Planning for the Classroom, Not Just the Lesson

I think we can all agree, as teachers, that lesson planning is much more than simply filling in a lesson plan template. It is important to start with a clear learning goal and to think about how students will be able to show their understanding after the teacher has delivered the lesson. That being said, a lesson plan should not be treated as a script or as a checklist. Teachers need to be prepared to adjust their plans depending on how their students are responding in real time.

I experienced this during my practicum when I taught a grade 9 Core French unit. My host teacher had reviewed my lesson plans and had mentioned that I included way too much detail and would need to be ready to adapt to the specific needs of each student in each section. She was right. Sometimes I needed to slow down, repeat myself, provide more details or another example, or give students more time to practice. This showed me that one of the most important parts of teaching is paying attention to the reactions students have to your teaching style. These observations can be made from their questions, participation levels, and subsequent work effort after delivering the lesson.

Technology can be helpful with this as well. Utilizing digital tools such as Kahoot, Gimkit, Google Forms, Blooket, or other interactive activities can provide students with opportunities to practice what they are learning while providing the teacher with quick statistics on individual student knowledge and understanding. However, my advice to other teachers would be to choose technology based on the learning goal rather than choosing a tool first and then trying to fit it into the lesson plan. I believe that technology should support learning, not just be used to make the lesson more entertaining.

A resource I would recommend to French teachers is Bonjour de France. This resource provides pre-made lesson plans, worksheets, tests, spelling quizzes, and much more. It is completely free and organized by CECRL levels, which makes it very easy to align with classroom specific needs. This resource has personally helped me a lot, as I am required to quickly build lesson plans on short notice over my practicums.

Overall, my practicum experiences have taught me that good teaching requires both preparation and flexibility. Having a strong lesson plan can provide you with direction, yet being willing to change that plan when students need something different is just as important!

IlyanaK@NUO