Lesson planning is the number one most important part of teaching. Without some type of lesson plan, however simple it may be, even experienced teaches would not be as effective. There are some common lesson planning mistakes that new teachers can make that can slow the process down, so avoiding these mistakes can help maximize the outcome of student learning.
Never Copy Lessons From a Published Curriculum
No published curriculum can predict the needs of a randomized selection of twenty or thirty students. Effective lesson planning always keeps the specific learning needs of an individual set of students in mind, and copying lessons straight from a curriculum is not going to be in the best interests for each individual student in the classroom.
Instead, use the curriculum as a guide and develop lesson plans based off of the activities and objectives. Then, keeping the needs of the students in mind, make modifications to the instruction and activities to optimize the lesson for a particular set of students.
Never Throw Away a Lesson Gone Bad
After teaching a lesson that goes poorly, do not throw the lesson in the trash. There was a reason initially for teaching the lesson and the fact that it did not go as envisioned does not guarantee the idea was bad or that with a different set of students the lesson would not go better.
Instead, take time to reflect on the lesson and what went poorly. Make notes on the lesson for what to change in the future, including tips on classroom management and necessary supplies. If necessary, also make notes for what types of students will not learn well with this type of lesson. Allow the lesson to be a learning and growing experience.
Remember to Review Lesson Plans Prior to Teaching
Taking the time to plan out a lesson is only helpful if the teacher then reviews the lesson plan prior to teaching it. During the planning stage, a teacher might make a note about a particular order in which to do things or a particular method for handling behavior problems. These small details of an effective lesson plan might be forgotten if the teacher does not take the time to review the plan the same day she teaches it, as often lesson planning is done several days ahead of time.
Teachers should make a habit of reviewing lesson plans each day. Spending a few minutes prior to students arriving in the morning to read through all the plans for the day will help to refresh the teacher's memory of each aspect of the lessons for that day.
Lesson planning is an important part of every teacher's job. Each lesson objective has to be taught in a meaningful way to a variety of students and avoiding these three mistakes can help new teachers be more effective.
Related Information:
Lesson Planning Guide – The information you need to write a great lesson plan on any topic.
Lesson Planning Tips for New Teachers – Information on curriculum mapping, lesson objectives, aspects of a lesson plan and more.
Five Common Classroom Management Myths – New teachers often have some mistaken ideas about how to manage a classroom. Here are five of the most common myths surrounding classroom management.
Jennifer Wagaman - Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has both public, private and administrative experience in the education field.
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