Lesson planning
Proper lesson planning is seen to play a vital role in the process of learning and teaching. Any teacher who is prepared is seen to be on the right track toward a successful instructional experience. Primarily, the creation of an exciting lesson requires more time and effort. Therefore, as a new teacher, you are required to be committed to spending the time needed in this endeavor. However, it is essential to note that a well planned lesson may be worthless in case interesting delivery procedures and good classroom management techniques are not in evidence. During lesson planning, teachers need to research for the necessary skills and structure them to their individual style alongside implementing them to a teacher-learning situation. Moreover, such skills must be evaluated and overhauled when necessary. This paper will provide a reflection of a university and a five-minute placement lesson plan for the same lesson by comparing them and deciding on the most helpful.
The two plans exhibit some similarities. They both present the topic to be discussed at the onset. Additionally, they show the objectives of the lesson before major discussions begin. Essentially, during learning, the topic and objectives should be presented first to act a as guide for the teacher and the student to know what the lesson entails. It is believed that whenever a teacher forgets to write the topic and the objectives for the lesson, whatever the teacher will talk about will be hard for the students to grasp, which leads to wasted effort and time in the learning and teaching process (Summers 2010 p. 35). Also, the two lesson plans present the students’ level of learning. This step is important for both learners and teachers to understand the interaction level and the time spent in explaining a concept. Higher student levels require less time in explain a concept they had learnt in other levels compare to lower levels learning the concept for the first time (Summers 2010 p. 44). This calls for the teacher to be sensitive about the level of training to avoid poor feedback at the end of the lesson. Additionally, the two plans indicate the importance of evaluation. Feedback during the learning process is considered important as it acts as a gauge to determine whether the lesson objectives were met or not. Lastly, it is important for the teachers to evaluate themselves at the end of the lesson to determine areas that need improvement.
On the contrary, the two plans differ in various ways. How the topic is introduced in the five-minute lesson is different from the university plan. In the placement plan, the big picture of the topic is presented. This technique is important in enabling students to have a broader understanding of what is to be included in the lesson. Another difference is noticeable on how the objectives are outlined. This element is lacking in the university plan, something making it hard for learners to be sure of what is expected of them at the end of the lesson (Scales 2013 p.24). The five-minute plan does not indicate the time for the lesson, but the university plan does. Allocation of time for each lesson is important as it helps teachers to plan the time they will be required to spend at individual objective to ensure proper learning process. Also, the five-minute plan shows the engagement session while the university plan does not. It is important to engage students during the learning process to keep them on track. Engagement is known to increase understanding of concepts during the learning process and retention rate is seen to be high whenever students are engaged.
According to the two lesson plans presented, I would prefer the five-minute lesson plan provided at my placement. What makes this plan to outstand that of my university is its unique way of development. During learning, a teacher is expected to establish a positive classroom environment, start a lesson by providing clear instructions, maintain learner attention, apply appropriate pacing, assess what has transpired during the lesson, make a smooth transition into the next objective, and create positive student-teacher relationships. I feel that the five-minute plan provides all these requirements which make it more helpful.