Spring 2010 Blog 1--Veronica Kidwell

Previously, when planning a lesson, I have first considered what I wanted the students to learn and then built a lesson around my objectives. For example, the last lesson that I created I wanted to review some of the parts of speech that the students had already covered as well as teach them about two parts of speech that they had not covered. In order to do this I had them compete in teams in an online game that quizzed them on all eight parts of speech.





After speaking with my mentor teacher about the way she creates her lesson plans and also discussing with her my methods for writing lesson plans, I feel confident that my way is exceptable. However, after the class on unpacking CSOs I realized that I could do more when considering how to better meet the objectives. I now know that I need to consider every word of the CSOs so that I do not miss anything crucial.





Because I have only worked with a specific small group of students, there was no need for me to differentiate my lesson. I worked with three girls who were all in ninth grade. However, had I known these students better, I likely would have been able to come up with some ideas to accommodate any interests or special needs they may have had. This semester I hope I will be able to get to know my students better and therefore make accommodations for them.





To me, learner-centered teaching means that the teacher guides the students' learning, but the students' are essentially teaching themselves/each other. Basically, the teacher is not presenting the information in a lecture; the students work on their own or in groups and learn through their own experiences/discussions. I really enjoy witnessing students learn in this way; I feel like they get more from a lesson when they work through the information on their own.





Question for my partner: Now that you have discussed with your mentor teacher how she writes her lesson plans and discussed unpacking CSOs in class, have your ideas about how to best write lesson plans changed? If so, in what ways?