Why You Should Focus On Improving Your Lesson Plan First

After we observe a teacher’s classroom, I get to see many things but as a coach, I am looking to see what content knowledge do I have to gather for this teacher, if there are any resources I have to find for them to use as a resource, and what practices can I help her with to make sure students access the curriculum. Many times we see so many things teachers may need in the classroom which makes it hard to narrow down exactly what a teacher’s focus should be. In working with new teachers our goal is to practice the skill, master it, and then move on to the next skill. We know, it takes practice to build a habit so with every lesson we are developing new habits for teachers that will in turn help improve student achievement.

At Ei360, we work to provide ongoing guidance for teachers. Our coaches narrow down teacher growth to a specific skill. It’s a rare ability that must be fostered in teachers from the moment they start their teacher training. We have worked with teachers to adjust their teaching styles to mirror student needs making content accessible to students. When teachers are provided accurate support, they become familiar with identifying student data and needs.

What are the four main parts of a lesson?

Improving performance can be a challenge if teachers are alone in the classroom. The four steps to making sure lessons are meaningful are strong objectives, sequential parts, teacher practice, and a connected assessment. The first way teachers overcome this barrier is by working with a coach to help break down a specific focus into basic parts. First, coaches work on developing strong objectives. When identifying strong lesson plans we like to make sure that our objective clearly expresses what students are being asked to do, the content we want students to acquire, and what take-a-ways are expecting. (Students will be able to X as a result of Y lesson which will be assessed by Z) Next, we focus on small sequential teacher-practiced events that are relevant to the world. In this step, teachers can break down directions and clear procedures. Next, we role-play to practice the skill perfectly, while identifying ways to assess the specific skill in the lesson.

What are some ways to break down lessons?

There are several ways to break down a task or subject for students (Brookes Blog, 2021). We can break up videos into small parts (3-7 minute pieces), lectures into mini-modules, and activities throughout each section. Teachers can also incorporate questions throughout the lesson and think about asynchronous modules to break up long segments of learning. Think of how students can help each other on a platform that you monitor just in case other students are unable to answer each other.

Education should never stop; everyone needs a coach

Additional training is critical to the advancement of not only the teacher but their future students. I love coaching and teacher observations! Some of the things I look for in an observation of a new teacher vary from relationships to providing student access to content. One thing I know for sure is when teachers get help and support they thrive. We will continue to work with teachers and help them with their lessons while practicing each using role-play, modeling, and video feedback. If you are interested in learning more- check out our case-study about how we support teachers, reach out, Today!

 References

 11 tips on breaking tasks down for students: An executive function post. Brookes Blog. (2021, July 22). Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://blog.brookespublishing.com/11-tips-on-breaking-tasks-down-for-students-an-executive-function-post/

Oleniacz, L., & says:, A. M. (2021, July 12). Training helps teachers anticipate how students with learning disabilities might solve problems. NC State News. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://news.ncsu.edu/2021/07/training-helps-teachers-anticipate-how-students-with-learning-disabilities-might-solve-problems/