Planning Instruction & Learning Experiences
Now that you have a clear destination (Stage 1) and a way to measure your success in getting there (Stage 2), you are ready to start planning how you will achieve your end goal. Lesson plans are a road map to facilitate teaching and learning. Lesson planning is an important aspect of effective teaching because it focuses the teaching on the students; however, lesson planning can seem overwhelming and laborious. In this section, you will learn about the third stage in the Backward Design process to design lessons that transcend the simple transfer of knowledge.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to
- Plan guided practice opportunities.
- Plan independent practice opportunities.
- Monitor students’ independent work.
- Activate student interest with an anticipatory set and summarize learning at the end of a lesson.
Stage 3: Planning Instruction & Learning Experiences
The third stage of Backward Design focuses on the instruction the teacher will deliver, and the activities learners will participate in. Wiggins & McTighe (2005, p. 13) suggest that teachers should consider the following questions:
- What enabling knowledge and skills will students need to perform effectively?
- What activities will equip students with the needed knowledge and skills?
- What will need to be taught and coached, and how should it best be taught?
- What materials and resources are best suited to accomplish these goals?
- Is the overall design coherent and effective?
Considering these questions at the start of the planning process helps the teacher identify what instruction is necessary and what instructional strategies might be most effective in reaching their students. Also, these questions focus the teacher on what actions the students must take to practice the skills during learning activities.
Components of a Lesson
To start discussing how to design quality lessons, we should outline the components needed in a lesson plan. Robert Gagne, an instructional theorist, surmised that there was a nine-step process for creating good instruction. In his book The Conditions of Learning, published in 1965, Gagne outlined the Nine Events of Instruction (CourseArc, 2019).
Image created by CourseArc licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Looking at Gagne’s model, you may wonder how you accomplish all those tasks. Gagne’s model does suggest a logical progression through each of the events of instruction. However, not every lesson will feature all nine events, and they may not follow that order. But in general, every lesson will include at least the four basic components of objectives, presentation, practice, and assessment in some way. One thing that is not clearly defined in Gagne’s model but is supported by other researchers is the active roles students should take in the learning process.
Active learning is any activity or strategy that encourages students to engage in the learning process. Participating in active le