Some advantages and disadvantages of lesson planning - HIMANSHU MALLICK
Advantages of Lesson Planning
1. It inspires the teacher to improve the further lessons.
2. It helps the teacher in evaluating his teaching.
3. It develops self confidence in the teacher.
4. Proper care is taken on take into consideration, the level and previous knowledge of students.
5. The teaching matter is organized in a time-frame.
6. It inspires the teacher to ask proper and important questions.
7. It provides guidance to the teacher as to what and home he should teach.
8. It helps in creating the interest of students towards the lesson.
9. It stimulates the teacher to think in an organized manner.
10. It helps the teacher to understand to objectives properly.
Limitations of Lesson-Planning
1. In new or odd situations teacher feels himself helpless.
2. Sometimes simple matters become complicated.
3. More time is required to plan a lesson.
4. Teacher cannot work/teach independently.
5. There is lack of flexibility in lesson-planning.
6. The teaching process becomes more difficult.
I think we should have a written lesson plan in order to have a concrete idea about what are we going to teach in every class, it is not necessary, but it’s a tool that could help us to have objectives or goals that we want to reach as teachers, it also can be used to not forget specific information about new exercises or activities we want to try with our students, it’s a good way of organize how we want to spend the class time and to make the students feel like every activity we do with them has a purpose and its well oriented to the student needs and wishes.
ReplyDeleteCris, great reasons for using lesson plans daily. I would likely use them most days, but not all. Yet, you are right: the lesson plan is a tool no teacher should be completely without. Organization is key, making notes about new activities, what works and does not work ... good arguments for using a lesson plan in each class.
DeleteI agree with you Cristina. Something I'd like to clarify though is that I believe teachers have to be given the freedom to explore different ways of preparing our classes so we can find the most suitable for our teaching situations.Thanks for your comment
DeleteI agree with Willy when he talks about ''the freedom to explore different ways'' of teaching and preparing the classes. It's essential to find a way that works with your students, the context where you're teaching and the kind of teacher you want to become. This freedom can bring harmony to the classroom, because there is structure, but there is also room for taking risks.
DeleteIn my opinion, it is important to have a lesson plan or at least some ideas of what we, as teachers want to develop in the class in order to achieve an objective. Since in every class students must learn something, the teacher must have clear how to reach that learning in his/her students.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know who you are. But while we discover it I have to say that your understanding of how students have to learn something in every class is a simple but practical way of looking at planning. Having a clear goal is one of the departure points of good planning.
DeleteThanks for sharing unknown Jtatigar
I agree, i think that lesson plans are really important to be a guide to the teacher. It allows the teacher to keep track of the progress of the students, to plan the time and goals expected from activities of the class.
Deletei agree, students should learn something in each class. the idea is to prepare them to become a better person and to learn staff that will help them in the future,the main idea is to guide them the right way.
DeleteI agree with my classmates, We as teachers should be organised and having a lesson plan no only help us to keep in mind our teaching goals,but also it helps us to shape our lesson so that the activities develop coherently.
ReplyDeleteErika, I agree. I really like that you highlight the use of lesson plans to develop activities coherently. Lesson plans can help us organize and clarify the objectives and effective ‘paths’ to achieve those goals.
DeleteI want to highlight that shaping our lessons is one of the main advantages of lesson planning. It is just not the mental or written plan for a class, it could become a professional tool to refine the way we teach.
DeleteThanks
Erika, I like your thinking and proactivity. I also believe that a lesson plan is a very important tool. It is especially important for new graduated teachers. I understand that with experience one could get away without a lesson plan one or twice, but I feel that am too far away from that moment.
DeleteA written lesson plan for every class is not necessary. Creating a detailed plan for every class can stifle teacher response to unplanned learning opportunities and discourage student creativity. Some structure is helpful, but excessive planning may reduce student inquisitiveness due to a focus on completing all the tasks within the lesson plan. Teachers may unknowingly discourage student feedback, which is vital to understanding the needs of the classroom and the needs of individuals. The best option is to have weekly objectives and goals, supported by detailed lesson plans for half of the classes (perhaps the classes with the most difficult material).
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick,
DeleteI agree and disagree with your comment but at the end that is exactly what these forums are about and I want to thank you for that. I do believe lesson planning is necessary but at the same time there are times you have to teach without using a lesson plan and doing it is part of being a pro.
Excessive planning is indeed something we should get away from. Finding a balance between planning and flexibility would help us take advantage of all of those paradoxes we discussed in class.
I personally can't plan in weekly basis because I like to rethink in daily basis what I am doing with my students and try to vary classes as much as possible. I am a risk taker so I think your proposal could work and I will try it soon with my classes.
Thanks a lot
Patrick, I do agree with the fact that having a detailed plan for every class could be a wall for the student creativity, despite this I think that the plan is for us as teachers to have a guide that we can follow, but it’s not an impediment to be change at some point if we considered necessary or if we see that our students are not reaching the goals we expected at the beginning of a lesson. The task is for the teacher to recognize what is working with the students and this way modify the original plan even during the class, in order to improve the achievement of the goals.
DeleteY es I agree that it's not always necessary to have a lesson planned and that sometimes an unplanned lesson can become a good clase bit I alzó relieve that if someone is good at teaching unplanned lessons their teaching can become even better with a plan.
DeletePatrick, I think that if a teacher plans a detailed class doesn't mean he or she is going to do so in the class. For me, when a teacher prepares the class is to have a guide during it and to have clear to where s/he is taking the students. So, if the teacher is clear about the objective and if in the class something happens that is not in your lesson plan, and it's relevant for you students learning, you should allow it. In that I agree with Cristina.
DeleteI do agree about having weekly objectives and goals and to keep in mind your students’ needs. From my experience, in some occasions you go to class without a lesson plan and sometimes it might be a great class (not just for fun but because your students learned) or it might not. I don’t think that having a written detailed plan means your class is going to be successful. For me, a class is great if the teacher has a clear objective, students’ needs and knows how to make his/her students learn and enjoy the class.
Great points and perspectives guys. I will keep these in mind as I progress. Thanks!
DeleteObserving clases with kids that get easily distracted and hace short attention spans, lessons can easily fall off track and thats why lesson plana become such a useful tool not only for the teacher but also for the students to maintain focus. Kids also respond very well to a teacher that knows what he/she is doing and gives a class structure and regularity compared to a teacher that arrives unprepared and gives moments of uncertainty to the class which can make students loose complete focus on learning.
ReplyDelete*classes *have *plans
DeleteI agree with you Tanya! I think also specially with children. You need to have a lesson plan which tries to include activities for the children that will be a learning tool as well as keeping into account their age and their attention span..which is not much for kids.
Delete" ... gives a class structure and regularity compared to a teacher that arrives unprepared and gives moments of uncertainty to the class which can make students loose complete focus on learning."
DeleteAbsolutely! As soon as a teacher start to flounder say goodbye to student focus!
*classes *have *plans
DeleteI think that is not necessary to have a written plan for every class but i indeed think that is very useful to plan every class whether in a written way or maybe just have in mind some kind of plan because not having a plan can be risky for a teacher, it may lead to classes poorly organize, with no clear goals or purposes and will tend to end up in unsuccessful classes. So for me it is important to have a plan in order to know your goals and how you expect to achieve them but this plan doesn't need to be written all the time.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree, because I do think it's necessary for the teacher to, at least, give some thought on what he/she's hoping to get out of a session. Must it be written? If you are a forgetful person, definitely. But as I said in my comment it all depends on what you think you are capable of doing and know your limits.
DeleteI believe Angie and Mar are right when they say that is important to always have an idea of what your class is going to be like. If you do prepare a written lesson plan, or you have memorized it all, that's up to you and your teaching experience; they're right on that aspect as well. I also believe that having a general idea for the class is a basic condition in order to remember your achievements and goals.
DeleteIf you have different classes every day then I do believe that there should be different lesson plans for each of those. If perhaps, a teacher has the same class in a day or too then I believe there should be a base lesson plan for all of the classes but then they should each be different in the sense that they should tailor to the students in each class more precisely. I think that lesson planning is a great tool to help keep organized and to set goals for the class as well as to measure progress and such. However, as Willy points out, what makes a pro as well is to not have to use one but of course it takes experience to get there..we all one day will do that! As discussed in class, is a beautiful balance of everything.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that keeping a balance is key to maintain a positive classroom environment. Activities should be mixed up to promote different types of learnig and skills, while also giving students diverse options for them to reach the desired objective. Lesson plans should involve all aspects including listening, reading, writing and speaking througout the activities involved. Achiving a balance in the use of clasroom aids such as the textbooks, games, presentations etc is a good way to keep students attentive and engaged.
DeleteAchieving*
DeleteA lesson plan is a necessary tool, which cannot be dismissed. It is important to be prepared and have some structure of what the class to teach is going to be like. But, I also believe that a lesson plan does not need to be too structured, as it would be healthier to leave some room for expansion and improvisation during the class. On the other hand, regardless the kind of lesson plan it is important to have one as a back up for any eventuality one may encounter with a student, parent, colleague or even with the school, college or institute one works for.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Carlos, it's all about balance between structure and improvisation, because both are necessary in a healthy teaching process. And of course, it's essential to be prepared for any surprise thay may occur, be it positive or negative.
DeleteDeveloping detailed lesson plan is an essential tool for a teacher, especially those with little experience. Personally, while thinking ahead about my lesson plan, I was able to forsee and foreshadow certain situations that could arise in a classroom environment, something that more than likely would not have happened if I had relied on the corridor planning technique. As discussed in class, is important to have structure, and depending on the students response, one can drift apart from the plan, if necessary.
ReplyDeleteYes, Juan it is important to be prepared for any eventuality. It is not about how good or how neat the lesson plan is, but about discernment and preparation.
Deleteyes,It Is necessary to have a lesson plan for each class, because It will help you be prepare,well organized, self discipline and you will know what to do during the whole classes. Also will built confidence in the teacher as the students.
ReplyDeleteI agree Diego, having a written lesson plan allows the teacher an opportunity to manage an effective class.
DeleteHowever there could be instances were following a written lesson plan may not work if classroom circumstances change; in such cases imagination and creativity may be more effective as a teaching opportunity.
I think Diego is right when he declares that a lesson plan is important because it builds the teacher's confidence in his/her own skills as well as providing self-discipline, which is a very good quality to have in any work environment. However, it's also interesting to allow creativity in the classroom, as Mauricio says, because a strict lesson plan may not always work.
DeleteHi! So, from my experience, I think it always comes down to having balance. But I lean more towards the belief that you don't really need, and I prefer not to, have a very structured or detailed plan. First, because I'm one of those people that loves to have choices and I rather have just an outline for guidance and rely on all the ideas that always flood my mind when I interact with my students . And, second, because I believe the best thing you can do is connect to your students and tailor as much as you possibly can to their needs, and just be spontaneous. Though, of course this is not the best plan for everyone. It depends on how capable you are as a teacher and how comfortable you are with improvisation, though I firmly believe that every teacher must, at least, give some tonight to what they want to get out of their lesson.
ReplyDeleteHaving a written lesson plan definitely shows teacher preparedness. I believe its a valuable tool to have control of the class and allows the teacher to evaluate progress. However, there will be instances were a teacher needs to respond to changing circumstances in the classroom and imagination can play an important role, turning it into a teaching opportunity without following a scripted lesson plan.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone! I think having a written lesson plan is advisable in most cases because for us (future) teachers, it’s a way of keeping our ideas focused and our goals clear. It’s a better way to see what needs to be done in the classroom, what we have achieved so far during the day or the week, how the students responded and if we did some activities. The lesson plan should be a guidance for us and a map for our class. What do we want to do? Why? At what pace? How? It’s important to not forget all this. But as I say, as a guidance. One can follow the plan to respect a structure and a certain logic in the contents of our teaching. But the lesson plan should not become a dogma: something that can’t be changed or that one must follow blindly. The teacher can be able to improvise, make the best of the magic and spontaneous moments that can arise in the classroom, and be open-minded to the needs of his/her students. If a teacher only sticks to a lesson plan, just for the sake of it, I believe both creativity and spark can be lost, and sometimes your students will get bored because no one wants to learn in a rigid environment. I think balance is key for a teacher, and hopefully with experience he/she can manage to choose which techniques and methods are valid and useful. This way the teacher becomes more polyvalent and can therefore adapt to any odds he/she may encounter in the teaching process, with or without a lesson plan.
ReplyDelete