What Does a Great Lesson Look Like to Your Students

What exactly do the best lesson plans look like? What do they feel like to the students and to us? More concisely, what characteristics must a lesson plan contain in order to reach maximum effectiveness? The following ingredients are essential to delivering effective lessons. You can even use this as a checklist when you plan your days. This basic formula makes sense whether you are teaching kindergarten, middle school, or even junior college. State the Lesson Objective   Make sure that you know exactly why you are teaching this lesson. Does it correspond to a state or district academic standard? What do you need the students to know after the lesson is completed? After youre perfectly clear on the goal of the lesson, explain it in kid-friendly terms so that the kids will know where theyre headed as well. Teach and Model Behavior Expectations   Set out on a successful path by explaining and modeling how the students should behave as they participate in the lesson. For example, if the kids are using materials for the lesson, show the kids how to use them properly and tell them the consequences for misuse of the materials. Dont forget to follow through! Use Active Student Engagement Strategies Dont let the students sit there bored while you do your lesson. Get your students engaged in hands-on activities that enhance your lessons objective. Use whiteboards, small group discussion, or call randomly on students by pulling cards or sticks. Keep the students on their toes with their minds moving and youll be many steps closer to meeting and exceeding your lessons goal. Scan Peripheral Students and Move Around the Room While the students apply their new skills, dont just sit back and take it easy. Nows the time to scan the room, move around, and make sure everyones doing what theyre supposed to be doing. You may be able to limit your special attention to those kids who always need to be reminded to stay on task. Answer questions, give gentle reminders and make sure the lessons going how you envisioned it would. Give Specific Compliments for Positive Behavior Be obvious and specific in your compliments when you see a student following directions or going the extra mile. Make sure the other students understand why you are pleased and they will increase their efforts to meet your expectations. Question Students to Develop Critical Thinking Skills Ask Why, How, If, and What Else questions to strengthen student comprehension of the issues or skills at hand. Use Blooms Taxonomy as a basis for your questioning and watch your students meet the objectives you set out at the beginning of the lesson. Use the preceding points as a checklist to make sure you are planning your lessons in the most effective way possible. After the lesson, take a few minutes to consider what worked and what didnt. This type of reflection is invaluable in helping you develop as an educator. So many teachers forget to do this. However, if you make it a habit as much as possible, youll avoid making the same mistakes next time and youll know what you can do better in the future! This information is based on the work of several experienced teachers who know what it takes to help students learn to their fullest potentials.   Edited By: Janelle Cox