Writing Lesson Plans

The ideal teacher has excellent organizational skills and uses a systematic approach to create an effective learning environment for the students. A teacher’s approach to learning and instruction is reflecting in each and every lesson plan. Writing lesson plans is an integral part of an educator’s career. The task is not nearly as daunting as it may seem but it is also not a process that is mastered without practice.

Note that I mention that writing lesson plans is a process. Lesson plans are never completely finished. They change in order to meet the needs specific to the students in the class. A good plan of instruction is malleable. It should not be rigid and it rarely should revolve around a lecture.

There is a considerable difference between writing lectures and writing lesson plans. Lectures are usually teacher-centered and focus mainly on the instructor as orator. There is little give in most lectures and they often do not meet the needs of the entire class population, especially considering how diverse most classrooms are.

The lecture relies heavily on the audience’s ability to process auditory information. It often assumes that the students are able to pick and choose the most important information just through listening to someone speak. When writing lesson plans, many teachers include a lecture but it is accompanied by visual aids and memory-enhancing exercises that help students retain information.

Motivation is a key factor in any successful learning environment. Students who are not motivated are less likely to learn. When writing lesson plans, it is good practice to make the information relevant to the students’ everyday lives. This helps the audience motivated to learn and it forgoes the age-old question, “Why do we need to know this?” Relevance is directly associated with motivation and should be kept in mind when writing lesson plans.

This article opens with the statement that an ideal teacher is organized and follows a systematic approach to learning and this may seem to contradict the notion that writing lesson plans that are malleable is good practice. However, part of the structure allows for student feedback and interaction thereby changing elements in the lesson plan while maintaining a consistent format.

When writing lesson plans, the ideal teacher uses his organizational skill and maintains a consistent structure while addressing the needs and the abilities of the students. This challenging task may take a lot of practice, but once a teacher interacts with enough students and instructs enough lessons that are engaging and student-centered, writing lesson plans will be a breeze.