Factors to Consider in Lesson Planning

JEANETTE HO

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN DESIGNING A LESSON PLAN? DISCUSS.

A lesson plan is for learning. As in many activities, the quality of the planning affects the results. Hence, with careful planning and necessary information, we will ensure that we achieve the lesson objective and produce the desired leaning outcome in our students. Basically in our planning several factors are to be considered:-

Determining the objective
It is recommended that our objectives are student-centered/focused i.e. we should state what we want our students to learn as oppose to what we want to teach.

Researching the Topic
Gathering relevant material and information to support our selected topic is as important as the selection topic itself. Sources of information can be gathered thru
-our own experience
-experience of others
-thru conversations, interviews
-written and observed material. (Printed articles)

Select Method of Instruction
Methods of instruction refer to a combination of techniques and skills used to engage the student in a meaningful learning experience. E.g. chalkboard, task sheets, whiteboard are specific methods used to implement learning.

Select Teaching Methods
We need to select teaching methods suited to a student’s needs as a learner. By student’s participation and discussion and in listening and observing, we are able to select the most appropriate approach to guide students thru their learning and to achieve the desired result.

Identify a Usable Lesson Planning Format
A well written and properly used lesson plan is an important teaching aid. They served as checkpoints, as a record of the teacher’s planning method as well as showcase the teacher’s methods of teaching. A good lesson plan is a road map to deliver learning activities while assisting the teacher to develop teaching abilities.

Choose appropriate support material
The type of support material used is determined by factors like the subject, student’s ability and size of class .Some support method used are “comparison”, “testimonies’ and statistics. In today’s learning environment, visual tools such as tapes, CD-ROM and inter-active videos, are used extensively to support learning.

Prepare the beginning and ending of the lesson
As in any presentation , a good introduction and conclusion of a lesson often helped the student retain information longer in his/her memory.
A good introduction /lead in/preamble serve to “break the ice” and establish a common ground for the teacher and student. It also outlines a lesson in relation to the overall course, points out benefits to the students and leads the student into the lesson.
The conclusion serves to summarize, re-motivate, re-instate salient learning points and provide closure to the entire lesson.

By incorporating the above aspects in the lesson planning stage, teachers can ensure that all necessary information is included and organized well in order to achieve the lesson objective. As the saying goes “if we fail to plan, we then plan to fail”.