Whether you are a new educator or a seasoned veteran, there are several things that you should do before teaching a class to ensure that your lessons are effective and engaging for your students.
It is important to prepare a well-crafted lesson plan that includes learning outcomes, methodology, resources, and activities, as well as an evaluation section. Additionally, materials and resources, assessment and evaluation tools, a conducive classroom environment, and technology and equipment should be prepared in advance.
A few examples of assessment and evaluation tools that educators can use include quizzes and tests, essay prompts, rubrics for evaluating student work, self-assessment and peer-assessment forms. And don’t forget the reading materials, because who doesn’t love a good book or article about photosynthesis?
Creating a conducive classroom environment is easy with some furniture arranging skills. Make sure that the desks are so close together that you’ll be able to hear your neighbor’s heartbeat.
For a positive and inclusive atmosphere, it’s good to get visual aids, like posters of unicorns and rainbows. And for comfortable seating, we’ve got bean bag chairs and inflatable unicorns.
Finally, educators should also prepare themselves mentally and emotionally, by taking time to relax, set realistic expectations, and remain open to feedback. All of these are important factors in becoming a better educcator.
These strategies not only boost student performance and achievement but also make the day go by faster, minimize classroom discipline issues, increase teacher confidence, and earn the respect of peers and administrators.
What is a Lesson Plan?
Preparing a lesson plan is an essential part of being a good educator.
It allows educators to organize their thoughts and materials, ensure that learning objectives are being met, and make the most of the time they have with their students. This could range from a simple checklist to a formal, detailed and structured plan.
Lesson plans are like a map for an adventure, an essential part of the educator’s toolbox, and are developed by an educator to guide the entire session, so every key part of the teaching session is appropriately planned, prepared, and implemented in order to achieve the learning outcome(s), like a chef following a recipe to make a fancy dish.
The rationale for making a lesson plan is like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle, you’ve got to have an objective in mind, otherwise, it’s just a big mess.
How to Write a Lesson Plan?
All good educators have a plan in mind when they deliver a teaching session, like a secret recipe for a delicious cake.
You need to have all the right ingredients, mix them up just right, and add a dash of fun to make it a success.
First, you have to lay out your objectives and understand what you want to get done for the day.
This will determine what your students will be learning, how they’ll be learning it, what’s expected of them, and what the main points of the lesson will be.
Next, gather all the necessary materials.
It can include everything from test tubes to fancy overhead projectors, storybooks to online presentations, and even something as simple as a pencil.
Just make sure you have everything you need before starting the lesson.
And don’t forget to add some audio and visual activities, like a magician’s tricks, especially when teaching science subjects like Biology, Psychology, or Physics.
It’ll make the lesson more engaging and help students remember better. Then, plan out some fun and interactive activities.
When planning activities, think of it like a workout routine for the brain. Mix it up with different exercises to keep things interesting, like weightlifting for hard skills and yoga for soft skills.
Make sure it’s interactive, like a game of ‘Simon says’, and also includes some theory, like reading a book. This balance will help students develop their mental muscles and broaden their creative minds. Don’t forget to write detailed instructions and set a time frame for each activity.
And last, but not least, plan. Don’t wait till the last minute, or you’ll end up with a lesson plan that’s as effective as a screen door on a submarine.
There are lots of websites out there that teachers can use to whip up a lesson plan, some of which including: lessonplanet.com, teachers.net, education.com and teachervision.com.
These websites will offer a ton of resources for lesson planning.
Planning and Preparation are Part of the Progress
Teaching is like climbing Mount Everest, but with more grading and less oxygen.
Remember to pack your binders full of lesson plans, activities, tests, quizzes, worksheets and whatnot, because trust us, you’ll need them.
And make sure to take notes on what worked, what didn’t and how you can improve, because let’s face it, you ain’t perfect.
Also, don’t worry about coming up with new ideas everyday, the internet is your best friend, just borrow from other educators and call it a day.
Find yourself a quiet spot where you can plan in peace, unless you’re into chaos and distractions.
And don’t skip out; read the chapters, do the homework and take the tests before giving them to your students, or risk losing your credibility faster than a politician on social media.
When conducting activities, have everything ready before your students arrive, practice it yourself and establish some rules, otherwise it’s going to be a wild ride.
Being a well-prepared educator is essential to success in the classroom.
From the first few years of teaching, to the many that follow, putting extra effort into planning and preparation will payoff in the long run.
Keeping all of your lesson plans, activities, tests, quizzes, and worksheets organized and taking note of what works and doesn’t will help you improve your teaching methods over time.
Being an educator is not a 9-5 job, it’s more like a 24/7 job, and when you add the time for preparation and planning, it’s more like a 60-hour work week.
But let us tell you, the impact of preparation and planning is like having a superpower, it can make or break student learning.
So, always over-prepare, because when it comes to teaching, there’s no such thing as being too prepared.
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