Reflection on Effective Lesson Planning:

A Guide To Creating Effective Lesson Structures:

The subject of creating an effective lesson is really the crux to teaching. We have curriculum that students need to learn and the lesson plan is the tool to disseminate this information. Therefore, the quality of the learning depends on the quality of the lesson plan. We know that not all lesson are created equal and it's important for a new teacher to learn "the ingredients" of a good lesson.

An effective lesson needs the following:

• Engagement - keep students interested and participating throughout 
• Clear objective - what we want students to walk away having learned or understood
• Clear, easy to follow directions

It's important that the beginning of the lesson engage students right away. The beginning of a lesson should have some type of anticipatory set that grabs student attention, piques interest, and curiosity. The article suggests some ways to begin the lesson including:

• Leading with a quote related to the subject to jumpstart discussion. 
• Begin with a short activity that brings lesson themes into focus.

My preferred method is leading off with a personal story that relates to the lesson. I find students love to be told stories and they are especially interested the stories that tell about their teacher.

Moving on from the anticipatory set, a teacher clearly defines the objective of the lesson or what students will learn. This is then followed by actual teaching where students are guided by teacher modeling and invited to participate and practice until lesson objectives are learned. The article suggests a lesson incorporate differentiated learning approaches that tap into the various learning styles. I find the more modalities you tap into the greater the learning. 

Finally, the lesson should have a closing. In the closing the lesson objective should be reviewed. Students should also be given time to evaluate their learning and progress to mastering the objective. 

5 Essential Teaching Strategies to Deliver an Effective Lesson

This article identify the following teaching strategies for delivering an effective lesson:

1. Have An Objective
2. Model Your Expectations
3. Actively Engage Students
4. Be Mobile
5. Compliment Positive Behavior and Hard Work

I think the easiest way to understand these teaching strategies is to liken it to coaching. For example, the goal of a coach is to help his/her players when the game. To do this, the coach teaches the players the skills they need to be a successful player. Building skills takes time, and lots of practice. The coach needs to provide good sound modeling with plenty of practice. It can be difficult to master things, so positive feedback and encouragement is essential for players to persevere in practice. In the same way, a teacher who takes on the role of a coach will be most effective in not only delivering instruction but increasing student achievement.