Lesson Planning
Lesson Planning
Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------51
Objectives ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------51
8. References --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------72
lxii
INTRODUCTION
A lesson plan is a detailed plan of the objectives and activities for a particular class. It is
an important part of the teaching and learning process. A lesson plan reflects what a
teacher wants to achieve in each class and how it will be achieved? Planning a lesson
helps a teacher to control class time and its effective use. A teacher’s effectiveness is
usually judged by the ability to design and implement instruction that promotes learning.
Teaching goals, objectives, teaching methods and assessment forms all come together in
a lesson plan, which ideally facilitates student learning. A good lesson plan contains the
description and application of the instructional methods being used in a particular class to
meet the needs of different learners. At the end of the lesson the teacher evaluates how
effective the plan was and makes any additions or revisions for future use.
The lesson plans vary in degree of detail. Some teachers write only few notes of the plan,
while others carefully write the details of each step of the plan. The teachers discover the
system that works best with them.
This unit deals with the elements of lesson planning. It highlights the stages involved in
lesson planning. Different approaches to lesson planning have been discussed in this unit.
The format of daily/ weekly plans and course/unit plans has been included. In the end
steps involved in planning a lesson have been discussed.
OBJECTIVES
After the successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
1. Understand the concept of lesson planning.
2. Realize the need of planning a lesson.
3. Understand the stages involved in lesson planning.
4. Describe different approaches of lesson planning.
5. Plan a course and a unit.
6. Plan weekly and daily lessons.
7. Follow steps involved in lesson planning.
lxiii
1. NEED OF LESSON PLANNING
A lesson plan is a road map of the instructions. It shows what will be taught and how it
will be done effectively during the class time. Teachers require a lesson plan to describe
their course of instruction for one class. The lesson plan is necessary to guide the
instruction. A lesson plan is required to describe the preferences of the, subject being
covered, activities being held in the class, and to ensure the progress of the students about
the lesson being taught to them.
A well-developed lesson plan reflects the interests and needs of students. It contains the
objectives of the lesson formulated in behavioral terms (indicate the change in behavior).
The best and appropriate practices of teaching methodology and techniques to achieve the
objectives are included in the lesson plan. The content to be covered in a class is
indicated in a lesson plan. The evaluation procedures are also included in the lesson plan.
Lesson planning is beneficial for the teacher in many ways; such as:
It helps in achieving goals and objectives, and same can be said on the part of the
students.
It helps to get rid of problems or avoid them.
It gives a reality check of everyday performance.
It improves the habit and attitude of the students.
It improves the teaching skills.
It makes teaching ordinary and easy.
It makes the teacher organized during teaching.
Lesson planning determines when to include the interesting facts to attract the
students’ attention.
It enables the teacher to impart the things the students can do at the best of their
abilities.
Objectives specified for student learning help in determining the kinds of teaching and
learning activities to be used in class. These activities will define the achievements of
learning objectives. The following figure outline the planning of a lesson
lxiv
Figure No. 1: Planning of a lesson
Pre-Planning Stage
Before teaching the teacher has to think about the lesson plan for a particular class. The
Center of Excellence in teaching (1999) recommends that the answers to the following
questions may help the teachers to proceed for effective planning:
- What are my objectives for this class?
Objectives are the statements of what the teacher wants students to learn. The
objectives are most likely to be the same, or close to, the goals outlined during
course planning. These are specific for a particular class.
lxv
- What will the students already know?
Each learner has different knowledge, the teacher must try to assess, what it is the
students already understand or are able to do. Having the knowledge of the
students’ previous learning the teachers are in a better position to decide where to
begin the class and how to help students learn.
- What materials will be needed?
These are the equipment to accomplish the goals the teacher decides if he/she needs
equipments, overheads. Well planning in advance will allow the teachers to be
prepared.
lxvi
Planning of how to tie it all together for the students is also important. Tell them
once again what they would learn and why it is important to them. Consider the
following activities in conclusion:
v) Summarize the main points and explain how they relate to the course:
Students do not always see how everything fits together. The teacher makes the
link between the activities of one class to the larger course. In this way a teacher
best helps the students develop a conceptual understanding.
This assessment is not a complicated or difficult task. It is very simple and informal. For
instance, using part of the class to let students work on problems you have given them, or
discuss issues and apply concepts, can give you a good sense of what and how much they
have learned. The one-minute writing about the lesson or homework problems can be
similarly helpful.
Activity
Carried out interviews and collect views of 05 – 10 teachers on ‘why they plan
lessons’? Prepare a list of reasons of lesson plan on the basis of their opinions.
Exercise
Q. 1 Write down the five merits of lesson planning for the teachers.
Q. 2 Why a teacher needs to go through the pre-planning stage?
lxvii
Q. 3 How does a teacher design the instructions?
Q. 4 How can a teacher assess the effectiveness of the taught lesson by him/her?
lxviii
2. APPROACHES TO LESSON PLANNING
There are different styles of lesson planning. The common style of lesson planning
contains the following basic elements:
3-5 lesson objectives
Content to be covered
Activities (lecture, group work, problem-solving, etc.)
Resources and materials needed (including technology)
Timing
Out of class work and assessment
The following classic lesson planning models are most popular in lesson planning. These are:
1) Gagne’s frame work for instructional development,
2) Hunter’s seven steps of lesson planning and
3) The 5 E's lesson planning model
lxix
assessment of students’ progress can be carried out by daily/monthly tests,
examinations, etc.
ix) Enhancing retention and transfer:- the teacher organize activities to help
students remember and retain the learned concepts. The learned behavior of
the student is confirmed when he/she applies the knowledge on to different
situations to solve other problems (transfer it to other scenarios).
ii) Instruction
Input and modeling:- the teacher presents instructions to the class. He/she
uses different modes keeping in mind the students’ interests and abilities.
Various examples from the daily life experiences help students to grasp the
new concepts.
lxx
Learning theory of Constructivism states that learners construct new ideas or
concepts on the basis of their current/past knowledge. This model is based on the
ideas of constructive learning. Teachers design their instructions/ lessons around
the learning objective, gather resources, and provide students an opportunity to
explore, build, and demonstrate their learning. It shifts the learning environment
from teacher-centered to learner-centered.
The 5 E's Lesson Planning Model is most often associated with constructivist
learning design. It involves following 5 E’s:
Engage - students come across the material, define their questions, do the
basic work for their class work, make connections between new and known
ideas, identify the relevant practices from their daily life.
Explore - students directly involved with material, go through the learning
process to solve the problems. They work in a team to share the
knowledge.
Explain – the student gets an opportunity to explain the learned concepts
such as discoveries, processes, and ideas by written/ verbal assignments or
through creative writing/ projects. The teacher supplies material, books/
resources, gives feedback, enhances vocabulary, and clarifies
misconceptions/wrong points if any.
Elaborate – the teachers can enhance students’ knowledge with the help of
other examples and expand their knowledge by explaining similar
concepts, and asking them to apply it to other situations. The learning of
the new concepts also raises questions relating to other concepts (lead to
new inquiry).
Evaluate – evaluation of learning is an on-going (continuous) process.
Both teacher and learner check the understanding of the concepts. Different
evaluation techniques can be used such as rubrics, checklists, teacher
interviews, portfolios, problem-based learning outputs, and assessments
results. Results are used to evaluate the students’ progress and to modify
instructional needs in future.
Activity
Prepare a lesson plan on the topic of “water” from the book of Science for class IV on
the design of 5 E’s model of lesson planning.
Exercise
Q. 1 What is Gagne s’ frame work for instructional development?
Q. 2 Highlight the Hunter’s seven steps of lesson planning.
Q. 3 How is 5E’s model of lesson planning different from the others models?
lxxi
3. COURSE AND UNIT PLANNING
Once you have determined the needs of learners, it is time to consider designing and
planning the course. Following are some suggested steps in this process.
- Decide a topic
- Determine objectives
- Identify learning outcomes- (the desirable results)
- Determine assessment
- Design learning experiences and organize material- the content
- Develop evaluation mechanism-evaluation
- Information marketing-course description
Deciding on a Topic
– Consult with your students
– What topics are of interest to your students?
– What is driving your students' interests?
– What worked/didn't work in the past and why?
– How might existing courses be developed or modified?
– Which exercises/problems/assessment assignments were most appropriate?
Planning Backwards
Begin with the end in mind - Steven Covey
When planning a course, the best place to start is at the end. Determine what students
might reasonably be expected to achieve from a course and then plan how material can be
organised and delivered to reach this end.
Overarching Goals
Overarching goals describe the most important understandings that students should
develop during an entire course. Ask yourself:
When my students leave my class at the end of this course, what are the essential
understandings that I want them to take away?
Where possible, students should have a role in determining the goals of a programme.
However, in instances where goals are determined by an outside body, e.g. stage agency
or funding body, it is important to ensure consultation and collaboration between all the
stakeholders.
Learning Outcomes
Once the overarching goal is determined, the next step is to break this into identifiable
and manageable units of achievement, i.e. learning outcomes. Statements of what a
lxxii
learner is expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate after completion of
a process of learning.
Students may ask, what will I learn from this course? What will I be able to do when the
course is over? Sometimes the course description alone does not provide sufficient detail.
Generalised learning outcomes do not supply much additional information to prospective
students. More focused outcomes can identify key tasks in the learning process, or
observe stages in cognitive development.
Levels of Abstraction
In the 1950's Benjamin Bloom created taxonomy for categorising levels of thinking. The
taxonomy provides a useful structure in which to categorise learning outcomes and,
subsequently, assessment questions. Introductory courses, and some interest courses, may
expect to have outcomes at the initial levels of abstraction, whereas accredited and
certified courses would be expected to have more complex outcomes at higher levels of
abstraction. The system has been used widely across a variety of educational spheres
since its inception.
In the 1990's, Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) revised the taxonomy with a view to
making it more relevant to the twenty-first century. The following table is listed in the
order of the revised taxonomy with the original categories.
lxxiii
Analysing Organisation of parts Analyse, separate, order,
(Analysis) Seeing patterns explain, connect, classify,
Can the student
Recognition of hidden meanings arrange, divide, compare,
DIFFERENTIATE between
constituent parts? Identification of components select, explain, infer
Creating Use old ideas to create new ones Combine, integrate, modify,
(Synthesis) Generalise from given facts rearrange, substitute, plan,
Can the student GENERATE Relate knowledge from several create, design, invent, what
new products, ideas or ways areas if?, compose, formulate,
of viewing things? Predict, draw conclusions prepare, generalise, rewrite
Source:
http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/bloomrev/index.htm
http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/index.php
Writing up Outcomes
Outcomes can be written up in the following format:
At the end of this course students should be able to:
Define...
Summarise...
Demonstrate...
Analyse...
Critique...
Integrate...
Discussion of Outcomes
At the beginning of a course, learning outcomes should be discussed with students. This
ensures that you are both working towards the same objectives and gives students an idea
of what they can reasonably expect to achieve over the course of a module. This also
provides an opportunity to amend learning outcomes in line with the wishes of particular
student groups. In this way students feel more involved with the programme and feel
their input influences the shape of the course. Learning outcomes should be fluid as not
lxxiv
all learning can be prescribed or predicted. Learning opportunities can arise during
courses, which were never envisaged at the planning stage, and it is important to
accommodate such diversions.
Check of Understanding
Questions that might now be asked include:
How do I determine if objectives/outcomes have been met?
How will I be able to distinguish between those who really understand and those
who don't?
What would constitute sufficient and revealing evidence of understanding?
Against what criteria do I measure achievement?
If not formally assessing the course, how can I be sure that there is an evidence of
learning?
Ongoing and systematic consultation with students goes some way to ensuring outcomes
is being met. Student feedback should be sought to ascertain whether content is being
understood and to ensure the material is being covered at an appropriate pace for the
group. Individual/group exercises and problem based learning exercises can also be used
throughout the course to ensure that students are progressing through the material.
Assessment
Assessment should be decided upon at the outset as an integral part of design and not
merely attached on at the end. For those people setting assessment exercises, assessment
should be linked to the projected learning outcomes. Assessment criteria should be
understandable so that students can see that the assignment is related to the overall aims
of the course. Questions you might address include:
Are the learning outcomes assessable?
What form of assignment would best assess the learning outcomes?
Does the assessment capture the most important elements of my course?
Planning Content
Once outcomes have been established, and assessment methods (either formal or
informal) decided upon, the following questions need to be considered:
lxxv
How can my material be organised best and presented so as to reach my
proposed learning outcomes?
What do I need to consider about the type of learners with whom I work?
How do adult learning styles impact on the way I present material?
What teaching methodologies are most suitable for adult learners?
How do I involve the learners as much as possible?
How can I draw on the learner's own experience and knowledge
When planning and organising your course content, it is important to take into
consideration the individual nature of adult learners who come to your course. Learners
will have varied abilities and require varied levels of support. Prior experiences of
learning may differ radically with some students being enthusiastic lifelong learners and
others making a tentative move back into education. Motivations for attending may also
range from those needing a particular course for work/personal reasons to those who just
wish to take a course to get out and meet people. In between will be all degrees of
commitment, interest and enthusiasm. All of these learners may have to be
accommodated in the one group.
Important Points
Course overview - can you give students a brief overview of what material is to be
covered over the duration of the course?
Blocks of learning - what amount of material can be covered in a class?
Sequencing of materials - how can the materials be sequenced in an order that is
logical /rational?
Depth of material - what level is the course pitched at? How much detail do you
need?
Methodologies - what is the most appropriate methodology for a particular topic?
Is there a mix of methodologies planned?
Group exercises - when and how often should group work be used?
Worksheets/ notes -what support materials need to be developed? Would the use
of problems or case studies help with the overall understanding of the content?
Resources - what books, tapes, etc. might be valuable for class use or as a
resource for students outside class?
Field-trips - are there any activities that could be related to the course (visits to
museums or organizations) which would set the learning in a practical context?
Evaluation
lxxvi
Evaluation is the collection of feedback on a course to determine how the course content
and presentation has been received. Evaluation is essential in ensuring quality control.
Feedback received in this way provides information on the:
Standards of the course
Materials distributed
Delivery methodologies used
Nature of the group dynamics and tutor/learner rapport
Ability of students to transfer/apply knowledge gained
Tutor self-evaluation and learner evaluation are both necessary to provide effective
quality control. Self-evaluation requires you to reflect on your practice throughout a
course, to critique your presentation style, to analyse your group and time management
skills, and to consider how you might alter your practice in future.
Learner evaluation allows the learner an opportunity to evaluate both the facilitator and
course content. The evaluation can provide information on whether the course met
participants' needs and supply recommendations as to how a course might be modified in
future. Time for course evaluation and review should be allocated at the design and
planning stage.
Course Descriptions
Using overarching goal(s) and learning outcomes as a basis, the next step is to write up a
course description. Course descriptions may be used by the learning provider for
information and/or marketing purposes. Dynamic creative descriptions engage
prospective students and encourage further inquiries. It is important to make as much
information as possible available to students. The language used in course brochures
should be clear and concise and free of jargon or terminology which might confuse or
intimidate the learner.
lxxvii
4. DAILY AND WEELKY PLANNING
Daily and weekly planning are essential for the teachers. These create enough time for
meeting multiple responsibilities. The teacher can plan days and weeks carefully to
include time for teaching exercises, such as collecting and organizing material, writing
questions, preparing class assignments, and managing activities of different nature. This
process allows creating a clear path for teacher that maintains a healthy balance between
teaching and preparation.
The following tips will provide you with strategies to implement your planning to
achieve your objectives.
The first step to planning is to clearly define your objectives. Taking a few minutes
to put your goals into writing will be very beneficial in helping you to plan for your
success.
Once you have defined your objectives, it is time to brainstorm on the tasks that are
required to complete your project. Ordering all of the necessary tasks into a logical
order and assigning an estimated time for completion to each objective will be
beneficial when you begin scheduling these activities.
Next it is useful to define the roles that you will take in fulfilling your goal as well
as the roles of any others who will be assisting you. This is important because you
can use this time to determine who will handle certain tasks to avoid redundancy.
Once you have determined your goal, the tasks required, the key players and the
tasks they will complete, it is finally time to start your daily and weekly scheduling.
The weekly schedule is important for the overall success of the project but it is the
daily planning that will help you to track your progress and determine whether or not
you are on schedule. Try using significant project milestones in your weekly
planning but for daily planning break each milestone down into the necessary
components and plan the completion of those components on a daily basis.
As the teaching lesson progresses, continually evaluate your performance to
determine whether you are on track or need to adjust your schedule. This is where
daily planning becomes so important. Take a few minutes at the middle of the day
lxxviii
and at the conclusion of the day to evaluate your progress and make adjustments as
necessary.
Finally once you have successfully completed your project review your planning
process to determine how successful it was. This will help you by illustrating
whether or not you have achieved an optimal planning system or whether you need
to more carefully plan subsequent projects.
An activity on course planning will enhance the learned concept.
Activity
Select a topic/chapter from the book of English for class V and prepare
the daily and weekly plan for this topic/chapter.
lxxix
5. STEPS IN LESSON PLANNING
The plans of class room activities to be happened each day make the teaching effective.
The teachers go through many steps for planning a lesson. Six steps are given below to
guide the teachers to create their first lesson plans. Each step is comprised by a set of
questions:
Once you outline the learning objectives for the class meeting, rank them in terms
of their importance. This step will prepare you for managing class time and
completing the learning objectives. Consider the following questions:
What are the most important concepts, ideas, or skills I want students to be able
to grasp and apply?
Why are they important?
If I ran out of time, which ones could not be omitted?
Which ones could be skipped?
Develop a creative introduction to the topic to encourage thinking. You can use a
variety of approaches to engage students for example, personal anecdote, historical
event, real example, short video clip, practical application, probing question, etc.
following questions may help you in planning your introduction:
How will I check whether students know anything about the topic?
lxxx
What are some commonly held ideas (or misconceptions) about this topic
that students might be familiar with?
What will I do to introduce the topic?
3. Plan the specific learning activities (the main body of the lesson)
Prepare several and different examples (ways) to explain the topic/concept (real-
life examples, similarities, visuals, etc.) to catch the attention of all students. After
planning examples and activities for the lesson, estimate how much time you will
spend on each. Manage the time for different applications or problems, and for the
check of learning and understanding of the students. The following questions
would help you design the learning activities you will use in the class:
What will I do to explain the topic?
What will I do to illustrate the topic in a different way?
How can I engage students in the topic?
What are some relevant real-life examples, similarities, or situations that can
help students understand the topic?
What will students need to do to help them understand the topic better?
Decide what kinds of questions will be productive for discussion and what
questions might sidetrack the class. Think about the balance between achieving
learning objectives and ensuring that students understand.
Conclude the lesson not only by summarizing the main points, but also by making
its link to the next lesson. How does the topic relate to the one that’s coming up
lxxxi
next? This opportunity will increase students’ interest and help them connect the
different ideas within a larger context.
Activity
Reconsider the topic ‘developing instruction’ and making a timeline for it.
Discuss it with your class fellows/colleagues and give five suggestions to make
it realistic.
lxxxii
6. THE LESSON PLAN FORMAT
There are many formats for a lesson plan. Most lesson plans contain some or all of the
following elements, in this order:
Title of the lesson
Time required to complete the lesson
List of required materials
List of objectives- the objectives may be behavioral objectives (what the student
can do at lesson completion) or knowledge objectives (what the student knows at
lesson completion)
The set (bridge-in) that focuses students on the lesson's concept or skills. these
include pictures or models and asking leading questions or recalling the previous
lessons
An instructional component- it describes the sequence of events included in a
lesson. It includes the teacher's instructional input and guided practice. the students
try to understand new skills/work with new ideas
Independent practice- this practice allows students to extend knowledge and
skills by them selves
A summary- the teacher wraps up the discussion and answers to the students’
questions
An evaluation component- a test for mastery of the instructed skills or concepts—
such as a set of questions to answer or a set of instructions to follow
Analysis component- the teacher reflects on the lesson—such as what has been
achieved/learned, or what needs improvement
A continuity component – it reviews and relates to the content from the previous
lesson.
Let us do an activity of planning a lesson on the proper format.
Activity
Prepare a lesson plan by following the lesson plan format
lxxxiii