A good lesson plan is not measured by how well the plan was prepared and written nor it is measured by academic success only but by the engagement of students. The response of the students is of utmost importance in evaluating a lesson whether it is of good qualities or not, and thus external or internal observation needs to focus more on what the students are doing than what the teacher does.
Of course, I am not neglecting the position of an effective teacher without which it will be impossible to describe the qualities of a good lesson plan. By definition, an effective teacher is someone who adequately fulfils his/her class objective by utilizing the available instructional materials and getting positive feedback from students during and after the class. Positive feedback can be measured through summative evaluation.
What Makes A Good Lesson Plan?
(From student perspective)
A lesson plan can be deemed good quality;
- If students are highly engaged
- If students shift from being merely compliant to positively motivated
- If students make progress and learn
- If students are challenged/have their perceptions changed
- If students obviously enjoy the lesson/have fun/are reluctant to leave when the lesson ends and are keen to discuss what they have learned and what they might be doing in the next lesson
- If students make relevant spontaneous comments, ask pertinent questions, engage in debate, offer novel ideas
- If students are punctual and do they quickly settle down to work
- If students show a keen interest in the tasks planned for them?
- If students are proud of their work, understand the concepts of what they have learned and are eager to explain what they are doing and why
- If students interact productively as they are learning
What Makes A Good Lesson Plan?
(From teaching perspective)
A lesson plan can be deemed good if there is:
- A recap of the previous lesson at the beginning.
- Clear lesson objectives in the form of expected learning outcomes are shared with students and revisited as the lesson progresses.
- Clear explanations using language that is accessible to students whilst developing vocabulary appropriately.
- Appropriate assessment (often informal) to test the level of understanding and thus the progress towards meeting the stated objectives.
- Provide clear feedback on students’ progress
- Varied teaching and learning activities
- Time at the end of the lesson to evaluate to what extent the objectives have been achieved and some discussion of the proposed content of the next lesson so learners can see where the learning is going.
What Makes A Good Lesson Plan?
(From teacher perspective)
A lesson plan can be said to be of good qualities if the teacher measures up to all qualities listed below:
- Subject expertise and flair for what they are doing.
- The involvement of each and every student in the learning process.
- Expert use of questioning which probes understanding and teases out misconceptions.
- Students who are encouraged to work things out for themselves (questions that are also sensitively targeted according to ability)
- Challenging and imaginative tasks which will engage students and support the learning process.
- A wide variety of resources to include appropriate use of the internet/videos/PowerPoint etc. e.g. in one physics on the universe, the teacher used a computer and a data projector to link to a website which enabled students to see a lively animation on the brightness and magnitude of stars. Students were totally engaged by this. Such a change from writing a series of large numbers on a whiteboard.
- A variety of approaches to cater for a range of learning styles, constant checking that everyone is on board.
- A clear desire to facilitate independent learning and include individual/peer evaluation and support.
- A willingness to answer difficult questions and to tackle complex issues with confidence.