Sunday, 3 May 2015

Lesson Planning Resources

There are eight components of lesson planning.  As we have already covered a few of them, including some of the characteristics of adult learners and Bloom’s Taxonomy, I have selected the following five components because they allow me to dig deeper into some new material.

Motivational Techniques
I selected this resource because it’s a handy quick list but also, with twenty-one items on it, large enough to provide regular inspiration and challenge.  Further, each of the twenty-one motivational tips provides a link to another article that discusses the specific topic in more depth. 
            I expect that when I’m in the classroom I’ll be busy with the mechanics of teaching and assessment and it will probably be relatively easy to let the creative and fresh side of teaching style slip.  I like this list because it is quick reference full of ideas to spice up the classroom and motivate students.

Assessment and Feedback
This resource again provides a quick list of different Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) and feedback loops to assess the effectiveness of your teaching.  The descriptions are well worded and the list is pretty extensive.  I was first hesitant to use this as a critical reference because it is dated 1993 but the ideas listed can equally be transferred to an electronic or modern learning environment.
            Similar to the motivation techniques I will be able to use this list as quick reference to change up my crutch assessment and feedback techniques.  Further, some of the techniques with low preparation time can be used “on the fly” in the classroom if there is a need for quick feedback or assessment. 

Instructional Process or Strategies
Alberta Learning has provided this reference paper with a detailed list of instructional strategies and examples.  The paper is detailed without being long-winded and provides great bulleted lists and diagrams that can be used as a quick reference.  Further the layout of the paper with clear and offset headings also makes it user friendly.
            I will use this article, among other resources to prepare the foundation of my daily lesson plan.  The depth of this article is really useful, as are the detailed descriptions and likely outcomes. 

Media and Learning Aids
I struggled to find a good resource for media and learning aids.  Due to the fast pace of technology, online resources quickly come into and then go out of fashion.  I found a lot of the online resources were actually a bit of out trend.  This one is not perfect, but it’s not bad.  And it provides a good launch pad for further ideas.
            I doubt that I’ll often use this resource to improve my teaching.  It is interesting but serves to underline the difficulty of writing articles or references about technology.  If anything, I’ll use this as a reminder to do a brainstorming session with students regarding media they’d like to use in the classroom.

Planning
This Humber College website gives some detail about the structure of lesson plans while also providing a number of lesson plan templates that can be easily adapted to any subject.  The links provided on the page are to both internal Humber College materials and some great external resources like the top-10 list of lesson planning apps.

            The app list is particularly useful as I often use my iPad to prepare or study as I travel.  Having a good app that will assist me in the lesson planning is invaluable.

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