So, recently I was told that I wasn’t very good at
structuring lessons. Let me rephrase that last sentence. Se, recently I was
told that I had shown zero skill at implicating lesson structure. There that is
a better, and a very true/accurate statement. I have no recorded ability of
structuring a lesson. To be more specific I have implicated not a single
structured book reading and discussion in my classroom. Sure, I can make a mean
outline. People come from miles away to get a gander out the outlines I push
out. You need an outline for a unit delivered to your door in one hour? Let’s
make it 20 minutes and what do you say we throw in a few choice assessments
while we’re at it. Yea, I can do that, but structuring single lessons, now that’s
where I draw the line.
I cannot give an exact reason for why I haven’t tried to
structure lesson plans. It probably has to do with the fact that I have an
improvisational thinking pattern and enjoy coming up with information, jokes,
and commentary on the spot. It’s a point of pride for me to be able to have
random facts in my head and being able to spit out an acceptable response. I’m
good enough to get by using my improv skills, and good enough has been a self-label
of mine for many years. I have always been good enough to get decent grades. I
have always been good enough to get the job. And I am essentially okay with
being good enough, but lately I have seen that good enough doesn’t in the
classroom in regards to creating lesson plans. Good enough means the students
didn’t light each other on fire. Good enough means that maybe only five
students fell asleep during your lesson today. Good enough means not
exceptional in any way.
Being good enough has got me to where I am today, but where
might I be if I thought to achieve more that good enough. I can’t bring that
attitude into my classroom because it will become infectious and spread from
teacher to student like the famed virus that had eradicated life on Mars
(Google it). Stepping Stones, a non-profit organization registered in Hong Kong
and Shanghai with a mission to improve the education and general welfare of disadvantaged
children in China, states that there are five parts to structuring a lesson
plan:
1.
Warm Up – Bell Work that might review of
introduce a new topic
2.
Presentation – Plan what is to be taught and how
to teach it
3.
Practice – Students should have fun practicing
or talking about the learned material
4.
Production – Can the students use the material
taught to produce a viable outcome
5.
Conclusion – Discuss or recap what was has been
taught/studied
To be clear, I can do steps 1 and 5 because that is
generally all that is needed to make an outline for a unit/lesson plan, but the
presentation, practice, and production aspects of my lesson planning have been
lacking. Since I was told that my structure is not observable during my lesson,
and in turn my lesson suffered dramatically because I was teaching my lesson as
a formal lecture. My students were zoning out and I wasn’t able to get much out
of them during class discussion. So, I guess you could say that the negative
critique of my work was warranted.
I took the criticism to heart and have since changed up my presentation
aspect. I plan out every question that is going to be asked to students. My
lesson plan has become a living, breathing organism that I will continuously form
in order to get the results I desire. And that result is student comprehension,
participation, and analysis of the reading. By constructing thorough lesson
plans the practice portion of my lesson has progressed and the students are now
having fun during the scheduled activities such as journal entries and class
discussions. This has allowed more students to become involved in classroom
learning and get a better understanding of the material being taught. Production
is the last aspect of my lesson planning I am currently tweaking. In my infancy
of teaching I am still not 100% sure my desired outcome is for every lesson. Is
my outcome participation, gaining written/oral skills, or analysis of literature?
I need to become more concrete on the objective of my production and then I
will feel that I have come leaps and bounds in my approach to lesson planning
and implicating those lesson in the classroom.
In conclusion, I have seen the error of my ways and am now
working on a way to improve one of my biggest weaknesses as a student teacher.
Whoever you are that assessed m
In conclusion, I have seen the error of my ways and am now
working on ways to improve one of my biggest weaknesses as a student teacher.
Whoever you are that assessed my work, saying that it was sub-par, know that I
appreciate your sugar-less feedback, your brutal honesty has pushed me to
create a more structured learning environment for my students. Thank you.
Leigner, A. (2015, February 10). 5 Steps for Structuring Your Lesson Plan. Retrieved February 24, 2016, from http://steppingstoneschina.net/ss-news/7639
