Daily Lesson Plans
I believe the daily lesson plan is critical. Even if all that you have planned is not accomplished, you know to move that segment to the next class. The lesson plan helps to include a variety of learning experiences rather than just lecturing for the entire class period.
Carolyn,
Thank you for sharing the results of your use of lesson plans. This is good information for new instructors to have. Even though it may seem like a lot of work at first well developed lesson plans increase the learning of students and the enjoyment of teaching for instructors. This is a win win for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I'm a career changer and am relatively new to teaching and the use of lesson plans. I agree! Now that I've had to use them for the past few months, I wonder how I worked without them before! It keeps me on track and organized.
Jessica,
I don't know either. They keep me organized and focused on each class session so I know we are making the progress we need to make each time.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree that lesson plans are essential. I also find that without them I tend to forget things. If I have a plan for the class written out in front of me, I can check off things as I go and things that were not covered can be moved to the following weeks class. I honestly don't know how anyone works WITHOUT a lesson plan.
I have to agree that a good lesson plan is important. The lesson plan helps to keep you on track it also helps the students to know what is expected of them for the next class.
Shirley,
Thank you for illustrating the value of lesson plans. They are the guides through which we channel our instruction. They need to be flexible so they can be adapted based upon scheduling or other factors that shape the course. By looking at them with a big picture perspective both the instructor and students can see how the course is going to progress.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree totally that they have to be adjustable. But it gives me a checklist to make sure I don't forget something and never transfer it to the next lesson.
I agree. I think they need to be adjustable though, so that if opportunities present themselves for further learning, or things need to be reviewed - it would be possible.
I agree totally. If you do not have a lesson plan it is very easy to forget to include important items. The lesson plan gives you a check off list to use at the end of the class to make sure everything is completed.
i use daily lesson plans and i have found that i am more consistent with the details that i cover for a subject. small details, that when over looked cause problems with the understanding of the material, i cover regularly now. as we do classes over and over, we assume that all information is covered, sometimes this it is not the case when a daily lesson plan is not followed.
The daily plan helps to keep me on task and work toward getting the subject to the students in an organized prepaired way.
I also find lesson plans to be a great way to manage class time. I put in my plans an estimate of how long an activity will take; if my estimate is off (either to short or too long), I am able to see that I may need to speed up the class to cover the rest of the material, or get the students started on the next day's work.
The lesson plan is a valuable tool in keeping track of the material covered and what to plan for the next day. (make adjustments) It's also a good idea to leave this in a place where a substitute instructor can find it and know where you left off the day before.
Jason,
Good point. Without a lesson plan it is easy to spend more time in those areas that we like to teach to the possible neglect of other critical sections.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree. I also find that a daily lesson plan can help me visualize how our time is spent on each topic. This allows me to ensure that I don't put too much or too little emphasis on specific areas.
Mary Jane,
Thank you for sharing your perspective about the value of lesson plans. The direct, guide and focus the content and as you say help you to stay on target for the next day should you need to expand the lesson to that day.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
The lesson plan is a vital part of teaching, and if it does happen to roll into the next day, the plan is there for me to refer too, as to not skip anything.
They keep you organized and focused on course delivery of material.
I use lesson plans religiously as a checklist so I do not forget my goals for the day, and to evaluate the progress of the class as a whole to see if I need to adjust my teaching speed, etc.
