Lesson Planning

There are many forms available for lesson plans. I am not as concerned with the form itself as long as it has the information needed.

What is a lesson plan used for?

1. To keep you on track (scope of the lesson, time allotted, objectives)
2. As a legal record of what was taught
3. To assure continuity of training between different sections/dates of the same course
4. For a new instructor/substitute to know what should be taught in a given class

Anything else? (this is an example of where you would add a comment below...)

The key to knowing the content of the form is based on understanding what the form is used for. Think of this in regard to Bloom's Taxonomy. If I had you simply memorize the necessary elements in a lesson plan you would have very simple knowledge/remembering-level learning. Not enough for educators. If I work to help you understand (comprehension/understanding) what a lesson plan is used for, you will gain a higher level of learning when you then relate the elements of the plan to the overall purpose.

In class you will apply, analyze, evaluate and create lesson plans. Trust me.

Looking at the uses I listed above you should be able to intuitively name many of the required elements of the lesson plan. If you hadn't taught a subject before and were handed a lesson plan, what would you hope to see? Consider the purposes of the lesson plan as you learn the components.

You will be required to know the elements of the lesson plan for class exams--and to create lesson plans for your 10 and 20 minute presentations.

I searched online and found this lesson plan template in MS Word format. It is helpful because when you enter text the document expands to accept it. Source: Concordia University Centre for Teaching and Learning Services

Enjoy!