I designed my first ever lesson plan the other day, in accordance with the 5E model. When I first started off, I was enthusiastic and bubbling with ideas. Brainstorming questions, strategies and ideas, it was pretty exciting, must admit ! And then I got down to actually designing it. Initially it was fun, but as I started advancing through the E's .. it started getting a little frustrating... and after about 2 hours, realized that I had only finished about 30%. I thought to myself, 'Is it going to take me this long to design all my lesson plans?' However, I kept at it... it was a test of my patience. And it was worth it ! Soon it started taking shape, and my enthusiasm revived once again. It took me another 3 hours to complete the job, and another hour to edit, and finally I had my first lesson plan complete in front of me. It was a heartening feeling.
The most challenging segments were 'exploration' and 'elaboration'. As I found later, even though both are distinct categories, there exists a very thin line between them...
The other thing that took a lot of time was coming up with deep, yet simple questions, triggering higher order thinking. My difficulty here was coming up with a sort of 'simple' question. It's a tricky combination - testing a simple concept.
All in all, it was a nice experience. It was certainly a challenge designing the lesson - but a challenge very well worth it !! At one point, I was so discouraged that I didn't feel like going ahead, but I'm glad I stuck to my task, and ended up framing a decent first ever lesson plan.
I think this was the one time in life where I really felt that I reaped the fruits of my labor ! :)
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I find myself in the same situation. I have never designed a lesson plan and feel anxious about starting one. As my first semester in the program, I am very new to a lot of what is being taught in class. While I am absorbing and understanding well, I have not had a class that actually teaches lesson planning. I suspect many of our lessons in implementation will come when we are in our field studies, but I am anxious to get there. I hope that I will have a better appreciation for the need of lesson plans, and understand how best, for me, to design them.
ReplyDeleteI've been teaching for over 5 years and it gets better, hang in there! The more you write them the more natural it becomes :)
ReplyDeleteSo you just can't wing it every lesson? ;)
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that I write my daily lesson plans just like everyone is "supposed" to... are they checked or used accurately is an entirely different question? ha:)
ReplyDeleteYup strawberryhokie, i think u're right... i just need to write more in order to perfect the art. Thanks !
ReplyDeleteIt is good to hear that I am not alone in being confused over writing my first lesson plan. After discussing it in class I feel I understand the process better. I too hope that it gets faster!!
ReplyDeleteNow that I have written two lesson plans, I am glad to say it doesn't feel so foreign. That first time was very stressful. I am glad for the experience because kids tend to need some structure. If the teacher doesn't know what to do with their class for the day, that doesn't bode well for the class efficiency or behavior. Even though I know it won't always need to be so formal, I certainly like having a plan. Though I think it was Eisenhower who said, "Plans are nothing; planning is everything." I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteSo, what are the other planning methods out there? We have been exposed to a few different kinds, but are there other methods?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. I'm also curious what a "typical" administration will expect from teachers by way of lesson plans. Do most schools want a full lesson plan for every class, a "gist of it" lesson plan, no lesson plan? Anyone know what is typical?
ReplyDeleteAll schools are different... some want all the details and others are okay with listing the sol and activity... it just depends on the principal... there are TONS of planning methods and lesson plans - you'll learn to adapt :) don't worry ... VT over prepares you!
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