Sometimes writing an effective lesson plan can be a challenge. Maybe you have an idea but are clueless on how to execute it. Or perhaps you are not sure what to do but know you have to do something. Either way lesson planning can be the bane of many teachers' evenings.
Find inspiration
The first step is usually to find something that will inspire you and get you focused. Lesson planning can be immensely daunting when you do not have any idea what your topic is going to be. If you are stuck at the very beginning, try re-reading your class objectives or outline. It can be helpful for getting you back on track with what you are supposed to be teaching. If you are working in an area with yearly standardized testing, looking at those requirements can be helpful too. What are the things your students need to know by the time your class ends? There are so many things a teacher wants to impart on their students but staying focused on what is most important for the students helps make your classroom more effective.
Use all available resources
Once you have a general idea of your topic, you can really start with planning. Consider using every resource you have available, which includes asking co-workers for suggestions, recreating memorable lessons from your days as a student, or just googling your topic. As a teacher, Pinterest became one of my favorite resources for ideas to use in my lesson planning because it was full of ideas shared for free by other teachers. Generally, other educators are happy to share anything they know to help so do not be afraid to ask. Chances are, the best teachers you know got a lot of their lessons from some other source too.
Focus on your students
Make sure you are keeping your students in mind. Unless you are just starting out with this class, you should know your students. Consider your audience as you are planning for your lesson and teach based on the interests of your class.
Make lessons interactive
So you have a topic, and maybe a few ideas beyond that, but you still need a real lesson plan. Tackle it the same way you would teach your students to take on a project that is causing them trouble. Break it into smaller parts and write it out. Create a diagram or flowchart to illustrate the topic and different ways the students might interact with the material. Remember that students learn better in interactive environments than they do in a lecture hall, so try to think of ways where students are doing something kinetic to enhance their learning of your topic. Anything that gets students moving something other than their pencil across the page (or their fingers across the keyboard) will make a more lasting impression.
Set a timetable
Once you have all of your ideas down, lay out a timeline for when you want to get different parts done. Is this a lesson that will span an hour or several weeks? If it is a longer lesson, make sure you have time built in for the project to take longer or shorter than you anticipated. Having a small time filler project in the back of your mind in case everything goes a lot faster than you planned is always a good idea.
Incorporate learner autonomy
If you are really struggling with how to teach a topic, trust in your students. Set up a project for the students that allows them to teach each other. It has been proven that people learn things significantly better when they know that they are going to have to teach it to someone else. Make yourself a resource, and teach them how to research and teach each other small parts of the topic.
*This article was originally published by the K12 Teaching Alliance and Tempesta Media
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