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Methods and techniques of making a lesson plan

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Methods and techniques of making a lesson plan.

Abstract:
A good lesson plan is an important key to achieving desired teaching-learning
outcomes. Every teacher needs to do it but they are often baffled about how to start,
how to make it effective and manageable, how not to overdo and become unrealistic,
etcetera. In this article, I will discuss the methods and techniques, a teacher may use to
make an ideal lesson plan. To do so, I will start with a brief discussion on what a lesson
plan is and what its main components are. Then, I will discuss pointwise the steps a
lesson planner will follow to prepare a lesson plan.

Keywords: Lesson, learning, goal, curriculum, learning styles, topic, learning objectives,
learning activities, strategy, concept, understanding, demonstrate, accomplished
Introduction:
A lesson plan is a teacher's detailed description of the course of instruction or "learning
trajectory" for a lesson. A daily lesson plan is developed by a teacher to guide class
learning. Details will vary depending on the preference of the teacher, subject being
covered, and the needs of the students. There may be requirements mandated by the
school system regarding the plan. A lesson plan is the teacher's guide for running a
particular lesson, and it includes the goal (what the students are supposed to learn),
how the goal will be reached (the method, procedure) and a way of measuring how well
the goal was reached (test, worksheet, homework etc.).1

For new teachers who are learning their craft and seasoned veterans who are
implementing new curriculum, lesson planning can be daunting. Teachers struggle to
cover as much of the curriculum as possible while also differentiating instruction to meet
students’ learning styles and multiple intelligences.

Before you plan your lesson, you will first need to identify the learning objectives for the
class meeting. Then, you can design appropriate learning activities and develop
strategies to obtain feedback on student learning.2 A successful lesson plan addresses
and integrates these three key components:
● Objectives for student learning
● Teaching/learning activities
● Strategies to check student understanding

Specifying concrete objectives for student learning will help you determine the kinds of
teaching and learning activities you will use in class, while those activities will define
how you will check whether the learning objectives have been accomplished.

Methods and techniques for Preparing a Lesson Plan

Below are six steps to guide you when you create your first lesson plans. Each step is
accompanied by a set of questions meant to prompt reflection and aid you in designing
your teaching and learning activities.

Outline learning objectives

1
"What Is A Lesson Plan?" . English Club. Retrieved 15 October 2014.

2
crlt.umich.edu/gsis
The first step is to determine what you want students to learn and be able to do at the
end of class.3 To help you specify your objectives for student learning, answer the
following questions:
● What is the topic of the lesson?
● What do I want students to learn?
● What do I want them to understand and be able to do at the end of class?
● What do I want them to take away from this particular lesson?

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 accomplishing
the more important learning objectives in case you are pressed for time. 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?
● And conversely, which ones could I skip if pressed for time?

Develop the introduction

Now that you have your learning objectives in order of their importance, design the
specific activities you will use to get students to understand and apply what they have
learned. Because you will have a diverse body of students with different academic and
personal experiences, they may already be familiar with the topic. That is why you might
start with a question or activity to gauge students’ knowledge of the subject or possibly,
their preconceived notions about it. For example, you can take a simple poll: “How
many of you have heard of X? Raise your hand if you have.” You can also gather
background information from your students prior to class by sending students an
electronic survey or asking them to write comments on index cards. This additional
information can help shape your introduction, learning activities, etc. When you have an
idea of the students’ familiarity with the topic, you will also have a sense of what to
focus on.4

Develop a creative introduction to the topic to stimulate interest and encourage thinking.
You can use a variety of approaches to engage students (e.g., personal anecdote,
historical event, thought-provoking dilemma, real-world example, short video clip,

3
www.thoughtco.com/lesson-plan-step-1-objectives-and-goals-2081856
4
www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-lesson-planning-before-delivery-ms-jemi-sudhakar/
practical application, probing question, etc.). Consider the following questions when
planning your introduction:
● How will I check whether students know anything about the topic or have any
preconceived notions about it?
● What are some commonly held ideas (or possibly misconceptions) about this
topic that students might be familiar with or might espouse?
● What will I do to introduce the topic?

Plan the specific learning activities (the main body of the lesson)

Prepare several different ways of explaining the material (real-life examples, analogies,
visuals, etc.) to catch the attention of more students and appeal to different learning
styles. As you plan your examples and activities, estimate how much time you will
spend on each. Build in time for extended explanation or discussion, but also be
prepared to move on quickly to different applications or problems, and to identify
strategies that check for understanding. These questions would help you design the
learning activities you will use:
● 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, analogies, or situations that can help
students understand the topic?
● What will students need to do to help them understand the topic better?

Plan to check for understanding

Now that you have explained the topic and illustrated it with different examples, you
need to check for student understanding – how will you know that students are
learning? Think about specific questions you can ask students in order to check for
understanding, write them down, and then paraphrase them so that you are prepared to
ask the questions in different ways. Try to predict the answers your questions will
generate. Decide on whether you want students to respond orally or in writing.

● What questions will I ask students to check for understanding?

● What will I have students do to demonstrate that they are following?
 ● Going back to my list of learning objectives, what activity can I have students do
to check whether each of those has been accomplished?

An important strategy that will also help you with time management is to anticipate
students’ questions. 5When planning your lesson, decide what kinds of questions will be
productive for discussion and what questions might sidetrack the class. Think about and
decide on the balance between covering content (accomplishing your learning
objectives) and ensuring that students understand.

Develop a conclusion and a preview

Go over the material covered in class by summarizing the main points of the lesson.
You can do this in a number of ways: you can state the main points yourself (“Today we
talked about…”), you can ask a student to help you summarize them, or you can even
ask all students to write down on a piece of paper what they think were the main points
of the lesson. You can review the students’ answers to gauge their understanding of the
topic and then explain anything unclear the following class. Conclude the lesson not
only by summarizing the main points, but also by previewing the next lesson. How does
the topic relate to the one that’s coming? This preview will spur students’ interest and
help them connect the different ideas within a larger context.

Create a realistic timeline

You should know how easy it is to run out of time and not cover all of the many points
they had planned to cover. A list of ten learning objectives is not realistic, so narrow
down your list to the two or three key concepts, ideas, or skills you want students to
learn. Instructors also agree that they often need to adjust their lesson plan during class
depending on what the students need. Your list of prioritized learning objectives will help
you make decisions on the spot and adjust your lesson plan as needed. Having
additional examples or alternative activities will also allow you to be flexible. A realistic
timeline will reflect your flexibility and readiness to adapt to the specific classroom
environment. Here are some strategies for creating a realistic timeline:

● Estimate how much time each of the activities will take, then plan some extra
time for each
● When you prepare your lesson plan, next to each activity indicate how much time
you expect it will take

5
venktesh22.github.io/Strategies_for_Effective_Lesson_Planning.pdf
 ● Plan a few minutes at the end of class to answer any remaining questions and to
sum up key points
● Plan an extra activity or discussion question in case you have time left
● Be flexible – be ready to adjust your lesson plan to students’ needs and focus on
what seems to be more productive rather than sticking to your original plan

Presenting the Lesson Plan

Letting your students know what they will be learning and doing in class will help keep
them more engaged and on track. You can share your lesson plan by writing a brief
agenda on the board or telling students explicitly what they will be learning and doing in
class. You can outline on the board or on a handout the learning objectives for the class.
Providing a meaningful organization of the class time can help students not only
remember better, but also follow your presentation and understand the rationale behind
in-class activities. Having a clearly visible agenda (e.g., on the board) will also help you
and students stay on track.

Reflecting on Your Lesson Plan

A lesson plan may not work as well as you had expected due to a number of extraneous
circumstances.6 You should not get discouraged – it happens to even the most
experienced teachers! Take a few minutes after each class to reflect on what worked
well and why, and what you could have done differently. Identifying successful and less
successful organization of class time and activities would make it easier to adjust to the
contingencies of the classroom.

Conclusion

To be effective, the lesson plan does not have to be an exhaustive document that
describes each and every possible classroom scenario. Nor does it have to anticipate
each and every student’s response or question. Instead, it should provide you with a
general outline of your teaching goals, learning objectives, and means to accomplish
them. It is a reminder of what you want to do and how you want to do it. A productive
lesson is not one in which everything goes exactly as planned, but one in which both
students and instructors learn from each other.

6
sites.tufts.edu › teaching › file
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Bibliography

1. "What Is A Lesson Plan?" . English Club. Retrieved 15 October 2014.

2. crlt.umich.edu/gsis
3. www.thoughtco.com/lesson-plan-step-1-objectives-and-goals-2081856
4. www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-lesson-planning-before-delivery-ms-jemi-sudhakar/
5. sites.tufts.edu › teaching › file
6. বাংলা শিক্ষণ, মজুমদার, ফরিদ আহমেদ, প্রভাতী লাইব্রেরি, ২০২১