3 answers
Corinthian
Student
Decatur, Alabama
1
Question
3 answers
Emily Lindberg
Teacher
20
Answers
Salem, Oregon
Updated
Emily’s Answer
A simple answer is that there are state education standards which students are expected to be able to meet, and teachers are expected to plan their teaching around, while at the same time considering the various needs and interests of the students in their classroom.
Are are often other variables, such as the needs of a particular school, the curriculum used by the school district, an expected format for lessons, etc.
Here is an example of a standard, and how one might think about planning lessons around it:
In Alabama, resources on this website (https://www.alabamaachieves.org/academic-standards/) tell me that a 12th grade student in an Economics class should be able to: Analyze Graphs to determine changes in Supply and Demand, and their effect on equilibrium price and quantity.
As a teacher, this tells me I need to teach students the following concepts:
1. What is Supply and how does it look on a graph
2. What is demand and how does it look on a graph
3. What is an equilibrium price and how does it look on a graph
4. What is quantity and how does it look on a graph
5. How are all of the above concepts related
6. After obtaining the background information, students would then practice analyzing graphs and demonstrating that they understand how these concepts impact one-another, and how changes display visually on a graph.
So really, its all about breaking down bigger ideas, and trying to make it accessible for the specific group of students.
Are are often other variables, such as the needs of a particular school, the curriculum used by the school district, an expected format for lessons, etc.
Here is an example of a standard, and how one might think about planning lessons around it:
In Alabama, resources on this website (https://www.alabamaachieves.org/academic-standards/) tell me that a 12th grade student in an Economics class should be able to: Analyze Graphs to determine changes in Supply and Demand, and their effect on equilibrium price and quantity.
As a teacher, this tells me I need to teach students the following concepts:
1. What is Supply and how does it look on a graph
2. What is demand and how does it look on a graph
3. What is an equilibrium price and how does it look on a graph
4. What is quantity and how does it look on a graph
5. How are all of the above concepts related
6. After obtaining the background information, students would then practice analyzing graphs and demonstrating that they understand how these concepts impact one-another, and how changes display visually on a graph.
So really, its all about breaking down bigger ideas, and trying to make it accessible for the specific group of students.
Brilliant insight. Including the example was a helpful piece to further illustrate your response.
Louis Morgan-Cassamajor
Alan Weber
writer and retired teacher, teacher educator and academic advisor
207
Answers
Woodstock, New York
Updated
Alan’s Answer
This is not an easy question. There's a big disconnect between how teachers should plan lessons and how they usually do. The way a teacher should plan lessons is by building on the interests, needs and developmental levels of their students. They should involve their students in curriculum planning, and leave plenty of room for exploration and discovery. They should build around themes that are of interest and contain a multitude of learning possibilities for students in various ways and at various levels. That's how teachers should plan lessons. That's not how it's usually done here. For more on this, I would strongly suggest you read about what's called "The Project Approach." I could go on and on, since this is what I taught education students for twenty seven years and written extensively about... against the current, I might add.
Unfortunately (and my intention is to inspire you, not discourage you), curriculum is generally imposed on teachers and their students. Teachers are told what they're "supposed to" cover, regardless of who their students are and where they are developmentally and experientially. They're tied into methods that contradict what is known about how children learn, things like worksheets, memorization, homework, standardized tests and passive learning. The themes they build their curricula around are quite often meaningless and uncreative. It's true that teachers facing the reality of large classes can't perfectly individualize their curricula and expectations as much as the good ones would like, but too often it's become a process of going to the copy machine and photocopying a packet of lessons, having children work on them for far too long without exercise, socialization or inspiration, and having them take more home for homework, interfering further with all of the above plus family time. Find a video of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In the Wall." I always used it in class.
What I'm suggesting here is that if a teacher is what you want to be, be a good one. To the best of your ability do what you believe is best for your students. Start where they are, what they're already doing, what they show interest in, what truly meets their developmental and personal needs. Look into techniques like "webbing," integrated curriculum, and "process-oriented" learning. I realize that this is a lot to take in from where you are now, but I think some of it might resonate with you. I don't know how close you are to college or if teaching even is a career goal, but if you think it makes sense for you to continue this "conversation," add a comment.
Unfortunately (and my intention is to inspire you, not discourage you), curriculum is generally imposed on teachers and their students. Teachers are told what they're "supposed to" cover, regardless of who their students are and where they are developmentally and experientially. They're tied into methods that contradict what is known about how children learn, things like worksheets, memorization, homework, standardized tests and passive learning. The themes they build their curricula around are quite often meaningless and uncreative. It's true that teachers facing the reality of large classes can't perfectly individualize their curricula and expectations as much as the good ones would like, but too often it's become a process of going to the copy machine and photocopying a packet of lessons, having children work on them for far too long without exercise, socialization or inspiration, and having them take more home for homework, interfering further with all of the above plus family time. Find a video of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In the Wall." I always used it in class.
What I'm suggesting here is that if a teacher is what you want to be, be a good one. To the best of your ability do what you believe is best for your students. Start where they are, what they're already doing, what they show interest in, what truly meets their developmental and personal needs. Look into techniques like "webbing," integrated curriculum, and "process-oriented" learning. I realize that this is a lot to take in from where you are now, but I think some of it might resonate with you. I don't know how close you are to college or if teaching even is a career goal, but if you think it makes sense for you to continue this "conversation," add a comment.
Keyston Rice
Supervisor
180
Answers
Lawrence, IN
Updated
Keyston’s Answer
From what I understand, teachers plan lessons by considering the subject, the students' needs and abilities, and the learning goals. Drawing from my own experiences, it's like how I coordinate tasks in my maintenance role – understanding what needs to be done and tailoring the plan to achieve the best outcome.