Greetings!
A new victory! Another reason to dance for joy! I finished my direct instruction lesson plan--the first full fledged lesson plan I've written. I loved this assignment. I thought so hard and I learned so much. Not until I wrote this LP did I realize the magnitude of the responsibility I will have to my students. I don't have this responsibility as a substitute. I've never had to truly concern myself with the big picture of each child, or with the end result. In writing this LP, it hit home that I will soon be the actual teacher and everything I do, or don't do, will impact these children under my tutelage. It was a thrilling and frightening realization. As I wrote the LP, I found myself alternating between viewing it as the student (Do I "get this"?, Does it make sense? Is it interesting? Do I care about this?) and the teacher (Is this the way I want to present this? Should I have them repeat that again? Is this cloze activity too hard or just right?) I never thought about teaching like this before. I never had to look at the whole picture before. Having now looked at it, I can only say, "What have I gotten myself into"?!?
Assessments, Tests, and Homework...
What I also realized from writing this LP is that many teachers do not teach this way. By that, I mean the hard way. Since starting my graduate studies, I have been observing teachers more closely, especially my son's teachers since I have access to everything he brings home from school. Here's the thing--I see very little evidence of what I have been taught as a teacher. My son is now in 5th grade. In the time he's been in school, he has only received 2 rubrics, one in 3rd grade for a writing assignment and one, this year, for a timeline project. Yet, he did many assignments and projects over the years, leaving me to wonder, how were these graded? What was the criteria? He has also often had homework that was completely nonsensical. I spent a lot of time on the phone with other parents as we tried to figure out the directions on countless worksheets. Nine times out of ten, when I realized what was being asked, I could not believe how much easier it would have been if the directions had just been worded differently. I am not a fan of homework for homework's sake. Nor am I am a fan of many textbook worksheets. I would rather make my own based upon the textbook examples. This way, I could ensure that it was a) doable, and b) a fair assessment of the students' ability. I could also ensure that that layout was appropriate for best performance. Have you seen some of the worksheets and tests these kids bring home--especially the math!? There is no white space! We hammer into students the need to show their work yet there is never any place to do so! I simply do not understand this. These kids cram a mess of numbers along the margins of their papers and I'm supposed to figure out if they did it correctly??? It's impossible. Do most teachers really look at these messes and attempt to see who is "getting it?" I don't think so! So, then, why are you assigning this work? In my classroom I will either redo these sheets, make my own, or at the very least, create my 4 box answer sheets (double sided) on which students can do the assignment and I can actually assess their comprehension. I am a big believer in "white space" for students, which is reflected in all the worksheets I designed for my LP.
Anticipatory Sets
Another realization I had while doing my LP is how very rarely I see anything approaching an anticipatory set in most classrooms. I can see how some may find it is easy to dismiss the A.S. as unnecessary fluff , but I believe it is central to student learning. Why? In most classrooms, I hear the teacher announce, "Take out your (math/ELA/science/social studies) book and turn to page..." Then I hear groans and comments of "I hate (announced subject)" or "Do we have to do (announced subject)?" This makes perfect sense. These are kids--they don't want to do work! This is why anticipatory sets are so important. If done well, an anticipatory set can, at best, captivate the students to the degree that they are eager for the lesson, and, at the least, can ease the students into the lesson in a way that keeps their minds open to the possibility of enjoying it. The idea is to involve them before they even know what is happening! And, this whole concept of making connections--it's brilliant. Find someway to give the lesson meaning to their lives, in an immediate way and a long term way.
Thoughtful, Pre-Planned Lessons
You know how everyone always tells you that you will never have to write comprehensive lesson plans-especially of the MSMC caliber-when you are actually a teacher? And we all say, "Thank God!"? I no longer say that! How can you be a teacher and not have comprehensive lesson plans?? It's so unfair to the students. I know it's possible to teach without a comprehensive plan--I see it everyday, but I don't think I can do that. Not when having a solid plan can mean the difference between all (or most) students "getting it" as opposed to just those who always or usually get it. I also feel more comfortable having a comprehensive plan. After writing this DI plan, I felt completely comfortable that I could present it with confidence, knowing that I'd covered all the bases. Having nothing formal prepared is akin to going out on stage not knowing a line of the script. I have often felt this way as a sub and I didn't like it! One, it's a terrible time waster in an already short day and, 2) being unprepared is the quickest way to lose control of your classroom! And, any old lesson plan won't do. If the plan is not moving students forward, then it is worthless. If the plan is solid, I won't have to spend the next day reteaching it!
This assignment also made me realize another benefit: being this prepared gives me much more opportunity to observe my students throughout the learning process instead of being focused on what the heck I am doing next. Let's face it, this time is supposed to be about them and what they are doing next--not me and where I'm going next!
So, yes, it's possible to teach on a wing and a prayer, but that's just not my style. I have to look at myself in the mirror every morning and it's important that I feel good about what I see. For me, that means lesson plans, my friends, except in cases of dire emergency! And, lest I come off like Pollyanna, remember what I said earlier. Lesson plans are not just an asset to the students, they are also an invaluable tool for the teacher. It's a win win situation. I know it's probably not possible to prepare the ultimate lesson plan for every single thing I will be teaching, but my plan is this: to always be over prepared for the content areas that have the most far reaching, cognitive applications for my students --like math and ELA.
So, in writing my first lesson, I have learned my lesson. Lesson plans exist for only good reasons. Write them, use them, evaluate them, revise them, and watch students soar!
I am off to investigate IPM. This just came in my mail from the NEA--talk about a great example of inquiry learning! http://www.nea.org/lessons/tt071001.html
More on IPM and inquiry next week.
Until then...
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