Planning Practices
Cartoon courtesy of: http://www.macroeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/calvin_wormwood-21st-century-working.jpg
What we get out of school DOES depend on what we put in. As a teacher, I have truly learned that is true not only for my students but for myself as well.
In the beginning, I spent hours planning each lesson. Yes, the pages of notes and references and having each and every single activity linked to a curricular outcome was overkill. It looked great on paper but in order to survive (and sleep) I soon learned my planning practices had to evolve. In shaving down my hours of planning and familiarizing myself with course content I have learned thee very important lessons.
What is with me and the lists and pictures on this blog? As a student, I was that girl with seven coloured pens and very 'decorated' notes. Maybe that explains the cartoons and number lists...
1. The Importance of Having a MAP: Having a plan.
Having a plan of some kind is proof you have direction. It is the map; you don't have to use it, you might not even follow the most well known route (in fact I hope you don't) but it's there. Just in case you need it.
For me, it is more about the process of the planning. I try to always start with the end in mind and build my units, lessons and plans around them. As a practicum student I was really lucky to work with a Mentor who was well versed in Understanding by Design. Many of the key elements have stuck with me, especially the idea that students should know where they are headed, why they are going there and how they will be evaluated (Brown, 2004). I highly recommend the workbook pictured below if you are looking for insight or innovation in your planning practices. I have comeback countless times to this resource to evaluate, revise and create plans.
http://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Design-Professional-Development-Workbook/dp/0871208555
For Physical Education, I really like the lesson plan template that Alberta Education has put together. It is older but I like how it has the main pillars of the Physical Education at the top of each lesson ABCD with icons. It helps me to remember and include aspects of Activity, Benefits Health, Cooperation and Do it Daily for Life into each. There are also set up in a user-friendly manner that allows ease of planning and are great for sub plans as well.
This template can be found at: http://education.alberta.ca/physicaleducationonline/teacherresources/ToolBox/lessonplans.asp
It also includes pages with grade specific curricular outcomes in an easy to use chart system.
In the English classroom, I plan sets of activities, learning opportunities and units. I used to plan class by class but I found this restrictive and difficult when students were ahead or behind my plans. I now have a set of outcomes and activities ready and a general idea of time and we work from there. I think the planning process is also about what works for you. I need a flexible map timeline! We need to be able to stop and check out the scenery because I want my map to take us on a great journey.
2. The Importance of GETTING LOST!: Embracing flexibility and teachable moments.
Sometimes we wander off the beaten path. We begin a lesson discussing character development and we end up debating what superhero is the best. In the beginning, I would check my time count and wonder how in the world we would get the next activity completed and the lesson debriefed. Today, I am searching for the balance of bushwhacking my way through the wilderness (and avoiding too lengthy of a discussion about the Avenger's character flaws) and staying on the straight and narrow.
However, I strongly believe that the teachable moments these wanderings present are invaluable. They provide the opportunity to build capacity, to make crops-curricular links and to form important connections with my students. Most importantly they help to put the learning into the hands of my students and there is nothing more exciting than having them at the wheel and being able to enjoy and facilitate their journey.
3. The Importance of RETRACING your Steps: Embracing innovation and changing your plans.
Cartoon Courtesy of: http://jimnolan.typepad.com/.a/6a00e5521e0b2e88330168e9c2d612970c-pi
Much like most things in life, education is fluid. This means that we need to reflect, revise, and sometimes invent. While using Understanding by Design is a great means with which to travel, it is important to remember that all plans and journeys change.
The stages in Understanding by Design are loosely identified as: identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, and plan learning experiences and instruction ( Wiggins & Tighe, 2004). This process remains as important in revision; as the desired results change so must the rest of the process. What works for one class or even one student will not work for all students. We must realize it is not about the student(s) fitting the plan and that it is more about making the plan fit the student(s).
This type of revision and reflection can be time consuming but is also incredibly rewarding. I recently had the opportunity to make use of Beers and Probst's 6 Signposts for Close Reading with my English Language Arts 9 class. Not only was this planning process great for my growth but my students enjoyed and embraced new reading activities with enthusiasm (the bookwork in me rejoiced!). This is another great planning resource and definitely worth looking into.
http://www.heinemann.com/products/E04693.aspx
Regardless of the methods, or the process here's to keeping a great map in our back pockets!
Cartoon courtesy of: http://images2.alphacoders.com/771/77122.jpg
References
Brown, John L, and Grant P Wiggins. Making The Most Of Understanding By Design. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2004.
McTighe, Jay, and Grant P Wiggins. Understanding By Design. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2004.
Sheila, I love your lists and cartoons by the way. I really like how you included the planning template for phys. ed. It is so easy to use and such a time saver. Every core subject should have a similar planning document. I appreciate the reference to planning being like a map and the importance of stopping now and then to check out the scenery. Unfortunately, most teachers do not do this enough and the students suffer as a result. It is when we wonder off-course and enjoy the scenery that the true "teachable moments" often occur. Planning is critical in teaching but it is even more crucial that we are "fluid" and "flexible" and willing to venture away from our plans provided the best interest of the students is at heart in the process.
ReplyDeleteThis would be a great blog to show to student teachers of beginning teachers as a means of reflection.
Great job Sheila!!!
As always you blow my mind with your writing. Every post you make always makes me reflect. I can empathize with what you say about planning being more of a journey rather than a destination and that every plan and journey will change. It is so interesting to me that so many teachers reuse the same old plans and projects year in and year out. How does this work for them? It's not like they are teaching the same students every year. I believe that teachers who identify early on in their carriers that planning happens each year and needs to change, that these teachers will find greater success and happiness in their classrooms. Being flexible with and learning how to plan effectively is key to reaching students and their different needs. I also must commend you on your realization about getting off topic during valuable class time. I have this problem, as I am sure you can clearly see, but these days I allow a little more of that kind of discussion as I have learned that knowing my students will bring me greater success later on. Students who buy into my lessons do so because I attempt to tailer them to the class I have in front of me, and the only real way to know them is to listen to them and encourage discussion of any kind. I can always make up the time in some way and getting off topic can bring me dividends later on. Thanks again for a great blog as I have said before your students are lucky to have you as their teacher.
ReplyDeleteI love this Sheila! The roadmap analogy is perfect. I especially like Part 2...The Importance of GETTING LOST!: Embracing flexibility and teachable moments.
ReplyDeleteAaahh, FLEXIBILITY....so key in education. I think it is important to allow time for "getting lost". Although we can not predict where student(s) may go with a concept or which questions they may ask that leads to a tangent that we as teachers did not see coming....building in time for such opportunities and trying to manage the time, the relevance, and steering as necessary is an art for a teacher to become skilled at. These teachable moments are crucial for many reasons, but for me perhaps the most important has been to help build relationship and community in the classroom. Not to mention that when students are engaged, more learning can happen because they are simply more present, attentive, interested and curious.
I love reading your blog Sheila...very well written (must be something to do with that English background :) Nice cartoons and pics by the way!