Lesson plans
I'm 50/50 on lesson plans being a must. I think they are fantastic and a must for someone starting a class for the first time. I am at the point now that I have taught the same class roughly 4 or 5 times. I find that I don't need them. I know all the material verbatim and have the stories to interweave with them.
When I firsted started teaching, I found lesson plans to be very helpful and valuable. Granted it does take sometime, however it provides great layout of the course, materials, and activities in which the students can learn and work. As I am starting to repeat courses I still find them useful to improve and/or modify the exist plan. Sometimes things can become outdated or perhaps better examples and cases arise in which students can better related and understand.
I agree With you on this Gary Having a lesson plan is vey beneficial. not only myself but the student as well. I love having Lectures cause it gives the class.
Ruth,
This is a good instructional strategy to follow. Yes, lesson plans are always in a state of flux for a number of reasons. After you have taught a lesson you can see how you can improve it, a new activity to try, a question asked by a student, etc.. All of these reasons dictate that you keep tinkering with your lesson plans and the result will be improved instruction and greater student satisfaction.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that I write the lesson plans, teach them, re-write them, re-evaluate, etc. Lesson plans are evolutionary and their development depends upon each different group of students and their learning styles.
John,
This is what teaching experience is about. After a few time through a course you get a feel for the content, topic flow and student reactions. This is the point where you can start to introduce new strategies and activities that will make the course even more attractive and effective for students. A great position to be in as an instructor as well as a student.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
