Guidelines in developing a lesson plan
Planning is the primary step in any field. In teaching, before you walk in to your classes, you must already have completed your lesson plans for all the subject areas you handle. Lesson plans help ensure that all the topics you have to discuss in your class within a school year are covered and given sufficient pacing.
Writing a lesson plan needs time and careful planning. Here are some of the things you have to consider in developing a lesson plan:
- Keep your students in mind. Ask yourself these questions: Who are your students? What do they already know? What are their expectations? Why should they learn this lesson? What must they learn? What must they do to learn?
- Set specific and measurable learning objectives.
- Think of activities that will encourage student involvement and participation.
- Make the lessons relevant and practical.
- Be creative with the use of media to illustrate/discuss concepts or processes.
- Make sure that your lessons are logical and smooth-flowing.
- Summarize the lesson.
- Incorporate activities in your lesson plan that will generate feedback from your students.
- Include activities for the class that will help you evaluate their learning.
When thinking of strategies on how you can teach a certain lesson to your class, you need to consider the type of students you have, their knowledge of the lesson, the learning environment, available equipment and resources, and your learning objectives. Here are some suggestions of activities you can have your students perform according to learning purpose.
|
Learning Objective |
Class activities |
|
To convey information |
Lecture, field trips, discussion group, interviewing an expert, selected reading , demonstration by an expert |
|
To encourage involvement |
Discussion, written work, field trips, role playing, group work |
|
To teach a skill |
Demonstration by an expert, shop work, laboratory activities, coaching |
|
To generate thoughts, ideas, and opinions |
Discussion, brainstorming, group work, panel discussion, selected reading, debate |
|
To reinforce memory |
Drill, memory aids, coaching, written work |
Source:
BCIT Learning and Teaching Centre.“Preparing lesson plans.” Retrieved July 13, 2010 from
http://www.teacherplanet.com/links/redirect.php?url=http://www.bcit.ca/files/idc/pdf/htlessonplans.pdf
(Published 19 July 2010, Smart Communications, Inc.)
