Lesson+Design+Q+and+A

 ​ It seems that some of you had some good questions after our class on Lesson Design. I've opened this space as a place to discuss some of them. Please add your suggestions / ideas / experiences in response to the following questions:


 * Q: I'm still curious about how to have a hook for each class... **

I don't think it is necessary to have a 'hook' or mental set for each class. It may only be necessary when you are beginning a lesson on a particular topic. Some lessons may take more than 1 or 2 lessons and then each class after the original introduction to the lesson will not necessarily require an additional hook.


 * Q: I'm still curious about how I will use questions in my Phys. Ed. class.... **

I think you will still use questions in Phys. Ed. to check for understanding, or to get students to apply skills they might learn from one activity into another activity? Watch your MT or others in the department who teach P.E. and see how they do it.

Timing of lessons is really important. Think through each part of the lesson carefully and estimate how much time it will take to go through each part. Keep in mind things like, the number of students in your class, the way in which they make transitions from one activity to another, their general ability and motivation with different activities, how long things like announcements and attendance take.
 * Q: How do I time different parts of my lesson correctly? **

Always over plan your lessons to a certain extent, but at the same time, keep an eye on the time to make sure that you don't spend too much time on any one thing, and that you reach the students, and that they are actively engaged in the lesson. Learning to pace a lesson for the 70-75 minutes is something that comes with time and practice. Students don't want to be rushed through the class, but at the same time you don't want to spend too much time on things so that they become bored. (Careful! Boredom often leads to classroom management issues!) Think about it like visiting your relatives. You want to be there long enough that they enjoy your company and are a little sad to see you go, but not so long that they are desperate for you to be gone!

Also, keep some activities (team builders, additional engagement, games) up your sleeve to put in place if you end up with more time at the end of the class.

**Q: How can I as a language teacher ask higher level questions?**

Higher level questions in a language classroom might involve higher order thinking in terms of the conversation or the content, but still need to be easy in terms of the requirements for language. For example, French students might be able to create a model of the Bear's house after reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears in French. The requirement of them is still a higher order task, but the content they are dealing with should be provided in fairly simple language.


 * Q: I wonder if 'not repeating the student's answer' applies to learning FSL or even ESL. Is it a good idea to repeat answers if their pronunciation is wrong? **

In a language classroom, the situation with questioning is a bit different. I think you should repeat student's answers, especially if their pronunciation is wrong. I think It is beneficial for them to hear the answer again modelled with the correct pronunciation.

**Q: What goes into the 'Catholic Expectation' part of the Lesson Plan Template?**

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think that every lesson in the Catholic School is supposed to address one of the Catholic graduate expectations. So each time you plan a lesson, you should include which Catholic expectation you will be addressing. Lisa True or your MT should be able to give you more guidance on this.

**Q: Lesson Plans are very detailed at our level as Teacher Candidates. Am I supposed to be constantly referring to it as I am teaching?**

When you teach lessons for the first time, it is perfectly acceptable to use your lesson plan to refer to as you teach. You will find that the more times you teach a particular lesson, the less you will need to refer to it. The lesson plan is meant to be used as a guide, and there is no shame in keeping it in front of you and referring to it as you teach. That's preferable I think to trying to memorize it and perhaps forgetting something. You might also outline an agenda on the board for your class, and use that to refer to so that both you and your students know what's coming next.


 * Q: How can I make sure I am providing a good mixture of questions and levels? **

Well, now that you know something about Bloom's Taxonomy, you can at least start to review the questions you ask on assignments, on tests and in class to see what levels they are at. The lesson plan template has a section which prompts you to consider the types of questions you might include in a lesson. This is a beginning, and remember that you aren't going to have a variety of questions all the time in every lesson.


 * Q: How can I incorporate questions to engage students if my MT never models this type of teaching? **

You don't necessarily have to teach in exactly the same way as your MT. In fact, all MT's have different things to learn about their own teaching. You might want to approach it with your MT by saying: "We've been talking about Asking Good Questions in my EDUC2000 class for improving student engagement and I'd like to try that in my lesson tomorrow.

**Q: I'm still unsure of how to keep all of my items in the separate fields of the lesson plan template. Many items seem to fall under different categories...** The Lesson Plan Template is exactly that, a template. Sometimes you will not be able to fill in all the categories. Take a look at different lesson plan templates from your MT if he/she has them. You could also modify the template (layout and structure but not content) to suit your own needs and ways of thinking. Just be sure of two things: 1) That your lesson incorporates all of the necessary components we have discussed and 2) That it is clear to another teacher who may have to read it. For example, if you were going to be away and a supply teacher had to teach the lesson, would he/she be able to do it from the lesson plan you have written. Q: I still don't understand how to take the "Big Picture" curriculum and break it down into units and lessons. ** This information will be covered when we talk about Designing Down and Backward Design next week... = =
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