A Bump in the Road
I'm in the middle of planning my third lesson out of four for a unit in the spring. I needed to take a break, so I decided to write a bit in my blog. These first two lesson plans have been slightly discouraging. I know I didn't put full effort into the first one, but I thought my second one was really good. Never the less, when I got them back from my professor, my grade was horrible for both of them. I know that I'm still learning and I realize my mistakes once they were pointed out, but it's still discouraging.
Is lesson planning something that gets easier the longer you teach? I sure hope so. And I hope it doesn't take too long to catch on because right now it takes me about 5 times longer to create a lesson plan than it does to actually teach the same lesson.
posted by jfccrunner @ 4:53 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Meg,
Yes it does! Sometimes it becomes second nature after years and years! For me, though coming up with creative ideas and carefully scaffolding student learning was always time consuming. I often did lots of that during the summer.
I found I used a written type of short hand (I knew what it all meant) for lessons that were really laid out in perfect detail in my mind once I had had lots of practice.
Since I've not seen the format that you are using, it's hard to suggest any tips. I wonder if you have read and are using Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe "Understanding by Design"? Their template is helpful in ensuring that standards, assessment and learning activities are aligned.
I am thinking you are aware of the four domains of teaching from PRAXIS as I see that Virginia uses the PRAXIS assessments for licensure. Planning to me is the most difficult area. I often refer to teaching as a complex activity and in the planning you are synthesizing content and pedagogy, evaluating student progress, accounting for individual differences, aligning experiences to state standards --Whew! And what did I leave out?
Don't be discouraged- the road to accomplished teaching is full of bumps in the road but it's also full of grand landscapes that bring lots of joy!
I wonder if you can identify one area of the planning which challenges you the most and focus on that? Might that be of value?
Best,
Lani
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