Factors for Effective Teaching

Factors for Effective Teaching

A good teacher does not necessarily mean that he is always doing well all the time. More often, good teachers do mistakes also. In connection to the above quote, I believe that good teachers commit mistakes but like most of the other teachers, but the only difference is that good teachers never cease to try doing things to improve his or her teaching and to avoid committing the same mistakes all the time. In connection to this also, I came across an article by Philip Gurney entitled, “Five Factors for Effective Teaching”. The author enumerated the following factors for effective teaching:

§  Teacher knowledge, enthusiasm and responsibility for learning.

§   Classroom activities that encourage learning.

§  Assessment activities that encourage learning through experience.

§  Effective feedback that establishes the learning processes in the classroom.

§  Effective interaction between the teacher and the students, creating an environment that respects, encourages and stimulates learning through experience.

Generally, all of us in education are aware that we need good teachers to do good teaching in a good learning environment. It is therefore important to find out what are the characteristics of a good teacher for us to set a standard in developing future teachers. With this in mind, we also need to know the characteristics of a good teaching. This is very important in order for us to have a more or less an objective view of good teaching. Moreover, the way we qualify good teaching is very complicated. First, we need to agree on which point of view we are looking, and what lens should we use in order to come up with the right magnification of good teaching. Lastly, we need a good environment that is conducive for effective teaching and learning.

Experienced teachers would have different biases on what is good teaching, good learning environment, and good teacher. But I believe, we do not just encapsulate the qualities of good teacher and a good teaching in a good learning environment, but we need see the connections and relations among these three and how they are intertwined to result to an effective teaching and learning.

Reference

Web Quest. Retrieved on May 7, 2013, from

http://love4mathed.com/2012/09/factors-for-effective-teaching/#.UYkqZaJTC4c 

Characteristics of a Good Lesson-Plan

Characteristics of a Good Lesson-Plan

1. Example quoted to teach and explain the subject matter should be related to the everyday life of the child.

2. Lesson-plan should be child-centered.

3. In the lesson-plan these should be provision of summary of whole subject matter.

4. In the lesson-plan there should be proper provision of recapitulation to have view of evaluation of the subject-matter taught to the students.

5. In the lesson plan these should be proper provision of the teaching aids and good illustrations.

6. It should provide maximum participation of the child in the teaching and learning process.

7. Provision of home work related to the subject- matter taught should be these.

8. Subject matter in the lesson-plan should be according to the time for teaching at the disposal of the teacher.

Reference

Web Quest. Retrieved on May 5, 2013, from

http://www.preservearticles.com/2012041730587/what-are-the-characteristics-of-a-good-lesson-plan.html

The Importance of Lesson Planning

The Importance of Lesson Planning

Lesson-Planning has certain definite functions to perform which are indispensable in good teaching.

1. Lesson- Planning gives the teacher greater assurance and greater freedom in teaching. The teacher, who has planned his lesson wisely, enters the class-room without anxiety, ready to embark with confidence upon a job he understands and prepared to carry it to a work­man like conclusion.

2. It provides for adequate lesson summaries, ensures a definite assignment for class, and availability of materials for lesson when needed.

3. It stimulates the teacher to introduce pivotal questions and illustrations.

4. Since lesson planning establishes proper connections between different lessons or units of study, it provides and encourages continuity in the teaching provides and encourages continuity in the teaching process.

5. It ensures association between various lessons in the same main, unit, the selection and organization of subject-matter, materials and activities.

6. It enables the teacher to know the most desirable type of teaching procedures and to prepare tests of progress and checks for judging the outcomes of instruction.

7. Lesson-planning prevents waste because it helps the teacher to be systematic and orderly. It saves him form haphazard teaching.

Reference

Web Quest. Retrieved on May 5, 2013, from

http://www.preservearticles.com/2012041730598/what-is-the-importance-of-lesson-planning.html 

Steps for Preparing a Lesson Plan

Steps for Preparing a Lesson Plan

Below are six steps to guide you when you create your first lesson plans. Each step is accompanied by a set of questions meant to prompt reflection and aid you in designing your teaching and learning activities.

(1) Outline learning objectives

The first step is to determine what you want students to learn and be able to do at the end of class. To help you specify your objectives for student learning, answer the following questions:

·         What is the topic of the lesson?

·         What do I want students to learn?

·         What do I want them to understand and be able to do at the end of class?

·         What do I want them to take away from this particular lesson?

Once you outline the learning objectives for the class meeting, rank them in terms of their importance. This step will prepare you for managing class time and accomplishing the more important learning objectives in case you are pressed for time. Consider the following questions:

·         What are the most important concepts, ideas, or skills I want students to be able to grasp and apply?

·         Why are they important?

·         If I ran out of time, which ones could not be omitted?

·         And conversely, which ones could I skip if pressed for time?

(2) Develop the introduction

Now that you have your learning objectives in order of their importance, design the specific activities you will use to get students to understand and apply what they have learned. Because you will have a diverse body of students with different academic and personal experiences, they may already be familiar with the topic. That is why you might start with a question or activity to gauge students’ knowledge of the subject or possibly, their preconceived notions about it. For example, you can take a simple poll: “How many of you have heard of X? Raise your hand if you have.” You can also gather background information from your students prior to class by sending students an electronic survey or asking them to write comments on index cards. This additional information can help shape your introduction, learning activities, etc.  When you have an idea of the students’ familiarity with the topic, you will also have a sense of what to focus on.

Develop a creative introduction to the topic to stimulate interest and encourage thinking. You can use a variety of approaches to engage students (e.g., personal anecdote, historical event, thought-provoking dilemma, real-world example, short video clip, practical application, probing question, etc.). Consider the following questions when planning your introduction:

·         How will I check whether students know anything about the topic or have any preconceived notions about it?

·         What are some commonly held ideas (or possibly misconceptions) about this topic that students might be familiar with or might espouse?

·         What will I do to introduce the topic?

 (3) Plan the specific learning activities (the main body of the lesson)

Prepare several different ways of explaining the material (real-life examples, analogies, visuals, etc.) to catch the attention of more students and appeal to different learning styles. As you plan your examples and activities, estimate how much time you will spend on each. Build in time for extended explanation or discussion, but also be prepared to move on quickly to different applications or problems, and to identify strategies that check for understanding. These questions would help you design the learning activities you will use:

·         What will I do to explain the topic?

·         What will I do to illustrate the topic in a different way?

·         How can I engage students in the topic?

·         What are some relevant real-life examples, analogies, or situations that can help students understand the topic?

·         What will students need to do to help them understand the topic better?

(4) Plan to check for understanding

Now that you have explained the topic and illustrated it with different examples, you need to check for student understanding – how will you know that students are learning? Think about specific questions you can ask students in order to check for understanding, write them down, and then paraphrase them so that you are prepared to ask the questions in different ways. Try to predict the answers your questions will generate. Decide on whether you want students to respond orally or in writing. You can look at Strategies to Extend Student Thinking,http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/P4_4.php to help you generate some ideas and you can also ask yourself these questions:

·         What questions will I ask students to check for understanding?

·         What will I have students do to demonstrate that they are following?

·         Going back to my list of learning objectives, what activity can I have students do to check whether each of those has been accomplished?

An important strategy that will also help you with time management is to anticipate students’ questions. When planning your lesson, decide what kinds of questions will be productive for discussion and what questions might sidetrack the class. Think about and decide on the balance between covering content (accomplishing your learning objectives) and ensuring that students understand.

(5) Develop a conclusion and a preview

Go over the material covered in class by summarizing the main points of the lesson. You can do this in a number of ways: you can state the main points yourself (“Today we talked about…”), you can ask a student to help you summarize them, or you can even ask all students to write down on a piece of paper what they think were the main points of the lesson. You can review the students’ answers to gauge their understanding of the topic and then explain anything unclear the following class. Conclude the lesson not only by summarizing the main points, but also by previewing the next lesson. How does the topic relate to the one that’s coming? This preview will spur students’ interest and help them connect the different ideas within a larger context.

(6) Create a realistic timeline

GSIs know how easy it is to run out of time and not cover all of the many points they had planned to cover. A list of ten learning objectives is not realistic, so narrow down your list to the two or three key concepts, ideas, or skills you want students to learn. Instructors also agree that they often need to adjust their lesson plan during class depending on what the students need. Your list of prioritized learning objectives will help you make decisions on the spot and adjust your lesson plan as needed. Having additional examples or alternative activities will also allow you to be flexible. A realistic timeline will reflect your flexibility and readiness to adapt to the specific classroom environment. Here are some strategies for creating a realistic timeline:

·         Estimate how much time each of the activities will take, then plan some extra time for each

·         When you prepare your lesson plan, next to each activity indicate how much time you expect it will take

·         Plan a few minutes at the end of class to answer any remaining questions and to sum up key points

·         Plan an extra activity or discussion question in case you have time left

·         Be flexible – be ready to adjust your lesson plan to students’ needs and focus on what seems to be more productive rather than sticking to your original plan

Reference

Web Quest. Retrieved on May 5, 2013, from

http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p2_5