Nobody liked homework when they were in school. Unless it resonated with the person doing it on a personal level, homework was something everyone wanted to get over with as quick as possible. When we become teachers, lesson planning becomes our homework, and if done the right way, it can be a boon instead of a bane.
When to do it
Best done at the end of classes, a teacher can sit with another friend, having a cup of tea, and lesson plan while talking about how the day went. Doing this with a friend allows ideas or methods, which the teacher might not have considered before, to come forward through conversation.
Find Your Anchor
It is important to keep a written record as to where the teacher is and where they are headed in terms of the syllabus. This should be kept with the teacher’s papers, a copy can be kept in the subject textbook. This will act as the teacher’s anchor, and the substitute teacher’s compass.
Strengths and Weaknesses
If the institution allows for a mixed class of students studying different subjects, then it is important to assess where a student’s strengths and weaknesses are, there’s no point in having the student practice something they are already good at; hence, identifying where they need to improve and working on those areas are key to a student’s development for the level they are in. Communicate with the students, have separate sheets for them where at the end of a class you write down observations, any improvements you have noticed, let them see this sheet, and talk to them through it. Doing so involves the student in their own progress.
Who needs lesson planning the most?
In a class where all the students are on the same page, the teacher needs to remain vigilant about the bottom 10% of the class. Regardless of whether one is a good or bad teacher, the top 10% of a class will excel at what they are given to learn. The middle 80% may struggle, but they will see it through to the end. It is the bottom 10% of a class who have the chance of failing a course.
The Bottom 10%
During the developmental years of schooling, failing a class is a major blow to a student’s self-esteem and their sense of belonging to the educational institution. The teacher needs to take care of these students and ensure that their individual strengths and weaknesses are accounted for. During lesson planning it is important to keep them in mind, and consider how well they will be able to absorb the lesson. Whether it would be best to ask them to come see the teacher during a break and clarify any questions they might have.
If done the right way, lesson planning makes the teacher’s and the student’s life a lot easier. It makes learning fun and enlightening, which is the way it should be.