Planning
Image retrieved from http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/b/back_up_plans.aspFrom the Literature -
Underpinning every successful teacher is meticulous, well structured planning (Ewing, Lowrie & Higgs, 2010, p. 79). When planning Learning Experiences, backwards mapping is essential. Snowman et al. simplifies, "once you know your goal, you can work out how to get them there" (2009, p. 372). A clear alignment must be seen between individual lessons and the final product, whether it be an examination or an assignment. Planning can be time consuming, however experience has proven the time put in, more than pays off. Ewing, Lowrie & Higgs maintain, "merely following an outline or filling in a template is not enough to produce expertise in planning powerful lessons. Planning is a metacognitive, reflective process where teachers think, reflect, adjust, redirect, fiddle and fine tune (2010, p. 91)."
Planning a unit of work factors in many considerations. School priorities, the curriculum, students personalities and learning styles, as well as their attitudes to the subject and also their capability. When teachers are aware of their weekly and ultimate goals for a unit of work, efficiency rises. For example, if one aspect is taking longer, well prepared teachers are able to discriminate which skills and content are the most important. Well planned teachers can anticipate areas that may be difficult as they have created a visual of the lesson in their minds, and can more successfully create alternate or differentiated activities to cater to all students learning needs, as flexibility is enhanced (Ewing, Lowrie & Higgs, 2010, p. 91).
Brady and Kennedy (2009, p. 31) believe Millennial's have unrealistic expectations of the working world, as they are maturing in an era characterised by media, digital technologies and instant gratification. Well structured planning helps to combat these difficulties, as teachers can focus on the authenticity of the work covered in class and directly relate content and skills to the real world, to capture learners engagement. It further provides structure and confidence, which is especially important when teaching Junior Secondary, as students struggle to find their unique identity during the transition from Primary to High School and are typically disengaged, with short attention spans.
Evidence of my High Quality Practise -
On commencement of my first practicum, I underestimated how difficult planning a lesson could be. I would spend hours trying to think of even the most basic activity for my class to do, then further time creating the resources and locating the information required to implement my plan.
This reflection is again a confirmation of how I have developed into a professional. Planning is now completed in a highly informed and highly efficient manner, with a clear focus on intended learning goals in relation to the assessment item. Lessons specifically target knowledge or skills and are implemented using a variety of modes, including ICT's such as Interactive Whiteboards, Prezi and the Education Queensland Learning Place, classroom group work to construct as a team, explicit modelling and also independent creation. My lessons are of extremely high quality and my students are being challenged intellectually, as well as achieving meaningful successes. The excellent quality of my Planning skills is reinforced via the feedback from my Mentor Teachers below -
Throughout my placement, I constructed several unit plans, stretching between six and twelve weeks. This also entailed several separate assignments to cater for differentiation. My students success and the feedback I have received from Mentor Teachers and Heads of Department has confirmed the relevance and authenticity of the units. Furthermore, a unit plan created for University course, Learning Management 3 has been used as an exemplar in following years, as requested by Lecturer, Trudy Large.
The variety I embed into my pedagogy has enabled me to capture students engagement, which additionally helps to minimise Behaviour Management issues.
Underpinning every successful teacher is meticulous, well structured planning (Ewing, Lowrie & Higgs, 2010, p. 79). When planning Learning Experiences, backwards mapping is essential. Snowman et al. simplifies, "once you know your goal, you can work out how to get them there" (2009, p. 372). A clear alignment must be seen between individual lessons and the final product, whether it be an examination or an assignment. Planning can be time consuming, however experience has proven the time put in, more than pays off. Ewing, Lowrie & Higgs maintain, "merely following an outline or filling in a template is not enough to produce expertise in planning powerful lessons. Planning is a metacognitive, reflective process where teachers think, reflect, adjust, redirect, fiddle and fine tune (2010, p. 91)."
Planning a unit of work factors in many considerations. School priorities, the curriculum, students personalities and learning styles, as well as their attitudes to the subject and also their capability. When teachers are aware of their weekly and ultimate goals for a unit of work, efficiency rises. For example, if one aspect is taking longer, well prepared teachers are able to discriminate which skills and content are the most important. Well planned teachers can anticipate areas that may be difficult as they have created a visual of the lesson in their minds, and can more successfully create alternate or differentiated activities to cater to all students learning needs, as flexibility is enhanced (Ewing, Lowrie & Higgs, 2010, p. 91).
Brady and Kennedy (2009, p. 31) believe Millennial's have unrealistic expectations of the working world, as they are maturing in an era characterised by media, digital technologies and instant gratification. Well structured planning helps to combat these difficulties, as teachers can focus on the authenticity of the work covered in class and directly relate content and skills to the real world, to capture learners engagement. It further provides structure and confidence, which is especially important when teaching Junior Secondary, as students struggle to find their unique identity during the transition from Primary to High School and are typically disengaged, with short attention spans.
Evidence of my High Quality Practise -
On commencement of my first practicum, I underestimated how difficult planning a lesson could be. I would spend hours trying to think of even the most basic activity for my class to do, then further time creating the resources and locating the information required to implement my plan.
This reflection is again a confirmation of how I have developed into a professional. Planning is now completed in a highly informed and highly efficient manner, with a clear focus on intended learning goals in relation to the assessment item. Lessons specifically target knowledge or skills and are implemented using a variety of modes, including ICT's such as Interactive Whiteboards, Prezi and the Education Queensland Learning Place, classroom group work to construct as a team, explicit modelling and also independent creation. My lessons are of extremely high quality and my students are being challenged intellectually, as well as achieving meaningful successes. The excellent quality of my Planning skills is reinforced via the feedback from my Mentor Teachers below -
- "Melissa creates well structured lessons that attend to learning styles and include a range of activities to keep students engaged" (B. Abbey, Mentor Teacher, 2010).
- "Melissa has coped well with the flexibility required in the teaching profession i.e. range of student ability, different teaching styles, personal needs of students, continual workload and adapting programs to suit student needs" (T. Berrigan, Mentor Teacher, 2011).
- "Preparation is outstanding" (A. Willis, Mentor Teacher, 2013).
- "You have a strength for planning for diversity and engagement. Very well thought through planning, taking into account the time of day and students levels" (A. Willis, Mentor Teacher, 2013).
Throughout my placement, I constructed several unit plans, stretching between six and twelve weeks. This also entailed several separate assignments to cater for differentiation. My students success and the feedback I have received from Mentor Teachers and Heads of Department has confirmed the relevance and authenticity of the units. Furthermore, a unit plan created for University course, Learning Management 3 has been used as an exemplar in following years, as requested by Lecturer, Trudy Large.
The variety I embed into my pedagogy has enabled me to capture students engagement, which additionally helps to minimise Behaviour Management issues.