Planning lessons

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Planning lessonswithout trying to teach teachers
to suck eggs!

• Phil Smith Foundation Strand Consultant Bury LEA

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By 5.30pm we will have looked at

• How could I sharpen my own focus on what my
  lesson objectives are?
• How could I start to improve the ways I share
  these with the pupils more effectively?
• How can I prepare realistic but useful lesson
  plans to help with this?

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A London secondary pupil

• Something strange was about to happen. Homework
  started being returned to us on time. And
  instead of the odd, unhelpful tick and crosses,
  teachers were filling our schoolbooks with
  constructive comments.
• Each piece of homework is now returned with a
  cover sheet. On the smartly-printed form, the
  teacher summarises our work, lists positive
  points and suggests how we can improve.

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How do their brains work? Could you pass this
alternative I.Q. Test?

1. How do you get a giraffe into a fridge?
2. How do you get an elephant into a fridge?
3. At the Lion King meeting all the animals in the
   forest had to attend. All except one, which one?
4. You are near a lake inhabited by fierce
   crocodiles. How do you get across since there is
   no bridge, boat or any other form of transport?

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A London secondary pupil

• Lessons have taken on a new dimension. Each one
  now has an objective written on the whiteboard
  at the beginning of the class. Teachers stand at
  the front of the class, waving their hands more
  enthusiastically. They used to look bored, now
  they look nervous.

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Alan Kerr on lesson planning

• When did you last notice your dentist suddenly
  stop drilling and start flicking through a pile
  of A4 sheets detailing every step for filling a
  cavity? Or a builder carefully consulting a ring
  binder every time he throws a shovelful of sand
  into his mixer? And if they did we would be
  worried.
• The obsession with detailed lesson plans is out
  of controlit has been elevated into an
  over-elaborate and unnecessary ritualgood
  lessons do not require mass-produced plans on a
  laptop.

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"We know that teaching does not simply produce
learning." Professor MacBeath, during his time
on the government's Taskforce for Education.
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A KEY principle in the KS3 Strategy

• Sharpens the focus on teaching and learning
• Therefore can help to raise standards
• Shifts the emphasis from what pupils DO to what
  they LEARN

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Short-term lesson planning

• During the session we will look at a variety of
• Useful planning formats for busy teachers
• (ii) Write useful lesson plans that are
  straightforward, quick and manageable

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What lesson planning is not

• They should not be over detailed
• They should avoid complicated formats
• They should not simply repeat material from the
  medium-term plan (scheme of work)
• They should not take too much time and
  energyotherwise they become counter-productive

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Objective-led lesson planningthe alternative
route

• See KS2 video of Maggie

You have to start with the historical pull,
motivational lift and conceptual focus of the
enquiry question and then move backwards into
individual lesson objectives.
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WALT
W We AAre LLearning TTo explain who cares
about Charles I and why
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WILF

• WWhat
• IIm
• LLooking
• FFor
• In todays lesson is for you to
• Remember why three historians care about Charles
  I
• Choose from a list of sentences some of the
  things they may have said about Charles I
• Start to explain why they said these things about
  Charles and the Civil War

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TIBS

• TThis
• IIs
• BBecause
• Next week we will be analysing why historians and
  film makers tell the same story of Charles in
  very different ways
• Later on we will be trying to write our own
  storyboard of the execution of Charles I and
  seeing just how difficult it can be!

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Being clear about the plan for the lesson helps

• Some possible answers might include
• Structure their lessons
• Build on previous lessons and learning
• Share the objectives of the lesson with pupils
• Assess pupil achievements
• Develop effective assessment for learning

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Being clear about the plan for the lesson helps

• Some possible answers might include
• Make lessons more inclusive and address a range
  of needs
• Make better use of classroom support
• Make explicit the key strategies they wish to use
• Address the key questions they need to ask

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Being clear about the plan for the lesson helps

• Some possible answers might include
• Highlight key vocabulary/concepts/skills
• Focus on targets for raising standards, including
  literacy, numeracy and ICT
• Set homework

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Sharing objectives with pupils

• Lesson Objectiveswhat is taught and learned-what
  the pupils should know, understand, be able to
  do, or to be aware of as a result of the lesson
• The BIG Picturethe broad purpose of the lesson
  which may directly refer to longer-term
  objectives/targets and how the lesson links to
  other lessons

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Explaining learning objectives to pupils
But the pupils hear it as What I am looking for
is whether you can explain the journey of food
from entry to exit using the names for each body
bit. This will help you understand how your body
works
Teacher wants pupils to find out the role played
by different parts of the digestive system
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The role of Learning Intention Grids to sharpen
medium term planning
Know that Understand how/why Be able to
All pupils will
Most pupils will
Some pupils will
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Learning Intention Grids help teachers

• The role of the learning intentions gridsaim
  high
• "Pull the other one"
• Alan Shearer's teacher when he said he wanted to
  be a footballer
• "You'll never get anywhere playing that kind of
  stuff"
• Mark Knopfler's teacher
• "The biggest no talent I have ever worked with."
  
• On Buddy Holly
• "Can't act. Can't sing. Can dance a little."
• On Fred Astair
• "You ought to go back to driving a truck."
• On Elvis Presley
• "Will never be generally read" on Emily Bronte
• "He is totally unsuitable for English football"
  Howard Kendall on Eric Cantona
• "A singular lack of drawing ability" on Walt
  Disney

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Task-led planning is not the same as
objective-led planning

• Complete Task 3
• Answer Questions 1-6
• Draw a diagram

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By the end of the lesson pupils will be able to
Select Extract Give examples of Relate Choose Connect
Link Explain Illustrate Show the relationship between Explain the relationship between Comment upon
Remember Recall Ask questions about Choose questions that Prioritise Create headings
Refine headings Justify Justify their thinking concerning Explain their thinking concerning Compare Contrast
Reflect Support Support a view that Evaluate Weigh up Create and construct
Define Analyse Join up Shape Organise Reconsider
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ACTIVITY..See Handout 3.2

• Get into pairs
• Each pair should have teachers from different
  subject areas
• Take it in turns to take the role of the teacher
  and then pupil in order to test whether the
  objectives can be clearly understood

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What should be the key elements of good lesson
plans

• Brief BUT have
• Lively, challenging and rigorous enquiry
  questions(these help to highlight key concepts
  and skills/develop cognitive dialogue and
  interaction/provide evidence for informal,
  ongoing assessment)
• Lesson objectives which can be shared with pupils
• A clear structure for the lesson

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What should be the key elements of good lesson
plans

• Brief notes on key questions and teaching points
• Brief notes on specific activities
• Brief notes relating to SEN/GT
• Note on how you will use additional support

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What should be the key elements of good lesson
plans

• Reference to any new/revisited vocabulary
• References to relevant resources
• Homework to be set

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Structuring lessons(See Handout 3.3)

• Successful lessons include
• Crisp starts
• Exposition and explanation
• Activities which build on this
• Opportunities to consolidate and apply their
  learning and express it in a range of ways
  (written/visual/ physical/auditory/oral)
• Plenaries during and at the end of a lesson to
  check progress and for pupils to reflect on what
  they have learned and how they have learned it

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Lesson plan formatssee Handouts 3.4 and 3.5

• All of these are potentially useful formats
• They contain some of the key elements of good
  lesson planning
• The more detailed plans serve a particular need
  and are not a requirement of all lesson plans

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ActivitySee Handout 3.6

• Spend a couple of minutes analysing each lesson
  format
• Make notes on 3.6
• How effective is each one in addressing each of
  the key elements
• Make a judgement about which one you prefer and
  why

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Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
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A sample of effective thinking before teaching a
lesson not from the Foundation Strand folder!
1. Long-term planning context Comment on the part the lesson plays in long-term progression of subject specific learning. What subject specific concepts, skills, knowledge, understandings does it address?
2. Medium-term planning context Enquiry question Any learning issues arising from events of previous lesson?
3. Lesson objectives By the end of this lesson pupils will be able to
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A sample of effective thinking before teaching a
lesson
4. Introduction (i) motivate, intrigue, gain attention (e.g. use hook, create atmosphere or puzzle, energise with starter activity) (ii) make links with prior learning (iii) set out direction, scope or goals of lesson, including the role in medium-term plan e.g. by fascinating pupils about the enquiry question (iv) communicate high expectations
5. Development Main teaching points, pupils learning activities, your main interventions (substance, style, timing and purpose of those interventions).
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A sample of effective thinking before teaching a
lesson
6. Conclusion Pupils should be clear about what they have achieved. How will you create a sense of collective pride in achievement? A conclusion should involve a plenary. It can include fun, interactive activities for pupils that help them to consolidate learning or see the lesson in a fresh or intriguing light.
7. Homework Clear, achievable, challenging. It should secure worthwhile preparation for or consolidation of historical learning. Vague bits of finishing off, leaving some pupils with nothing to do, are unacceptable.
8. Evaluation Evaluate against each objective. Comment on the evidence of pupils historical learning in how they spoke, wrote, listened, reacted etc
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What practical things could you do next

• See Handout 3.8
• Think about the lesson plans that you currently
  use and decide what aspects of your departments
  lesson plans you like and which you think you can
  develop

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Ready for more?

• As a department, review and, if appropriate,
  revise the planning format for lessons to ensure
  that it addresses the key elements of lesson
  planning in a manageable way.
• Revise a weeks lesson plans to ensure there is a
  clear focus on objectives and an indication of
  the evidence needed to demonstrate what pupils
  have learned.

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Ready for more?

• Question pupils during the lessons to check that
• (a) they understand the lesson objectives
• (b) they can explain how they will know when
  they have achieved them.
• Make sure that objectives are referred to during
  plenaries.
• Try different ways of introducing lesson
  objectives, for example through whole-class
  discussion, whole-class questioning, writing them
  on the board, providing them on cards.

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Module 3 Planning lessons

• I'm not suggesting we abandon objectives-in
  fact, they are very helpful its much easier to
  teach if you know what youre supposed to be
  teaching. But somehow we have forgotten that raw
  objectives can be turned into something more
  enjoyable, wrapped up in child-friendly drama,
  art, music, song, play
• Sue Palmer 6th Dec 2002