Lesson+Planning

Well the much anticipated lecture and workshop on lesson planning arived today! The lecture was a pratical session which covered the basics of lesson planning. It was a relief to have the nuts and bolts of VELS finally explained clearly- working definitions of strands, domains and dimensions and other aspects of VELs including progression points and standards were provided. Further into the lecture we worked through the framework of the La Trobe University Lesson Planner. The planner has a user friendly layout and it was a valuable experience to work through the planner and discuss the breakdown of developing a lesson plan. Stages in the learning plan included, developing a learning purpose, working out where VELS fits into your lesson plan and then working though class engagement and group set up, procedures or the method of the lesson, materials required both staff and student and also thinking about how you could observe or assess the class within the lesson. The lesson plan also allows space for our own and our supervisor's reflective thoughts after we have hopefully successfully delivered the lesson.

The workshop was intended to be a time where we would use the leap frog example to develop a lesson plan, however after running short on time we worked in groups to complete one aspect of the lesson plan. Our group was to decide how we could observe students' learning within the leap frog activity, We decided to use a table to record whether the students' used counters, people or paper to solve the leap frog question. In addition to this we thought we would use reflective observations based on guided feedback questions about problem solving and pattern identification to provide us with observational data about the class and their involvement and learning in the activity.

I found the workshop and lecture to be a good learning experience. I felt I needed something concrete, like the lesson plan framework, to help get me started and to assist me in developing lesson plans both for assignments and teaching rounds.

" A tool kit for learning," was one of the readings for this week. This reading seemed to reaffirm what we have been told across all of our subjects this far- that an imaginative approach to teaching is central to the engagement of students' in our classrooms. The author discussed "cognitive tools" such as mental imagery, rhyme rythm and pattern and mystery. These cognitive tools can be used within the classrooom to assist students' in engaging in the content that they are studying. I found it particularly interesting that something as simple as a ryhme is an effective way to make content more attractive to students'. Furthermore the author goes on to discuss how engaging imagination via these cognitive tools is a terrific way to make knowledge meaningful to students'.

A second reading this week " Whats Worth Knowing?" discussed a curriculum consisting entirely of student lead questions and it's value. The article went on to speak about setting standards- something we discussed in relation to VELS in the lecture. In regards to setting standards of education or standards of work the author reminds us that we should not just be focusing in on whether the standard is high or low but whether the standard is appropriate to your goals. I think this thought links in with how when developing lesson plans we need to set a specific focus question that allows for specific goals and observations to be made during the class.

Overall I think this week's issues program has been very useful in providing us with a straight forward forward starting point into lesson planning. The discussion and relevant examples provided have certainly helped to ease my mind about beginning teaching rounds! I can really see the value of planning and how for the first while as teachers having a few different lesson plans up our sleeves is going to be very handy!**Genevieve Hoban 23/3 5.40 pm**

**__Response: Penelope Harris__** Today’s lecture was the first time I have actually felt that what I was learning I was going to use.  I understand the necessity in learning the theory behind teaching but at this moment I can’t see how it will help, lesson plans on the other hand I can see as essential. Having said all that I am counting on the theory to pull me through when I am trying to deal with a difficult behavioural situation, or how to engage students who find learning a challenge etc.

Writing lesson plans for every class seems a daunting task.  Yet having lesson plans for every class will ensure constructive use of time and that the students’ learning is progressing.  If you stumble or show signs of weakness, I’m sure; the students will see it, grab onto it and take the class for a ride. Many of us plan our days now, we schedule everything, and we make times for appointments, study, friends, family and sports.  Lesson plans are just the same.   Lesson plans focus on how to engage the students, procedures to be used in each activity, making sure all groups link together yet also cater for different learning styles, how to close the activity with the whole class, how to observe students, the materials needed to teach the lesson, and probably most importantly lesson plans make us – the teacher – reflect on whether this plan worked well or were there areas that needed changing.

Having this tool by my side will definitely help me to become a great teacher (as that is what I am aiming at).  Initially lesson plans will be a challenge.  They will require a lot of extra time.  <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">They will, hopefully in years to come with experience behind me, be unnecessary. <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Both for here and now, for the up coming teaching practicum, for the structuring of assignments today’s lecture is one I will hold onto.

In “What’s Worth Knowing” it was interesting to see learning taken to an emotional level. <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Developing a style of teaching where the students are questioned with “open ended” question and the students can question the teachers makes the teacher also the student and vice versa. <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">It is interesting that in 1956 Bloom’s Taxonomy developed a question style to teaching and yet many teachers do not utilise the base foundations in their classrooms. <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Penelope Harris 28th March 2009

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=<span style="color: #ffa300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**__ Response: Orla Mackintosh __** =

I felt the lesson planning information has been a relief to many of us as it is a concrete base that we can use and build upon. What we have learned so far seems to have been “put into place” so to speak. It seems to have made the strategies that we have learned more “real” in a way, and I feel slightly more prepared for the practicum section of this course after revising lesson planning. I thought the summary of primary cognitive tools in “A tool kit for learning” provided meaning and categorisation to things that most of us already knew, but it described and portrayed them in a colourful way that would make us think a little deeper , e.g. jokes and humour “allow students to play with elements of knowledge” , gossip can “play and important role in learning. Gossip represents one of the most basic forms of social interactions”. Upon reading “What’s worth knowing” I was immediately drawn back to Howard Nicholas’ lecture in week 3, (what is relevant? Etc.) The article offers an idea of a new type of curriculum which is centred around question asking - “question asking and answer finding go hand in hand”. It describes question asking as a metaphor of our sense of relevance and highlights the need for a teacher to be centrally concerned with the hearts and minds of learners. **Orla Mackintosh 29/03/09

__Response: Kellie Fenton__ **

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lecture i found super helpful as everyone has said... It was great to go through the in's and out's of VELS and I found the introduction to the Latrobe Lesson Plan was really easy to follow and understand. I felt like this lecture was our first 'real' step into the practical side of our teaching degree. Starting to put some of our theory based knowledge into an actual teaching plan that we will be using in the not to distand future... I think this lesson plan format is really well set out, as it gives us, first out teachers, clear prompting questions to help us when we are intially planning our first few lessons.

The readings were both intersting, however there was a certain part for me that stuck out... In __**Tool Kit for Learning**__ we get an insight into theories surrounding “ cognitive tools” we as learners acquire are we learn our way through life. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mind you the part of the article that i found the most interesting was talking about the fact that “Each of us has a unique brain...made up of all kinds of shared things that come to us only from living and learning in a community”.

This made me really think about the learning community you will create for your students in your classroom. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really believe in encouraging students to develop their own theories and opinions on life. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To extend their learning at any chance they get and be knowledgeable enough on topics so they have a firm grasp on ideas and can form their own opinions. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of this I gather, relies on me as their teacher creating this kind of environment/community for students were they are able to develop their own unique brain. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By engaging students in the topics you are covering and encouraging them to want to extend their learning is a great step towards having enthusiastic, knowledgeable students in your room. Anyways how this ties into Lesson Planning??? <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well Pete Sanders talked about being prepared in classrooms, planning questioning, room set up, the materials you’ll need etc and the lesson plan you develop will assist you in being that prepared teacher. Obviously you can't plan for everything but you can do your best to plan for most. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The better you are prepared, i believe the better your classes will run and will allow you to feel more relaxed and confident when we first step out into schools. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously the better our classes run the better chance we have at making our classroom the best learning environment for our students... <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well in theory anyway! 31/3/2009