A lesson framework/plan is a scheme of work that houses subthemes, which a teacher or an instructor uses to teach students. It is a structure or a guideline for the teacher in the process of teaching. The lesson plan must have three important aspects: time allotment, lesson phases, and details.
The framework should provide the amount of time that will be spent in every phase of a class lesson. For instance, introduction should take a certain amount of time similar to other phases.
This will enable the teacher manage the time provided well. Lesson phases are the various phases that the teacher will adopt in ensuring that the learning process is successful. These lesson phases include introduction, foundation, brain activation, body of new information, clarification, practice and review, independent practice, and closure (Cunningham, 2010, Para. 4).
A space is also provided to write various details that are pertinent to the aims and objectives of the lesson. Details may include page numbers of the assignments, predetermined discussion questions, and any other important information on concepts/points that the teacher would refer to in the lesson.
A framework of one lesson may not necessarily look the same like the other lessons. This is because every lesson framework must be tailored to meet the objectives and goals of every lesson. Therefore, the content of this framework may not be similar to those of a subject such as science, or mathematics.
The teacher has the responsibility of drafting a lesson framework that is tailored to the needs of the students. For instance, a teacher teaching science in a grade one and two cannot include details of reference books for grade one students to go, research, and make notes by themselves as he/she shall do to grade seven or eight. Therefore, the content must change or be tailored to a specific category of lesson.
Even though students are intellectuals, they are also emotional and social beings. All these affect their process of learning and general performance. Therefore, in planning well, it is salient that teachers take time to understand their students. Teachers need to consider the background of their students in terms of their prior knowledge, intellectual development, cultural background, generational experiences, and expectations.
It is also vital for teachers to carry out an assessment of these students when they are designing lessons. The key reason why teachers to consider this background is to ensure that they tailor their teaching towards the needs of the students to enable them realize their set goals and objectives. Students in learning centers have different intellectual capacities- there exist slow and faster learners.
Therefore, by considering this scenario, a teacher will be able to attend to both of these groups adequately without affecting the others. For instance, a teacher may design his/her lesson plan in the way that he/she assigns more problems that are complex to the brilliant students besides assigning average problems to those who are weak.
This will enable both categories to move on and learn positively with one another. Understanding the background information about a student such as intellectual development will also help a teacher to design the lesson plan putting in mind the level of rationality of a student. For instance, if a teacher understands the cognitive ability of the students in a mathematics class, the teacher will address the issues of topics that students may not perform better.
Hence, he/she will emphasize on such areas making the students understand them, and in the end, record a positive improvement in the students’ performance.
Differentiated learning is defined as the kind of learning whereby students are provided with what they need in terms of their educational needs. Students are not equal in their intellectual abilities. Some students may be far much ahead of their colleagues in a learning environment.
Such students need to be provided with appropriate learning materials that are need-tailored. For example, a student who has mastered numbers should not be taught about numbers even if others in the class have not understood the concepts. The teacher should move ahead and introduce other new concepts for such students while attending to those who have not yet understood number concepts.
The three strategies in differentiated instruction learning include differentiation through teams, reflection and goal setting, and mini-lessons (Miller, 2012, Para. 4). Differentiation through teams is where the teacher groups the students separately and assigns them tasks to ensure that they are understanding the instructions that they are given. For instance, a teacher can assign some work to a group of students, which has a problem with reading a novel or literature, put them in a team and assess how well they are fairing on.
This strategy allows students to appreciate their abilities and work together as teams to better their performance and understanding of ideas. In reflection and goal setting, students are allowed to “reflect on their work and learning besides setting goals for their further learning” (Miller, 2012, Para. 6).
This is an opportunity for students, as it enables them to set personalized/individual learning goals. It also enables a teacher to target instructions that are specific to the goals that the students have set. This, therefore, allows students to gain from their learning process as they get to acquire relevant skills and knowledge that they aspire. Mini lessons are one of the favorite strategies that can be used in differentiated instruction.
This strategy is good for managing time and preventing time sucks during a class session. This strategy helps in supporting students, as they can be able to connect their goals’ through the mini lessons. Mini lessons allow students enough time to conceptualize the ideas that they have learned in class and reflect on whether they are achieving their set goals or not. Therefore, it is a good strategy for allowing students to evaluate and reflect on their own goals that they have set.
These strategies have some similarities, as well as differences. However, they all aim at improving the performance of students through instructions. One of the similarities of these strategies is that they involve the participation of both the teacher and student. Teachers provide guidelines besides assisting the students by giving them instructions on what they are expected to do. Secondly, teachers evaluate the success of strategies to determine whether the students achieved something or not.
On the other hand, mini-lessons as a strategy focus on students’ reflections on whether they achieved their set goals not, as opposed to the reflective and goals setting strategy that involves students setting their goals and specific objectives while differentiated through teams involves students forming groups and sharing together in their learning process. Even though the strategies differ, they can be combined to impact positively on their achievement.
When strategies like mini-lessons and differentiation through teams are combined, students will experience different environments that will act as a factor to tell the effect of combined strategies to the performance of students. However, as the two do not differ significantly, the expected impact is positive.
Reference List
Cunningham, G. (2010). Chapter 7. Lesson plans and unit plans: The basis for Instruction. Web.
Miller, A. (2012). Six strategies for differentiated instruction in project-based learning. Web.