Module II: Lesson Organization (Cont.)

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10

Seven Steps to Effective Lesson Planning (Cont.)

Step 4. How will I deliver the content?

Planning a lesson is as much about process as it is about content. After selecting your learning objectives--deciding exactly what you want students to do with the content-- planning how the information will be delivered is the most important step you can take to ensure a successful class.

Thinking about how you will deliver the content helps ensure a variety of presentation formats. Within a given lesson, a particular mode of delivery might help students more effectively master the objectives you have identified. For example, some learning objectives might be best attained through a well-planned lecture that provides opportunities for students to work with the new material. For other objectives, it might be best to present students with a new resource (i.e. a journal article) and ask them to answer questions about that information in small groups. A well-structured class discussion or an in-class demonstration might be the best approach for yet another objective. Some lessons may warrant a variety of approaches. Strategies for delivering lessons will be explored in more depth in an upcoming module.

Some things to consider when planning your lesson delivery:

• What questions or problems do I expect students to have with this material?
• How can I budget time in the lesson for these anticipated problems?
• How will I make the transition from one topic to another?
• What questions can I ask my students to ensure understanding before I move on?

Step 5. How will I elicit performance?

Eliciting performance during class time provides several important benefits. First, and perhaps most importantly, it gives students an opportunity to digest what they have learned and put it into practice, while the teacher is there to provide feedback. Time to actively engage with new information before being hit with the next wave of information helps ensure greater retention. In addition, activities (even brief ones) help break up the class into smaller units, which can have a positive impact on memory. (Meyers reference)

There are many ways students can engage with material during classtime. For example, students can:

• respond to a writing prompt before being introduced to a new topic,
• take a minute or two in the middle of the lecture to compare notes with a classmate,
• solve a practice problem individually or in small groups
• work in small groups to respond to a discussion question and share the response with the whole class

Again, when planning for a class activity it's important that the activity is aligned with the cognitive level of the objective you identified.

Step 6. How will I assess performance?

Eliciting performance and assessing it are inherently linked (without eliciting performance, there is nothing to assess). However, it's helpful to think about the process of having students demonstrate learning and the process of providing feedback as two distinct events.

While assessment can immediately conjure up the notion of grading, it's possible to provide feedback informally. For example, if students are working in pairs on an activity that reinforces the lesson's objectives, the instructor can ask one or two groups to share the work with the class. In this way, the instructor can provide feedback in front of the whole class and clear up any misunderstandings before students are assessed formally. Instructors can circle the room while students are working, providing feedback and answering questions as needed. For a more comprehensive view of how students have understood the material, an instructor might employ a classroom assessment technique, in which students take an informal, ungraded, anonymous assessment which the instructor can use to restructure the learning if necessary. For example, each student can use a 3x5 index card to solve a problem, restate a concept, or simply identify an area they are still unclear about. The instructor can collect the index cards to take the pulse of the level of understanding of the students, and adjust the instruction as needed. These short assessments are referred to as Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) and will be covered in more detail in a future module. Add online example here

Step 7. How will I enhance retention?

Of course, the lesson doesn't end when the class period does. It is important that the teacher structure an assignment that allows the students to practice again, perhaps more in depth, what was taught that day.

Feel free to print and use this Lesson Plan Template (link here) as often as you like. Having the template may help make these steps of lesson planning more routine.

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10