Session 3.7 - Designing interactive lesson plans
The OER4Schools Professional Learning Resource
Learning intentions and objectives.
In this session you will learn about:
- Learn about putting together interactive lesson plans
Success criteria.
To meet the learning intentions you will:
ICT components.
The ICT components you will focus on are
Classroom based activities (with your students, after this session):
- you will ...
Review of follow-up activities from last session
If you are running a professional learning programme which follows these sessions in sequence, then you should do the review of follow-up activities relating to the (Category:OER4S CPD). The 'review of follow-up activities' for that session is available, and also shown below in the session text. However, if you are following selected sessions in a different order, then you should use the reflection appropriate to the previous session you did.
The review of the follow-up activities for this session (to be done at the start of the next session) is available here.
There is no review of follow-up activities from last session available. You can go to the previous session () and.
Lesson planning
Let us think about planning whole lessons using a combination of the interactive teaching techniques that we have encountered so far.
Whole class dialogue (10 min): How do you currently plan your lessons? Share your thoughts with the rest of the group, listening out for similarities and differences.
Check variation, discuss value of recording lesson plans (better prepared for teaching process/can be used by someone else if you are away/makes it easier to reflect and improve on teaching/saves time as good parts can be used again.
An interactive lesson plan in action
Look at the lesson plan template and the example of a completed one: this shows the plan for the lesson you have seen the clips from – Eness’s lesson on vertebrates.
Watch the following 4 clips to see how the activities in that lesson are sequenced. (A couple of these you have already seen, the other two are new).
VIDEO
A brainstorm naming animals
A brainstorm naming animals. Start of lesson: brainstorm with unique contributions, time to think first, no hands up technique.
Video/Eness vertebrates 1.mp4, https://oer.opendeved.net/wiki/Video/Eness_vertebrates_1.mp4,This video is available on your memory stick in the video/Eness Vertebrates folder. Duration: 2:43 watch on YouTube, local play / download options / download from dropbox)(Series: Eness Vertebrates, episode 01)(Transcript available here or via YouTube captions.)
VIDEO
Instructions to set up the task
Instructions to set up the task and initiate group work. Group enjoying themselves.
Video/Eness vertebrates 3.mp4, https://oer.opendeved.net/wiki/Video/Eness_vertebrates_3.mp4,This video is available on your memory stick in the video/Eness Vertebrates folder. Duration: 1:17 watch on YouTube, local play / download options / download from dropbox)(Series: Eness Vertebrates, episode 03)
VIDEO
Teacher gives detailed help
Teacher gives detailed help to group: shows ICT use. ("I've never seen a Zebra.")
Video/Eness vertebrates 5.mp4, https://oer.opendeved.net/wiki/Video/Eness_vertebrates_5.mp4,This video is available on your memory stick in the video/Eness Vertebrates folder. Duration: 4:04 watch on YouTube, local play / download options / download from dropbox)(Series: Eness Vertebrates, episode 05)
VIDEO
Whole class discussion
Whole class discussion of ‘Is a bat a bird?' Teacher sets unresolved problem as homework
Video/Eness vertebrates 12.mp4, https://oer.opendeved.net/wiki/Video/Eness_vertebrates_12.mp4,This video is available on your memory stick in the video/Eness Vertebrates folder. Duration: 4:19 watch on YouTube, local play / download options / download from dropbox)(Series: Eness Vertebrates, episode 12)(Transcript available here or via YouTube captions.)
The clips are from Eness' lesson on vertebrates, clips 1 (part), 3, 5, 12 .mp4. They demonstrate:
- 1 = start of lesson: brain storm with unique contributions, time to think first, no hands up technique too
- 3 = Instructions to set up the task and initiate group work; group enjoying themselves
- 5 = T gives detailed help to group: shows ICT use
- 12 = whole class discussion of ‘is a bat a bird?’ + T sets unresolved problem as homework
Discuss these clips at the end; how did the teacher build up the sequence of activities? Look at her lesson plan again if you need to.
Notice how the teacher gave the children time to think before the brainstorm; she was very patient! This is called “wait time” and can be used any time when learners are asked a question or given a challenging task. Rather than jumping in to tell them an answer, it allows uncertainty and encourages deeper thinking.
The lesson builds from (a) brainstorm to (b) groupwork using ICT and developing children’s own classifications, to (c) group presentations to the class, interspersed with (d) whole class discussion and follow-up homework.
Developing lesson plans using lesson plan "templates"
Small group activity (11 min). Working in small groups, each participant should complete a whole lesson plan for a lesson they will teach shortly. Spend quite a lot of time on this.
Think about incorporating interactive elements in your lesson plans. Discuss ideas with your group. Plan the lesson in detail, so every activity is described in enough detail that someone else could teach from your plan.
However, allow for some flexibility according to learners’ responses. Remember at the end of Eness’s lesson (Clip 12), she set the learners a research task for homework because they had not come to a consensus view about whether a bat was a bird or not.
Including all learners. How can you ensure that everyone is participating actively?
For example, you saw how Eness (Clip 1) required every child to think of their own example of an animal. Are there other techniques you can use, especially if you have a large class where that might be too time consuming?
Are there any learners that may have difficulty with the tasks?
Differentiation. Think too about how you will cater for slower and faster learners – can the faster learners get further or get more work done than the slower ones? Do you need to have additional, more challenging work ready for them to do if they finish an activity before their peers?
Choose one or more new ideas to add to the one you already tried last time, e.g.
- Brainstorm
- Mini-blackboard use, with or without student presentations
- A question-and-answer session with students as to what they might want to learn. (You would need to then take those requests seriously!)
- Think of a general question, that has many answers (e.g. name mammals) rather than a single answer. Ask children to come to the board one-by-one, and write (e.g. a mammal) on the board.
- A practical or outdoors activity
ICT practice: Different-tasks group work with ICT and activity planning
Different-tasks group work (20 min) with ICT on various topics.
Connecting with overarching goals of the programme
Open space (10 min). It's now time for the "open space", that gives you an opportunity to discuss issues that have arisen, and to relate those to the broader context of the programme. Do not just gloss over this section, but make time to raise issues, and probe the progress that you are making. You could use this space to:
- Remind yourselves of the of the Most Significant Change Technique, and e.g. collect more of your stories.
- Discuss your assessment portfolios: Is there anything that you are unsure about? Is it going well? What could be done better?
- Check on the work with the classroom assistants: Is this going well? Are there any tensions? Any observations or tips you can share?
- Reviewing individual ICT practise (such as typing practise).
- If you are preparing a presentation for other teachers, you could work on the presentation (about what you have been learning, stories emerging from MSC).
- Remind those who are doing audio diaries, to upload them.
- You could discuss any other issues that have arisen.
You will find notes and summaries of various techniques and concepts on our reference page, and you might want to refer to those for clarification during this activity if needed.
Follow-up activities
Agreeing follow-up activities (5 min).
Teach the lesson you have planned. Then REFLECT on it as you did before when you trialled a new activity. Use your dictaphone to record your reflections. You may want to write down a few brief notes too, so you can remember the issues arising when you come to the next workshop session, as you will be asked to share your reflections with others then (focusing on how the lesson went, how learners responded, and what you would change if you taught it again).
At the end of each session, we provide an overview of the activities in this session, together with their suggested timings. Although this appears at the end of the session (for technical reasons), you should keep an eye on this throughout the session, to make sure that you are pacing the workshop session appropriately!
Total time: 56 (min)
Activities in this session:
- Whole class dialogue (10 min): How do you currently plan your lessons?
- Small group activity(11 min).
- Different-tasks group work (20 min) with ICT on various topics.
- Open space(10 min).
- Agreeing follow-up activities(5 min).
If you have printed this session for offline use, you may also need to download the following assets:
- Video/Eness vertebrates 1.mp4 (local play / download options / download from dropbox)
- Video/Eness vertebrates 3.mp4 (local play / download options / download from dropbox)
- Video/Eness vertebrates 5.mp4 (local play / download options / download from dropbox)
- Video/Eness vertebrates 12.mp4 (local play / download options / download from dropbox)
