Hi Vinita:
Reviewing competencies seems like a perfect way to create a meaningful back up plan, especially in your specialty area.
Regards, Barry
Hi Mark:
I think it's great that you consult your peers. Too often, inexperienced teachers will rely on their own wits, or are afraid to reveal they need help or could benefit from some other ideas. Gosh, just asking doesn't mean those ideas have to be used. I think it's a sign of humility and maturity to be willing to ask others for ideas.
Regards, Barry
Hi Marshall:
Good. Another way is to have some basic activities that can be used when whatever was planned goes awry. It's inevitable, so we might as well have something thats relatively easy to use and activate when needed. Perhaps you have something like that in place already.
Regards, Barry
Being a culinary arts instructor my back up plans actually come right from the class itself. When students are struggling with concepts I pull the course together to cover those areas, which makes creating back up plans easy.
One method I have used is to talk to other instructors who have taught the classes before and see what they have done for their class. I already have my syllabus broken into smaller sections. If I see we are moving to quickly, it is easy to stop and spend more time on the smaller units. If I find we are not moving quickly enough for the students, we can quicken the pace and cover the units faster. It is always an evolving structure.
Very True, but not BUSY Work...
Any extra work has to be productive.
I do try my best
Hi Roy:
Simple activities are great. Little preparation, related to the subject matter, not a waste of the students time. Good suggestion.
Regards, Barry
Hi Roy:
Having a resource or simple activity handy is always a helpful strategy for when things do not go as planned.
Regards, Barry
Hi Madelyn:
Great! I would call this supllementing the lesson. It's something that helps the student, but doesn't have to be done every day or scheduled as part of the curriculum. Anything that keeps student interest is well worthwhile.
Regards, Barry
I teach a culinary class. After teaching a new curriculum for a class, I realized that a backup plan for a lab class is also very important. By creating a set of competencies for my students, it served successfully as a back up plan.
The class is a healthy, vegetarian one and one of the many competencies is making a low fat bechamel.
I also do something like that...
But I call it IT Terms to human talk...
relate computer terms to soemthing they will understand and teach them what it does
Hands ON Demo for Class.
Question for the day. This question is related to the subject, not to that days instruction.
How to project, I have IT classes so taking a break from lecture can be easy and get the class back on track. A simple how to project can be as simple as wireless network setup to cost on wiring a building.
I teach court reporting and it is very helpful to break the words that students have never heard down and explain the meaning of the word before they have to write it. The vocabulary that is used in reading and dictating their content that they have to write on their machines is very dense. Giving them the definitions of the words keeps them interest in the content and helps them when writing the words that they have never heard before. I look at the words in advance and write them on the white board with the definitions. It is very helpful
Hi Gregg:
Planning for the unexpected is important and soon realized by any good teacher who feels they want to be prepared for whatever may come along. Planning sometimes takes thought and reflection. It's like "what would I do if I didn't have...?" That answer would identify one backup strategy to be considered. Doing something like this for every lesson would soon produce enough back-up material for most situations.
Regards, Barry
Hi Dixie:
Preparing for the unexpected is just good planning. Just about any exercise or activity can be modified to suit diiferent or unusual circumstances. We just need to thing about "what would I do if..."
Regards, Barry
Hi Brian:
Hard lessons are the ones best rembered, eh? I've found that a few activities that I can pull off the shelf at a moments notice, that require little preparation, and relate to the general topic of the class work well. Low tech and something that engages the students will seem less like a "filler" to the students - they don't want their time wasted as much as you don't.
Regards, Barry
Oooo, good point! It's important to be able to stick-figure-sketch our lovely PowerPoint presentations in an emergency. We can always do a quick review the next class period to show off our classy preparation.
Since starting my position, I have had nothing to do with the writing of the syllabus. Also, I have not had ample time with the materials to create the kinds of lesson plans I am used to. In my previous experiences, I would have at least two or three lesson plans on the same subject area well in advance of the schedule. One methodology is to make adjustments on the fly--basically getting feedback from the students as we progress. I may have to do some preview and review then redo using different terms for the same subject area. I am used to teaching in a multicultural setting and even in a multilingual setting. I am always prepared for the unexpected...flexibility is a standard. It pays to be prepared, but also to be willing to adjust as needed.
Barry,
I have had this happen before, and it caught me off guard. I had a different class in my lab, prohibiting my class from lab time. I scrambled at the last minute and threw together a last minute lesson plan. I learned my lesson the hard way.
Hi Mary:
Given the relatively long time students are expected to be in class, your approximate time schedule of activities seems pretty balanced.
Keeping students engaged, participating, interested and involved would seem to be the natural barriers to effective instruction. So, variety in your media choices, changing frequently from one media to another will help. Also, when students are actively involved in their own instruction, they're going to learn more and retain information better.
Regards, Barry
