One of the most important aspect of teaching is all of the planning and preparation that takes place before the teacher steps foot in the classroom. As a pre-service teacher, learning how to plan effectively has been one of my greatest areas of improvement. Nevertheless I am always surprised at how much more there is to learn. Every semester, professors equip me with new planning tips, tricks and ideas that impact my practices as a teacher. Below I have included some of the new planning tips and tricks I have been picking up this semester.
Three part leaning outcomes - Perhaps the most vital component of planning any lesson is to create a clear learning objective that can be taught and assessed. This is where three part learning outcomes come into play.
The 3 parts:
The Learning Objective - What do you want students to be able to do/know/show? (ex. "by the end of the lesson, students will be able to (SWBAT)....")
The Form of Instruction - How will you help students to accomplish the learning objective? (ex. "with direct instruction, guided practice and group work...")
The Assessment - How will you know the students have met the learning objective? (ex. "Students will show their understanding by completing the assigned worksheet.")
A complete example:
"Given teacher modelling and class discussion, SWBAT work as a class to identify the important features of a letter, as evidenced by the completion of class made criteria and a sample letter to the Mayor."
(note: I changed the order slightly to make the sentence more cohesive)
Why use three part learning outcomes?
Three part learning outcomes help ensure that lessons have an clear learning objective that is logically aligned with the teaching strategies and assessment plans being employed.
Start with the end in mind - Effective units are created when teachers first reflect on the purpose of the unit. Here are some questions to guide the beginning of the planning cycle:
What do I want my students to learn from this unit?
What do I want my students to be able to do by the end of this unit?
What knowledge/skills do my students already have?
What new knowledge or skills will my students need to develop and how can I help them do this?
How will I assess/quantify what my students have learned?
Select 1-2 curricular competencies and 1-2 curricular content points per unit.
Trying to cover to much of the curriculum at one time is overwhelming, both for you and your students. It is more effective to break the curriculum down into small manageable chunks that can be covered thoroughly.
Don't cram in too much information!
Personally, I find that I often focus on helping my students learn all of the nitty gritty facts and details of a new concept, but miss the bigger picture. For this reason, it is important that I remind myself to help students gain a rich understanding of new concepts in a fun and engaging way, rather than simply asking them to memorize a long list of names and dates.
Helpful Websites:
BC Socials Curriculum: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum
First People's Principals of Learning: http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/PUB-LFP-POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11x17.pdf
Social Studies Pinterest Board: https://www.pinterest.ca/sarahgavuin/social-studies/
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