Why a lesson plan must have clear aims and objectives and a coherent structure?
A lesson plan is the instructor’s road map of what students need to learn and how it will be done effectively during the class time. Then, you can design appropriate learning activities and develop strategies to obtain feedback on student learning. Having a carefully constructed lesson plan for each 3-hour lesson allows you to enter the classroom with more confidence and maximizes your chance of having a meaningful learning experience with your students. Show A successful lesson plan addresses and integrates three key components:
A lesson plan provides you with a general outline of your teaching goals, learning objectives, and means to accomplish them, and is by no means exhaustive. A productive lesson is not one in which everything goes exactly as planned, but one in which both students and instructor learn from each other. You may refer to an example of a 3 hour lesson plan here. Before Class: Steps for preparing a lesson planListed below are 6 steps for preparing your lesson plan before your class. 1. Identify the learning objectivesBefore you plan your lesson, you will first need to identify the learning objectives for the lesson. A learning objective describes what the learner will know or be able to do after the learning experience rather than what the learner will be exposed to during the instruction (i.e. topics). Typically, it is written in a language that is easily understood by students and clearly related to the program learning outcomes. The table below contains the characteristics of clear learning objectives: CharacteristicDescriptionClearly stated tasksFree from jargon and complex vocabulary; describe specific and achievable tasks (such as ‘describe’, ‘analyse’ or ‘evaluate’) NOT vague tasks (like ‘appreciate’, ‘understand’ or ‘explore’).Important learning goalsDescribe the essential (rather than trivial) learning in the course which a student must achieve.AchievableCan be achieved within the given period and sufficient resources are available.Demonstrable and measurableCan be demonstrated in a tangible way; are assessable; achievement and quality of achievement can be observed.Fair and equitableAll students, including those with disabilities or constraints, have a fair chance of achieving them.Linked to course and program objectivesConsider the broader goals - i.e. course, program and institutional goals. The Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (link) is a useful resource for crafting learning objectives that are demonstrable and measurable. 2. Plan the specific learning activitiesWhen planning learning activities you should consider the types of activities students will need to engage in, in order to develop the skills and knowledge required to demonstrate effective learning in the course. Learning activities should be directly related to the learning objectives of the course, and provide experiences that will enable students to engage in, practice, and gain feedback on specific progress towards those objectives. As you plan your learning activities, estimate how much time you will spend on each. Build in time for extended explanation or discussion, but also be prepared to move on quickly to different applications or problems, and to identify strategies that check for understanding. Some questions to think about as you design the learning activities you will use are:
Many activities can be used to engage learners. The activity types (i.e. what the student is doing) and their examples provided below are by no means an exhaustive list, but will help you in thinking through how best to design and deliver high impact learning experiences for your students in a typical lesson. Activity TypeLearning ActivityDescriptionInteraction with content Students are more likely to retain information presented in these ways if they are asked to interact with the material in some way. Drill and practiceProblem/task is presented to students where they are asked to provide the answer; may be timed or untimedLectureConvey concepts verbally, often with visual aids (e.g. presentation slides)QuizExercise to assess the level of student understanding and questions can take many forms, e.g. multiple-choice, short-structured, essay etc.Student presentationOral report where students share their research on a topic and take on a position and/or roleInteraction with digital contentStudents experiment with decision making, and visualise the effects and/or consequences in virtual environments GameGoal-oriented exercise that encourages collaboration and/or competition within a controlled virtual environmentSimulationReplica or representation of a real-world phenomenon that enables relationships, contexts, and concepts to be studiedInteraction with othersPeer relationships, informal support structures, and teacher-student interactions/relationships DebateVerbal activity in which two or more differing viewpoints on a subject are presented and arguedDiscussionFormal/informal conversation on a given topic/question where the instructor facilitates student sharing of responses to the questions, and building upon those responsesFeedbackInformation provided by the instructor and/or peer(s) regarding aspects of one’s performance or understandingGuest SpeakerFeelings, thoughts, ideas and experiences specific to a given topic are shared by an invited presenterProblem solving and Critical thinkingPresenting students with a problem, scenario, case, challenge or design issue, which they are then asked to address or deal with provides students with opportunities to think about or use knowledge and information in new and different ways The process of reflection starts with the student thinking about what they already know and have experienced in relation to the topic being explored/learnt. This is followed by analysis of why the student thinks about the topic in the way they do, and what assumptions, attitudes and beliefs they have about, and bring to learning about the topic. Reflection journalWritten records of students’ intellectual and emotional reactions to a given topic on a regular basis (e.g. weekly after each lesson)It is important that each learning activity in the lesson must be (1) aligned to the lesson’s learning objectives, (2) meaningfully engage students in active, constructive, authentic, and collaborative ways, and (3) useful where the student is able to take what they have learnt from engaging with the activity and use it in another context, or for another purpose. 3. Plan to assess student understandingAssessments (e.g., tests, papers, problem sets, performances) provide opportunities for students to demonstrate and practice the knowledge and skills articulated in the learning objectives, and for instructors to offer targeted feedback that can guide further learning. Planning for assessment allows you to find out whether your students are learning. It involves making decisions about:
To learn more about designing assessment, click here. 4. Plan to sequence the lesson in an engaging and meaningful mannerRobert Gagne proposed a nine-step process called the events of instruction, which is useful for planning the sequence of your lesson. Using Gagne’s 9 events in conjunction with Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (link) aids in designing engaging and meaningful instruction.
5. Create a realistic timelineA list of ten learning objectives is not realistic, so narrow down your list to the two or three key concepts, ideas, or skills you want students to learn in the lesson. Your list of prioritized learning objectives will help you make decisions on the spot and adjust your lesson plan as needed. Here are some strategies for creating a realistic timeline:
6. Plan for a lesson closureLesson closure provides an opportunity to solidify student learning. Lesson closure is useful for both instructors and students. You can use closure to:
Your students will find your closure helpful for:
There are several ways in which you can put a closure to the lesson:
During the class: Presenting your lesson planLetting your students know what they will be learning and doing in class will help keep them more engaged and on track. Providing a meaningful organisation of the class time can help students not only remember better, but also follow your presentation and understand the rationale behind the planned learning activities. You can share your lesson plan by writing a brief agenda on the whiteboard or telling students explicitly what they will be learning and doing in class. Click on link here for tips and techniques to facilitate an interactive lesson. After the class: Reflecting on your lesson planTake a few minutes after each class to reflect on what worked well and why, and what you could have done differently. Identifying successful and less successful organization of class time and activities would make it easier to adjust to the contingencies of the classroom. If needed, revise the lesson plan. Why a lesson plan must have a coherent structure?Coherence provides teachers with a framework with which they can use to understand how what they are teaching now, relates to what has come before and what will lie ahead. In this way, coherence enables progression of the same idea to take place and avoids unnecessary repetition.
Why are aims and objectives important in a lesson plan?Aims and objectives are an important part of the educational process, assisting in clarifying the relationship between the learner and the educator. The writing of aims and objectives assists educators in designing course content, teaching strategies or processes, and assessment methods that are appropriate.
Why is it important to have well structured lessons?A well-designed lesson plan: Helps students and teachers understand the goals of an instructional module. Allows the teacher to translate the curriculum into learning activities. Aligns the instructional materials with the assessment.
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