Module Title

General

Multimedia

WebCT

Online Communication & Library Resources

Contacts

Module II: Lesson Organization

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, participants will be able to:

Write behavioral learning objectives and explain their importance to the lesson organization process.
Explain the importance of aligning learning objectives, class activities and assessments to the desired level of cognition.
List Gagne's steps of instruction and integrate these steps into a lesson plan.

Introduction

Once the larger questions of the course goals have been answered, it's easier to think about the course as a sequence of smaller "chunks"-units or lessons. While lessons may correspond to a class period, some lessons may be complex enough to warrant several class periods. Other lessons-if a class meets in a three-hour session, for example-might be covered in half a class period.

No matter the duration of your lesson, the process of organizing it is the same. Lesson organization is comprised of three key tasks:

deciding what skills and abilities students should attain by the end of the lesson,
deciding which sources (textbooks, lectures, in-class demonstrations, etc.) will best communicate the information needed to perform those skills, and
designing activities and assessments that allow students to practice and execute those skills.

Through effective lesson organization, we see one of the best qualities of the teaching profession: its appeal to both patterned and creative thinkers. On the one hand, each lesson should have the same basic elements, and planning a class can to some extent become routine. On the other hand, deciding how to implement each of these basic elements can vary depending on the content, your personal teaching style, and creative inspiration.

Whether the lesson planning process appeals to your patterned nature or your creative streak, all good lesson plans start with well formulated learning objectives.