The
hardest part of my student teaching so far has been figuring out how to plan. I
feel like there are days when I plan too much and days when I don’t plan nearly
enough. It’s a delicate balance and several have assured me that I’ll strike my
own balance eventually. Eventually seems to be a long time coming.
I’ve watched multiple teachers as they plan their units and lessons. I’ve seen multiple ways to plan out activities. I’ve read the research and the tips from textbooks and online sources. I have scoured articles for best practices and techniques. Marzano suggests to “start with the end in mind” and “identify declarative knowledge” (Marzano). Todd Finley suggests that I start by asking, “is the unit aligned with standards, objectives, and guidelines?” (Finley). Ellen Ullman suggests that I “come up with an active objective” (Ullman). It seems that everyone has a different opinion on how to plan effectively.
I’ve learned that no system is perfect and
that I have to create my own; a system that works uniquely for and with me. I
started to pose questions for myself about how I wanted to plan both units and
daily activities. These questions included: What do I want my students to
learn? What do I want my students to do? How does this fit into the larger
unit? And How do I want my students to prove their success? These questions
along with others have led me down the rabbit hole that is lesson planning.
To answer these questions, I’ve honestly done a lot of trial and error. The best way for me to plan is to start with the end. I figure out what I want my students to get out of the unit, the big picture, and try to plan from there. I find texts that go with our overall theme and figure out what standards I can address with them.
It seems a little backward at first, but I’m getting the hang of it. I take a lot of notes in random, various places. I do a lot of my planning in power points. And I ask questions. A lot of questions.
As I continue my student teaching adventure, I am excited to find out more about myself, my teaching style, my students and their needs, and my planning style. I definitely plan on keeping up with the questions and trying new things until I find out what works for me and my students!
Aleisha,
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel you when you say you struggle finding a balance in managing the time and pace of your lessons. I have found that my activities take way longer than I anticipate but I have also experienced that awkward moment when I'm done teaching my lesson and there's still 10-15 minutes left of class!
You're right in saying that eventually you will find this balance and be able to manage time more efficiently the more you practice. However, in the meantime I always like to stick with the "You can never plan too much!" mentality. This way I'm intentional in every lesson and keeping students busy the whole class instead of scrambling for things to do with them.
I hope as the weeks go on you begin to feel more confident in your lesson plan! From what I've seen, you have some amazing ideas :)
Aleisha,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're in a great place! It has been my experience that starting from the end is the best way to structure any lesson, so I applaud you for using this technique! I have no doubt that the lessons you plan for your students are enjoyable and engaging.
When it comes to timing your lessons, I don't even think seasoned teachers have that figured out. A general rule I've heard is to always plan way more than you have time for in an effort to make future planning easier. I have tried this and I find that it works really well for me. Just a thought! I'm sure one day we will both have our own unique and effective systems.
I also love that you are asking evaluating questions as you plan. This is so important when choosing what our students should learn and rationalizing why it is important. Have you thought about sharing the answers to these same questions with your students before you begin lessons?
I have gone over the 'what' and 'why' with my students before lessons and I think it helps validate the learning that is going to take place for both me and them.
I am always a fan of the ideas you share in class and I feel that finding those ideas are the hardest part of any lesson. If you keep thinking outside the box to create your one-of-a-kind lessons, I think all those other factors will fall into place.
Great work!
Erin
Ms. Bryan,
ReplyDeleteBack in Core 1, who knew that backwards design would be such a key to surviving our student teaching? It all seemed so strange and different back then. Now, even if it doesn't feel natural yet, it seems logical to know where you want students to end up and find a path to get them there.
It sounds like you're developing an approach to planning that works for you (just don't lose all those notes - I find my day planner helps me keep them all in one place).
Timing - no joke - I use a timer a lot to help. I'll even put times on my powerpoints as needed if I know I have a really jam packed lesson planned. The timer is my friend. I think it is especially hard now that we're taking over our classes because while we know our students and our lessons it is sometimes hard to gauge how long a particular task might take. I try to always over plan - better to miss something we can tackle another day than to end up with too much time left at the end.
I have no doubt you'll find a rhythm that works for you in both timing and lesson planning. It sounds like you are well on your way for both already!
Thank you for sharing.
--Mrs. Tolbert
Good for you! You are successfully combining what the "experts" think with your own ideas and finding what works for you. You will definitely find that it gets easier with time. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete