Chapter 2

Lesson Planning in Teaching

2.1. The Need for Lesson planning

Teaching occupies the central core of your life as a teacher. The teaching includes instruction in
classroom tutorials, laboratory, workshops, and excursions, etc. Where teaching is not just an
activity to transfer the education to the student but it involves modification in the behavior of the
student. While planning, teacher must keep in mind the emphasis may be given to equal weight
age to all the content, not that one should given more focus and other is ignored completely.

 Presentation of material in a logical, systematic, and effective way

 The planning must cover the adequate coverage of subject matter
 The objective may be achieved in the given time
 The time factor and effort must be low and relevant
 The strategies must involve maximum development of child in minimum resources

Advantages of Planning

Planning means systematic organization of subject matter, better utilization and proper
presentation of the resource:

 It fosters self-confidence and pride in our work

 The aids are properly explained and used by teacher
 Planning for one subject helps in integrating with other subjects
 A wide development in thinking about teaching is helpful to bring an order of teaching.

The Dictionary of Education defines a lesson plan as a teaching outline of the important points
of a lesson arranged in the order in which they are to be presented; it may include objectives,
questions to be asked, references to materials, evaluation, assignments, etc. Now you must be
clear in mind that lesson planning is a product of short term or micro level planning involving:

1. Identification of definite objectives,

2. Selection of appropriate content and activities,
3. Selection of procedures and methods for presentation of the content,
4. Selection of evaluation exercises and
5. Selection of follow up activities, etc.

2.2. Approaches to Lesson planning

Generally various approaches are used to make a lesson plan. These approaches are Herbartian
approach, Unit approach, Evaluation approach, and Project approach.

A brief description is provided:-

1. Herbartian Approach is based on apperceptive mass theory of learning. All the knowledge
and information is to be given from outside by the teacher because the student is considered
similar to a clean slate. For the students, if an old knowledge makes a base for new
knowledge (his previous knowledge or experiences), it may be acquired easily and retained
for a longer period. Herbart has given five steps:- Introduction, Presentation, Organization,
Comparison, and evaluation. The main focus is on content presentation.

2. Unit Approach of Morrison is based on unit transaction and planning. The Morrison’s
lesson plan of teaching is cyclic; Morrison has given five steps for his ‘cycle phase’ of
teaching: - Exploration, Presentation, Assimilation, Organization, and Recitation.
3. Evaluation Approach of B.S. Bloom in evaluation approach, education is objective centered
not content centered. The focus in this approach is on objective based teaching and testing. It
takes into consideration the learning objectives and teaching methods on the basis of the
objectives and to assess learning outcomes. Then, a decision can be taken about objectives of
learning are achieved or need to provide the revision.The design of lesson plan according to
this approach consists of three aspects:

1. Input,
2. Process and
3. Output.

1. Input: It contains the identification of objectives in behavioral terms. These are known as
Expected Behavioral Outcomes (EBOs). During this the entering behavior of the learners is
 also identified. With the help of instructional objectives, the sequence of instructional
procedure is determined. These objectives are classified into four categories: Knowledge,
Understanding, Application and Creativity.
2. Process: This is an interactive stage when teacher actually communicating with students in
the classroom. For effective presentation of the content, teacher has to choose different
teaching strategies, audio-visual, and all support materials.
3. Output: This aspect of instructional procedure refers to real learning outcomes (RLOs). This
is equivalent to terminal behavior which is measured by using oral and written questions.
This aspect is considered for measuring of the desirable change in behaviour of students.

4. Project approach originated by Dewey and W.H.Kilpatrick stresses on group activity,

social activity, self activity, and related to real life experiences. It is a pre-planned work
completed by a person or group in social condition. Due to many reasons, it is not necessary
that a lesson plan made by a teacher will be successful at every place and time. Many factors
influence lesson planning such as

 Availability of teaching aids,

 Strength of students in the Class.
 Composition of the Class (Age wise).
 School Location (Area wise)
 The nature of the topic (Medium wise) etc.

The list is not enough, few other factors from own experiences can be added.

Illustration of Lesson Plan

Format of Presentation: Effective teaching needs proper planning, transaction in the classroom
and feedback. Practically there are three stages of a planned lesson: Pre-active, Interactive, and
Post- Active.

1. Pre-active stage is a stage of planning before going to the classroom.

2. The Interactive stage is a stage of interaction between teacher and students in the real
classroom situation.
3. Post active stage is a stage of self evaluation of our teaching work.

There is not be a single format for writing a lesson plan because it varies from teacher to teacher
and subject to subject, the only thing which can be suggested is that it should be a well-organized
structure, it follows basic fundamental parts of a lesson. Some of the formats based on different
approaches to lesson planning. Teachers’ are free to make changes according to the objectives
you plan to achieve and the nature of the subject etc.

Characteristics of Lesson Plan

Good lesson plan must have following characteristics:

1. It must be flexible;
2. Its contents are organized in the light of attainable objectives;
3. It is rich with respect to students activities and evaluation exercises;
4. It has link with the previous and future lesson;
5. It includes relevant home assignment and activities for students.

Writing a lesson Plan: Many written lesson plans are used by practicing teachers. A teacher
needs some information about the class, students and their background before to attempt the
lesson plan. In general, a Macro Lesson plan is divided into many stages/steps.

1. General information: regarding the topic, sub-topic, subject, time, class, and age level of
children.
2. Instructional Objectives (General Objectives and Specific Objectives): We know that at
different grade levels, all subjects have general objectives, and specific objectives are written
in behavioral terms. Specific Objectives focuses on the expected outcomes of teaching and
the topic in a given time period. These specific objectives also known as instructional
objectives, which are observable and measurable. It is required to identify the behavioral
objectives and state these objectives in a clear and simple language.
3. Instructional Aids: The development of a new lesson plan is based on the standard and
knowledge of students. Instructional are used by the teacher to make understand the chapter
or topic easily. One picture delivers the message of thousand words. Teacher assumes that
 the previous knowledge of students related to the content can test and teaching will become
easy through aids.

2.3. Weekly planning

The weekly instruction plan is formulated in order to put the monthly plan into practice. In
formulating it, consideration should be given to the continuity of life of the children, because we
generally spend our daily life on a weekly basis. And so the weekly plan is very concrete and
practical.
2.4. Daily planning

The basic unit of a child’s life is a day. Teachers formulate a daily plan thinking about children’s
activities, the creation of a good environment and how to support them, hoping that they can
spend a full and enjoyable life at kindergarten. This is the most practical and concrete instruction
plan, which shows a day of children at kindergarten in detail. There is no standardized format for
the instruction plan. Although some kindergartens use a standardized format among teachers, it
is basically a teacher who is responsible for working out and formulating it. Some experienced
teachers who can easily think about various important aspects formulate a ‘weekly and daily
plan’ that literally combines a ‘weekly plan’ with a ‘daily plan’.
There is no formula for the creation of an environment or the preparation of materials/activities
in order to achieve objectives. Think from various viewpoints and formulate a fully worked-out
plan making full use of the available environment and materials. Children’s activities do not
always turn out as you have planned. As time goes by and as children experience various things,
they develop and change progressively. It is important to observe the children carefully and
improve the plan according to their development. Activities that are familiar to children
encourage their voluntary and active involvement. Think about the activities that are closely
linked to their daily life, and the best way to support them. Respect the culture, nature and
tradition in your country or in the region where you live, and try to integrate these into the
instruction plan, which will then be very attractive to children.
2.5. Unit planning
A unit plan overarches all daily lesson plans with connections among key topics, concepts, skills,
and desired outcomes. All the following elements should be considered when developing a unit
plan:
1. A principal purpose
2. Main topic or topics (e.g., World War II, reptiles, double-digit multiplication)
3. Concepts (e.g., integrity) that unite lessons within the unit
4. Essential skills to be developed
5. Academic goals and desired outcomes
6. Academic standards that directly relate to the subject area or areas
7. Cross-curricular connections
8. Methods to make the learning relevant throughout the unit
9. Big ideas that link to additional big ideas to increase understanding
10. Past learning that links to present learning and leads to future learning
11. An understanding of students' current knowledge
12. Questions to guide thinking each day and from day to day
13. Questions based on recurring unit ideas or themes
14. Clear expectations for learning of all students
15. Vocabulary to study and focus on, with multiple exposures over time to engrain learning
16. A determination of appropriate level of proficiency to meet desired outcomes
17. Assessments for before, during, and after lessons and the overall unit

2.6. Course planning

There are two types of instruction plans - long-term instruction plans: yearly and monthly plans
and short-term instruction plans: weekly and daily plans. Teachers think about and write down
the following three aspects, in the form appropriate for the characteristics of each plan:

1. Contents of activities: what you hope children will experience.

2. Objectives of curriculum content: aspects expected to be developed through the activities.
3. Creation of the environment: how to provide an appropriate environment to achieve the
objectives of curriculum content.
Steps of course planning
1. Define Your View of the Purposes of Education
2. Set Course Goals
 3. Select Course Content
4. Arrange Course Content
5. Consider Student Goals and Characteristics
6. Choose Instructional modes
7. Select Readings and Activities
8. Construct a Syllabus
9. Plan to Get Student Feedback
10. Seek Advice from Colleagues and Experts

Course Planning Guide

The endeavor of course planning can be thought of as a process of design. Instructors design
learning experiences with specific outcomes in mind. So before we choose textbooks, plan
activities, or decide on a number of exams, we articulate our goals for student learning.

Below is an outline of the steps involved in planning a course, which generally follow the
principles of backward design.
Guidelines for Designing Your Course:

1. Decide What You Want to Accomplish

 Establish goals. Identify content, skills, and intellectual competency goals. What do you want
students to learn? What do you want students to be able to do by the end of the course? Your
goals can be large-scale because you will use them to write specific learning objectives in the
next step.
 At what level(s) do you want students to perform?
o Knowledge – recall facts
o Comprehension – understand ideas and translate them between contexts
o Application – dissect ideas into constituent parts to clarify organization
o Analysis – dissect ideas into constituent parts to clarify organization
o Synthesis – integrate parts into a unified whole
o Evaluation – judge the value of an idea or procedure, using appropriate criteria
 Clarify goals. How will you explain the goals in terms students can understand? What student
attitudes and expectations may affect motivation and performance? What will you do to take
them into account?

2. Write Learning Objectives

 Learning objectives originate from and align with larger course goals.
 They are learning-centered, not teaching-centered. They should specify what students will learn
from the course, rather than what you will teach.
 Be specific in your learning objectives. Make sure they can be measured and observed, so you
know if students are meeting the objectives.
 Use active verbs. Learning objectives follow the sentence format of “Students will be able to…”

3. Create Assignments that Provide Evidence that Students met the Learning Objectives

 What assignments will you use to evaluate student success at meeting learning objectives?
o For example: exams, projects, portfolios, quizzes, papers, oral presentations
 What kind of feedback will help students the most?
o Summative: grades and evaluation of every assignment, without the opportunity to revise
o Formative: comments to help them improve, with a chance to revise before the final grading
 What criteria will you use to judge their success? Can you describe the elements of an
assignment which earns an “A or “B…?
 How will you communicate the criteria to students?
 What do your answers to these questions about assessment suggest you to do in your teaching?
 How will you determine final grades? Achievement of standards?

4. Define and Limit Course Content

 Use your goals and learning objectives to scale down content to the core topics. Distinguish
between materials that you consider to be essential versus material that is optional for your
students. Stress those issues most central to your course goals. Don’t plan class time for things
students can learn on their own.
5. Structure the Course

 Devise an arrangement for course content that is logical. The content could be organized based
on the chronology, the category, level of complexity, etc. Pick the structure that makes the most
sense based on your course and the type of content you will convey.

6. Select Appropriate Teaching Strategies

 Select appropriate teaching strategies or instructional methods for the class meetings. What will
happen on any given day? What are you going to do? What are students going to do during that
class meeting? Some options include the following:
o Lecture, debate, in-class writing, demonstration, case discussion, video or multimedia, role-play
or games, small or large group discussion and problem solving, laboratory exercises
 Certain methods of teaching are more effective in getting students to perform at different levels.
o Knowledge and comprehension – lecture, reading, lecture with visuals
o Application – lecture with associated discussion sections, seminars, lecture with change-ups,
simulation, case discussions, games, field experiences, and labs
o Analysis and synthesis – seminar discussions, collaborative learning, independent group projects,
simulations, labs
o Evaluation – independent group projects, collaborative learning, field experiences, labs
 Design in-class and homework assignments, and other handouts.

7. Set Course Expectations and Policies: What Behaviors Do You Expect of Your Students
while they are in Class?

 Do you expect willing student participation in activities? Timely completion of

assignments? Students taking responsibility for their own learning? Thoughtful and creative
work?
 What are your policies on grading (and cheating), make-up exams, late work, extra credit
assignments? Attendance and participation?

8. Finally, Prepare a Detailed Syllabus

 Check out What Did You Put in Your Syllabus” and “Guidelines for Creating a Complete and
Accessible Syllabus.”