Consistency in teaching. I often teach the same material as several other instructors throughout the day. The structure of the lesson plan allows us all to be on the same page and delivering a virtaully identical educational experience for all of our students.
Martha,
I agree. In addition, lesson plans also (indirectly) create an expectation for students to reciprocate the organization that is initiated from their instructor. If students perceive that their instructor is very organized with their plans, it may have an impact on their approach to class preparation.
Tremayne Simpson
TERESITA,
Good observation. It is important that instructors maintain consistency in all of the course sections that they teach. This is especially important for courses that are taught in sequences.
Tremayne Simpson
This helps keep me on track with the topic and also for time management. It also helps substitutes take over without much problem. Documenting lesson plans is always necessary for consistency.
It is important to document my lesson plans for various reasons:
1. To help me stay on track with topics to cover each class
2. Helps me not to forget any important topics and their sequence
3. It informs students of what to expect each class session
4. I keeps records on file for quarter or annual reviews.
5. In case of an emergency, it helps the substitue teacher to prepare the class demos/topics, etc... and that way such topics or demos are not skipped and I can continue with the next planned topic.
joseph,
What subjects do you primarily teach at your institution?
Tremayne Simpson
Erin,
I agree...teaching multiple sections of the same course can become quite cumbersome. Although it is tempting to create one set of lesson plans for all, it is better to take the time and treat each section like it is an entirely different course.
Tremayne Simpson
I agree completely with this. When I first started teaching, my lesson plans were mediocre, and I wouldn't separate them according to different sections. One term I taught the same class in 3 sections: one met twice a week for 2 hours, one met once a week for 4 hours, and one met four times a week for 1 hour. After a week of this, I was so confused and could not keep the different sections straight as far as where each class was in the lecture. Detailed lesson plans are a godsend to staying organized and professional!
I agree completely with this. When I first started teaching, my lesson plans were mediocre, and I wouldn't separate them according to different sections. One term I taught the same class in 3 sections: one met twice a week for 2 hours, one met once a week for 4 hours, and one met four times a week for 1 hour. After a week of this, I was so confused and could not keep the different sections straight as far as where each class was in the lecture. Detailed lesson plans are a godsend to staying organized and professional!
Desirae,
I agree and I make sure to save all class documentation to my portable hard drive, including the archived material. Periodically, I browse my archived material to review old assignments to see if there is a possibility of "revising" them for future classes.
Tremayne Simpson
Thanks Tremayne for your feedback. I am the type of individual that always try ro evaluate what I am discarding (in terms of paperwork) before I discard. Limiting your paperwork is better for you when you organize, but documents such as lesson plans are vital to keep. Documentation saved in your computers also help along with keeping small lesson plan hard- copy files.
Desirae,
I agree completely. Earlier in the post I mentioned that documented lesson plans can also serve as a log of "career milestones" for an instructor. It is always a great idea to reflect back and make appropriate revisions for future courses.
Tremayne Simpson
The purpose for documenting you lesson plans helps you to see where you are in terms of keeping up with your lecture/lesson progress. You will be able to determine what information is to follow your previous lecture. In my opinion, you can utilize past lesson plans to help you if you need to each the specific class again throughout your career. But you must be up to date on any and all changes made in your field/industry. As you follow the trends/changes in your field,this will enable you can alter your lesson plan as needed.
Ryan,
I also provide my students with a detailed, course schedule at the beginning of the course. I make sure to include it with the course syllabus, project sheets and grading rubrics for each assignment.
Tremayne Simpson
Before any class term begins, there is a course schedule made up. This is given to the students to show them what we will be doing on any given day throughout the course. This is also very helpful in the event that I cannot make it to work, or I have to cover a class for another instuctor, as there is most often very little confussion as to what will be happening that day.
Rodger,
This is a great point for documenting lesson plans. I generally teach multiple sections (of the same course) and usually need to review the individual lesson plan notes for each course, to determine where I ended the previous class. Course sections can be drastically different, depending on the discussions that take place in each class.
Tremayne Simpson
Dixie,
These are great methods for effectively, utilizing lesson plans. In addition, we can keep a column (on our daily, active lesson plans) to keep notes of follow-up tasks that come-up during the lecture. For instance, a student can ask for more information on a particular topic from discussion and the instructor can make a note to bring the research information to the next class session.
Tremayne Simpson
I document my lesson plans for a number of reasons. They allow a substitute to know what is expected in that session. It also keeps me on track when teaching multiple sections of the same course. It also helps me to not forget important topics that were added during the most recent classes.
My lesson plans are most valuable in helping me remember where I've been and where I'm going in each class. It's my "packing list" to make sure I've gathered all the resources I'll need before I go into the classroom. It's also my tickler list for surprises or changes. If, for example, discussion in one section of a course leads into a particularly useful or stimulating exchange, I'll make a note to provoke that discussion in the other section.
After each class, I do follow-up documentation by emailing my students a summary of the class activities and a reminder of the tasks they have before the next class meeting.
Jeannine,
Great suggestion. As I mentioned earlier in the discussion board, instructor collaboration is an important part of the success of the institution. When instructors work together on course curricula, the students benefit by receiving a consistant educational experience...regardless of the course section/instructor.
Tremayne Simpson
