Lesson plans are organized outlines used by teachers and corporate trainers to ensure timely and efficient delivery of curriculum. Plans include material, classroom sessions, and strategies, and must be approved by school officials. Some plans are very detailed, but critics argue that too much structure can hinder creativity.
Lesson plans are highly organized outlines that specify the topic to be covered, the order in which information will be presented, and the timeline for delivery of each topic section or component. While these plans are often used by corporate trainers as part of new employee orientation or continuing education opportunities for existing employees, the device is most commonly associated with teachers. Today it is not unusual for school officials to evaluate and approve the teacher’s plan in advance.
The primary function of lesson planning in an elementary and high school setting is to ensure that teachers are following the correct curriculum and that each class is exposed to data in a timely and efficient manner. When the plan is properly prepared, it also provides the teacher with the opportunity to plan modules and learning strategies in advance, so that the material in question is covered effectively. In most school systems, it is the teacher’s responsibility to prepare lessons according to the guidelines and regulations provided by the school system.
A basic lesson plan includes three main divisions. The cornerstone has to do with the material to be presented in the classrooms. This means that the choice of material must be part of the approved curriculum. While some systems may allow for the inclusion of additional resources, approved resources must still be used.
In addition to identifying the curriculum that will be used, a lesson plan also organizes the material into a series of classroom sessions that will allow the teacher to effectively present the topic within the specified time frame. This leads to the third division of the plan, which has to do with defining the strategies that will be employed in each setting to achieve the goals for that class period.
Increasingly, the teacher submits the lesson plan to someone connected to the school administration. The administrator is responsible for reviewing every aspect of the plan and confirming that the structure and content of the plan are in line with school standards. Once the plan is approved, the teacher is free to start gathering all the resources needed to implement the provisions of the plan.
Depending on the jurisdiction of the school, the class schedule can be very detailed. For example, the plan can identify each point to be covered within the class session and allocate a specific portion of the class time for making the presentation. All individual points are presented in a specific order and must be completed by the end of the class session. In other jurisdictions, the teacher will still need to identify what will be covered in the session that day, but has some flexibility regarding the order of presentation and how much time to spend on each individual point.
In the best of circumstances, a lesson plan allows you to present students with all relevant information on the topic. However, there are critics of this system, noting that if the plan is so detailed that there is no room for creativity, the process can be more of a hindrance to the learning process than an aid.
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