Panasuk et al (2002) defined lesson planning as pre-active decision-making that takes place before instruction.
Teachers engage in a lot of planning, usually at various levels: yearly, weekly, and daily. A teacher’s lesson planning is a critical component, and it’s a process they have to go through to ensure optimal learning in the classroom. The lesson plan must include aspects of differentiation, tiered learning, multicultural instruction, learning involving small group sizes ( share pair, buddy teams), assessments, and family collaboration. Gentry et al (2013) suggested an effective strategy of using tiered activities in the lesson plan, where the teacher keeps the concepts and skills the same for each student but provides experiences that vary in complexity.
Effective lesson plans help teachers to meet the varied needs of students in an optimal manner.
A lesson plan should be flexible and provide instruction in different modalities to cater to diverse student needs
Identifying learning styles enables a teacher to capitalize on a student’s strengths and to become familiar with concepts they may find challenging. (Green, 1999) An effective lesson plan should provide differentiated instruction to meet the learning goals of all students.
A lesson plan should provide tiered instruction to small groups
These groups should be flexible and could be formed based on skills, learning styles, or academic ability. This is a differentiation strategy that can be used in a classroom with students from diverse backgrounds. A lesson plan that includes flexible, small-sized grouping patterns is the best way to support students as they collaboratively work on learning engagements designed to increase conceptual knowledge and skills (Caldwell & Ford, 2002).
Lesson plans should include instruction to promote multiculturalism and linguistic diversity
This helps students in becoming global citizens with an active awareness of different cultures and languages spoken around them. A study conducted in Australia found that a multicultural education setting emphasizes the use of a wide range of strategies in instruction. The goal of these strategies is to provide all students with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to learn in a culturally diverse society, and support the specific needs of students from language backgrounds other than English (Forrest et al., 2017).
Another important component of lesson plans is assessments
Both formative and summative assessments should be used to collect and record important data on the students' learning. One of the essential features of differentiated instruction is the use of formative or ongoing assessment to guide instruction. Formative assessments can give teachers a road map to differentiated instruction within the classroom (Spencer & Sulzberg, 2013). These assessments should align with the standards and goals in the lesson plan.
References
Beers, S. (2009). 21st Century Skills: Preparing Students for their future. STEM. https://cosee.umaine.edu/files/coseeos/21st_century_skills.pdf
Caldwell, J. S., & Ford, M. P. (2002). Where Have All the Bluebirds Gone? How To Soar with Flexible Grouping. In ERIC. Heinemann, 361 Hanover Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801-3912 ($15). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED473482
Forrest, J., Lean, G., & Dunn, K. (2017). Attitudes of Classroom Teachers to Cultural Diversity and Multicultural Education in Country New South Wales, Australia. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42(5), 17–34. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2017v42n5.2
Gentry, R., Sallie, A., Graduate Student, M., Sanders, C., & Graduate Student, B.(2013). Differentiated Instructional Strategies to Accommodate Students with Varying Needs and Learning Styles.https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED545458.pdf
Green, F. (1999). Brain and learning research: Implications for meeting the needs of learners.
Gupta, S. (2021, October 10). Lesson plan [Email Lesson plan]
Panasuk, R., Stone, W., & Todd, J. (2002). Lesson Planning Strategy for Effective Mathematics Teaching. Education, 122(4), 808.
Spencer, T., & Sulzberg, L. A. (2013, February). Assessment, flexible grouping, and research-based instructional strategies: Powerful tools for Co-taught classes. William & Mary School of Education. https://education.wm.edu/centers/ttac/resources/articles/consultcollaborate/assessflexgroup/index.php
Tomlinson, C. A. (2005). Grading and Differentiation: Paradox or Good Practice? Theory into Practice, 44(3), 262–269. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4403_11
Tynisha Meidl, & Christopher Meidl. (2011). Curriculum Integration and Adaptation: Individualizing Pedagogy for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students. Current Issues in Education, 14(1)
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