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?
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With regard to the CSO's, the can be a little intimidating when you first read them, but you'll find all kinds of creative ways to incorporate them into your lessons. It sounds as if you are already on your way to being an effective planner. Being a former English teacher, I really liked your idea for teaching parts of speech. That was truly a learner-centered activity. If the kids don't "buy in", they will not learn very much. I personsally like the backward design of lesson planning as you described. It only make sense to me to set your goals and objectives before designing the lessons to be taught. That way you have some direction, not that you wouldn't change to adapt to student needs. You have to be willing to be flexible, because things rarely go as planned.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see that we have very similar ideas when it comes to most of our teaching practices. I have not really taught many lessons either, so I know that we're both shooting from left field, in a sense. However, I had the same experience as you after talking to my teacher. I realized that I was doing things as well as I could for the amount of experience that I had. I wasn't, though, planning for all sorts of CSOs and 21st Century Learning Tools, I was just hoping for a great outcome. Now, after talking to my teacher, I realize that even in a very learner-centered environment it is important that we have strict objectives and goals outlined so that we can ensure accomplishing what we set out to do.
ReplyDeleteI am extremely lucky with my mentor teacher. I have never met anyone wbho so accurately plans out a lesson. She showed me that unpacking CSOs is very necessary, and taking a lot of time developing your lesson is also important.