In my last post I described the most important issue a teacher must face when organizing a course. In contrast to that strategic advice, Jacob and I met today to discuss the format of a good lesson plan. This year we are both teaching courses within the general field of Humanities and Religion.
I began by repeating what I had already told him. A new teacher is often so concerned about preparing for every possible question in class that midnight may come , and yet he or she still has not formulated a lesson plan. Eventually the background reading must come to an end, and the teacher must decide on the specific activities for class the next day: how the teacher will use the class time.
This is the lesson plan format I have developed over many years which I gave to Jacob. The main components:
– Aids (What things do you need to bring to class, such as, a Power Point, visual aids, maps, music selections, and books)
– Admin (Such as quiz and test reminders, general info announcements, classroom procedure)
– Next time (Briefly remind the students of the next lesson; highlight any important info)
– Review (Review the key points from the last lesson. Ask some pointed questions. Clear up any fuzzy areas on key points.)
– Overview: (Preview the important points, concepts, and themes of the lesson. This component of the lesson plan should be prepared after the entire lesson plan is prepared, not at the beginning. Look at the entire lesson plan and ask: If I had only five minutes to teach this class, what would I say and do?)
– MAIN BODY: If a Power Point is to be used, place prompts in the appropriate places in the lesson plan to synchronize your plan with your power point.
– Conclusion
