering away from the objectives and becoming wrapped up in the logistics of their group activity. I found it really satisfying to see Buddy bring them back to the point, since I can relate to getting wrapped up in details to the point of losing track of the bigger picture. Since we don't have the luxury of a Dean of Pedagogy when we're planning our lessons, it was a good reminder that we'll have to assume that role ourselves.
Yeah, like Jean said, they had discussed the lesson a little bit before coming in to class with us, so they had a little bit of the groundwork done, but it was still great to see the way they planned the rest of the lesson together. As they were planning, I was also listening to all the questions they were asking each other, like where students might struggle and how to approach those difficult areas. It reminded me of the teacher I have been working with. That idea of Universal Design that we have been learning in SPED came to mind, planning for those areas where students might need accommodations. It was just great to hear and see them use all of these strategies that we have been learning about over the past year and make them all seem real.
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