This week the topic of discussion centered around the structure and planning of lessons. Planning a lesson is an essential skill for any great teacher. There are various sections and considerations when creating a lesson. From gaining student attention to differentiation, assessment and student interest, there are many factors that contribute to the layout and presentation of content. These past few years teaching has taught me the importance of being intentional in lesson planning. In Pre-K we use an online data notebook to record student progress. It is through analyzing what my students know, coupled with what I know they are interested in and current teaching practices that I create lessons. Data and teacher-student relationships is what guides and drives my instruction. According to author R. E. Slavin, of the text Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice, "The first step in presenting a lesson is planning it in such a way that the reasons for teaching and learning the lesson are clear. What do you want students to know or be able to do at the end of the lesson? Setting out objectives at the beginning of the lesson is an essential step in providing a framework into which information, instructional materials, and learning activities will fit (Gronlund & Brookhart, 2009)" (Slavin, 163). In order to be effective in teaching and helping students to reach their academic goals and instructor must know what their students know and what they should know as well.
Another important aspect that comes into play when planning lessons is student engagement. Current research and my own experiences have solidified my belief that technology supports student learning. In the article, Technological Innovation in Twenty-First Century: Multicultural Teacher Preparation, the authors comment on the benefits of integrating technology in planning instruction, "This review demonstrates that as teachers integrate technology into their practices, possibilities increase for making educational resources more accessible, engaging, and relevant to broader audiences worldwide – including increased avenues for bringing together real or virtual communities across perceived intercultural, international divides to learn with and from one another" (Laura, Baker, & Milman, 8). In order to gain and retain student attention I strive to create engaging lessons. Students today are driven by technology. By utilizing technology in my instruction I am able make learning content appealing and relevant to student lives.
Lastly, it is important for teachers to realize that all types of instruction require extensive planning. In our text, Slavin comments on the preparation needed for small group discussion with the following: "Because small-group discussions require that students work independently of the teacher most of the time, young or poorly organized students need a great deal of preparation and, in fact, might not be able to benefit from them at all" (Slavin, 184). Though I only put my students to work in small groups for short periods of time (5-10 min max) I consider all of the tasks that come along with having students work independently. I have to spend time instructing my students beforehand on how to communicate with one another, how to stay on task, and how to share ideas. All of these skills must be taught and practiced before students are able to work in independent small groups.
I believe that if I continue to use data and student interest to drive my instruction I can create lessons that both challenge and engage my students. In the future, I will continue to research best practices for planning instruction and integrating technology. This week has reminded me of the benefits of having a well thought out plan in order to successfully instruct all of my students during each and every lesson.
References:
Laura, B. L., Baker, L. L., & Milman, N. B. (2014). Technological innovation in twenty-first century multicultural teacher preparation. Journal for Multicultural Education, 8(1), 54-67.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JME-02-2013-0005
Slavin, R. E. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. New Jersey: Pearson.
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