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While teachers use them to different degrees, lesson plans are an important part of staying organized. They can help guide teachers, while keeping a record. Also, having a solid a base will allow teachers to be flexible, and change plans as needed. Unit 9 discusses how lesson plans can help teaches, and is a guide through the process of making lesson plans.
An important part of lesson plans to keep in mind is personal aims. This section is about what the teacher would like to improve in their teaching, or what they want to focusing on achieving. I think that this area is important, because this aspect can often get lost in the day-to-day shuffle of producing lesson plans. Working on the content of the lesson itself shouldn’t be the only goal, working on teaching skills and bettering oneself should also receive attention.
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Another thing to consider in lesson planning is anticipating problems. If a teacher thinks something might be difficult for their students, why not brainstorm possible solutions? While I have done trouble shooting in my own lessons before, I hadn’t thought of including it in my notes for the lesson plan. This idea can also challenge the boundaries of the teacher. Instead of completely avoiding areas that might be difficult, the teacher can create a wider skill set to deal with potential problems. That way, if an unforeseen problem happens to arise, they will have more practice coming up with potential solutions.
A crucial follow up to the lesson plan is the self-evaluation. While it may be easy to fall into the trap of lessons being “good enough,” it is paramount for teachers to reflect on their own lessons, and look for areas of improvement. This often can happen internally without being written down, but thinking through the whole process can be extremely effective in finding areas of the lesson that can become not only strong, but even stronger.
Lesson plans can be indispensable guidelines, especially for beginning teachers. They are road maps for teachers; helping guide the way to the desired goal for the students at either the end of a lesson, or at the end of multiple lessons. Much like roads, once a goal is established, the exact path to that goal isn’t set in stone. Lesson plans can allow teachers to find the balance between having a plan and allowing for flexibility.
