Effective Lesson Planning and Instruction

Sample Learning Plans

• Lesson plans or learning plans are frequently cited as a difficult aspect of practice teaching.
• Critic teachers often express concern that students lack lesson planning skills.
• Lesson plans are essential for teachers, similar to how plans are crucial for engineers and architects.
• A learning plan is a detailed, adaptable plan covering multiple days of instruction and assessment.
• Recent shifts to remote learning have led educators to use technology to support student learning.
• Using technology and e-learning does not reinvent education but rather redistributes teachings in different ways.

Key Questions for Instruction

• What content is taught?
• How the content is instructed?
• How to effectively engage students in home environments?
• How to improve and change learning goals?
• What lessons are crucial for student progression?

Embedding 21st Century Skills

• Explicitly teach 21st-century skills and integrate them into classroom programs.
• While the curriculum is mandated, teachers have autonomy in how they teach it.
• Focus on developing transferable skills within the curriculum.

Learning Plan Template in Social Studies

• Desired Learning Outcomes (DLO)
• Course Content/Subject Matter
• Textbook/References
• Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs)
• Assessment Task (ATs)
• Resource Materials
• Time Table

Social Studies Skills

• Social studies students with information literacy can analyze sources, detect bias, and communicate effectively.
• Collaboration is vital in social studies for exchanging ideas.

Three 21st-Century Skill Categories

• Learning skills
• Literacy skills
• Life skills

Learning Skills (The Four C’s)

• Learning skills teach mental processes for adapting to modern work environments.
• Critical thinking: Finding solutions to problems
• Creativity: Thinking outside the box
• Collaboration: Working with others
• Communication: Talking to others

Focus on Planning Practices

• Remedial Learning for Students
• Full Remote Learning
• Distant Classrooms or Split Classrooms
• Delayed School Year or Starting Earlier
• Summer Session
• Hybrid and Blended Learning Environment

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

• Research indicates that PBL enhances student motivation, engagement, and teacher/student interaction.
• Results of a study revealed that project-based curriculum students outperformed traditional students and scoring was leveled among demographics.

Adapting to COVID-19

• The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted traditional K-12 structures, necessitating a shift in teaching methods.
• The pandemic has highlighted the need for districts to prepare for 21st-century learning practices.

Collaboration and Innovation

• Collaboration is essential for fostering 21st-century skills and deeper learning.
• Collaborative environments can spark innovation.

Technology Tools for Collaboration

• Google Apps for Education enables effective collaboration on documents and presentations, revisions are automatically saved.
• Kahoot is a game-based system that tests student knowledge and promotes collaboration.
• FlipGrid is a video discussion platform that enhances communication skills.
• MindMeister is a tool for collaborative brainstorming and project planning.
• Google Hangouts facilitates communication and collaboration among remote students.

Instruction Needed to Promote 21st Century Skills

• Cultivate skills through personalization, choice, collaboration, support, agency, reflection, and application.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

• Problem-based learning originated in the 1960s and is a student-centered pedagogy.
• Students learn by solving problems, often in groups with no single correct answer.

Project-Based Learning (PjBL)

• Project-based learning dates back to 1918 and involves students learning through investigating complex questions.
• PjBL enhances active learning and engages students, and it allows for higher order thinking.

Differences between PBL and PjBL

• PBL students often share outcomes and set goals with the teacher, whereas PjBL has pre-set goals.
• PjBL is multidisciplinary, longer in duration, and follows structured teaching, while PBL is subject specific, shorter, and provides specific steps.
• PjBL involves real-world tasks, while PBL uses more theoretical scenarios.

Principles of PBL

• Constructive: Learners construct their knowledge with the teacher as a guide.
• Collaborative: Students co-construct knowledge and share ideas.
• Contextual: Uses real-world problems for relevant learning.
• Self-directed: Promotes planning, reflection, and evaluation skills.

Characteristics of PBL

• Learning is driven by open-ended problems.
• Problems/cases are context-specific.
• Students are active investigators in small groups.
• A key problem is identified, and a solution is implemented.
• Teachers act as facilitators, guiding the learning process.

Benefits of PBL

• Develops critical thinking and creative skills.
• Improves problem-solving skills.
• Increases motivation.
• Helps students transfer knowledge to new situations.

History and Criticisms of PBL

• PBL gained influence in the late 1960s at McMaster University.
• Criticisms include students' lack of prior knowledge and potential to not cover as much material as lecture based courses.

ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT)

• The ICT CFT guides teacher training on using digital technologies in education.
• It supports policy development and capacity building in education.
• The ICT CFT provides a framework for identifying digital competencies for policy, curriculum design, and teacher training.
• It covers digital competencies across three levels: teaching and learning, school administration, and professional development.
• Successful ICT CFT implementation requires determined leadership and a supportive environment.
• The framework identifies 18 ICT competencies subdivided into 64 specific objectives, using ICT to support the curriculum, assessment, pedagogy, and professional development.
• UNESCO has developed the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Harnessing OER project which supports the contextualization of the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework.

ICT CFT/OER Hub Tools and Resources

• The ICT CFT/OER Hub contains OER collections aligned with the UNESCO ICT CFT.
• It supports sharing materials related to contextualizing the ICT CFT.
• A network of countries and institutions contribute to the hub, sharing best practices.

Writing a Problem-Based/Project-Based Learning Plan

• Project-based learning requires planning, starting with an idea and a question.
• Design the project while considering content standards and integrating subjects.
• Ensure accessible materials and resources, and assist students with time management.
• Use multiple means to assess student mastery of content and application of knowledge.
• Involve students in developing rubrics for the project.

Implementing PBL

• Start with an engaging essential question.
• Design a plan for the project.
• Create a schedule; monitor the students and the progress of the project.
• Assess the outcome; evaluate the experience.
• The question should address an authentic situation relevant to students' lives.

Designing and Scheduling PjBL

• Design projects with content standards in mind and involve students in planning.
• Integrate multiple subjects, ensure resource availability, and be prepared to explore new topics.
• Create a timeline for project components and be flexible to adapt to changes.
• Allocate time for the project and set benchmarks to manage time effectively.

Monitoring PjBL

• Facilitate the learning process and teach collaborative skills.
• Designate roles for group members and ensure individual responsibility.
• Provide resources and guidance, and assess the process through rubrics.
• Differentiate between team rubrics and project rubrics.

Assessing the Outcome

• Assessment provides feedback, sets standards, and evaluates progress.
• It gives students feedback on their understanding and helps teachers design effective instruction.
• Provide opportunities for self-assessment and schedule conferences to discuss discrepancies.

Evaluating the Experience

• Reflection is key for synthesizing new knowledge.
• Designate time for individual and group reflection on daily activities.
• Share feelings and experiences and discuss what worked well and what needs change.