Planning lessons…without trying to teach teachers to suck eggs! Phil Smith Foundation Strand Consultant Bury LEA

By 5.30pm we will have looked at… How could I sharpen my own focus on what my lesson objectives are?How could I sharpen my own focus on what my lesson objectives are? How could I start to improve the ways I share these with the pupils more effectively?How could I start to improve the ways I share these with the pupils more effectively? How can I prepare realistic but useful lesson plans to help with this?How can I prepare realistic but useful lesson plans to help with this?

A London secondary pupil Something strange was about to happen. Homework started being returned to us on time. And instead of the odd, unhelpful tick and crosses, teachers were filling our schoolbooks with constructive comments. Each piece of homework is now returned with a cover sheet. On the smartly-printed form, the teacher summarises our work, lists positive points and suggests how we can improve.

How do their brains work? Could you pass this alternative I.Q. Test? 1.How do you get a giraffe into a fridge? 2.How do you get an elephant into a fridge? 3.At the Lion King meeting all the animals in the forest had to attend. All except one, which one? 4.You are near a lake inhabited by fierce crocodiles. How do you get across since there is no bridge, boat or any other form of transport?

A London secondary pupil Lessons have taken on a new dimension. Each one now has an objective written on the whiteboard at the beginning of the class. Teachers stand at the front of the class, waving their hands more enthusiastically. They used to look bored, now they look nervous.

Alan Kerr on lesson planning When did you last notice your dentist suddenly stop drilling and start flicking through a pile of A4 sheets detailing every step for filling a cavity? Or a builder carefully consulting a ring binder every time he throws a shovelful of sand into his mixer? And if they did we would be worried. The obsession with detailed lesson plans is out of control…it has been elevated into an over-elaborate and unnecessary ritual…good lessons do not require mass- produced plans on a laptop.

"We know that teaching does not simply produce learning." Professor MacBeath, during his time on the government's Taskforce for Education.

A KEY principle in the KS3 Strategy Sharpens the focus on teaching and learning Therefore can help to raise standards Shifts the emphasis from what pupils DO to what they LEARN

Short-term lesson planning During the session we will look at a variety of (i) Useful planning formats for busy teachers (ii) Write useful lesson plans that are straightforward, quick and manageable

What lesson planning is not… They should not be over detailed They should avoid complicated formats They should not simply repeat material from the medium-term plan (scheme of work) They should not take too much time and energy…otherwise they become counter- productive

Objective-led lesson planning…the alternative route See KS2 video of Maggie You have to start with the historical pull, motivational lift and conceptual focus of the enquiry question and then move backwards into individual lesson objectives.

W= We A=Are L=Learning T=To… explain explain who cares about Charles I and why

W=What I=Im L=Looking F=For In todays lesson is for you to (i)Remember (i)Remember why three historians care about Charles I (ii) Choose (ii) Choose from a list of sentences some of the things they may have said about Charles I (iii)Start to explain why (iii)Start to explain why they said these things about Charles and the Civil War

T=This I=Is B=Because (i)Next week we will be analysing why historians and film makers tell the same story of Charles in very different ways (ii)Later on we will be trying to write our own storyboard of the execution of Charles I and seeing just how difficult it can be!

Being clear about the plan for the lesson helps… Some possible answers might include… Structure their lessons Build on previous lessons and learning Share the objectives of the lesson with pupils Assess pupil achievements Develop effective assessment for learning

Being clear about the plan for the lesson helps… Some possible answers might include… Make lessons more inclusive and address a range of needs Make better use of classroom support Make explicit the key strategies they wish to use Address the key questions they need to ask

Being clear about the plan for the lesson helps… Some possible answers might include… Highlight key vocabulary/concepts/skills Focus on targets for raising standards, including literacy, numeracy and ICT Set homework

Sharing objectives with pupils Lesson Objectives…what is taught and learned-what the pupils should know, understand, be able to do, or to be aware of as a result of the lesson The BIG Picture…the broad purpose of the lesson which may directly refer to longer- term objectives/targets and how the lesson links to other lessons

Explaining learning objectives to pupils Teacher wants pupils to find out the role played by different parts of the digestive system But the pupils hear it as What I am looking for is whether you can explain the journey of food from entry to exit using the names for each body bit. This will help you understand how your body works

The role of Learning Intention Grids to sharpen medium term planning Know that… Understand how/why Be able to All pupils will Most pupils will Some pupils will

Learning Intention Grids help teachers The role of the learning intentions grids…aim high "Pull the other one"… Alan Shearer's teacher when he said he wanted to be a footballerAlan Shearer's teacher when he said he wanted to be a footballer "You'll never get anywhere playing that kind of stuff" Mark Knopfler's teacherMark Knopfler's teacher "The biggest no talent I have ever worked with." On Buddy HollyOn Buddy Holly "Can't act. Can't sing. Can dance a little." On Fred AstairOn Fred Astair "You ought to go back to driving a truck." On Elvis PresleyOn Elvis Presley on Emily Bronte"Will never be generally read" on Emily Bronte Eric Cantona"He is totally unsuitable for English football" Howard Kendall on Eric Cantona on Walt Disney"A singular lack of drawing ability" on Walt Disney

Task-led planning is not the same as objective-led planning Complete Task 3 Answer Questions 1-6 Draw a diagram

By the end of the lesson pupils will be able to… SelectExtractGive examples of… RelateChooseConnect LinkExplainIllustrate Show the relationship between Explain the relationship between Comment upon RememberRecallAsk questions about Choose questions that PrioritiseCreate headings Refine headings JustifyJustify their thinking concerning Explain their thinking concerning CompareContrast ReflectSupportSupport a view that EvaluateWeigh upCreate and construct DefineAnalyseJoin upShapeOrganiseReconsider

See Handout 3.2 ACTIVITY.. See Handout 3.2 Get into pairs Each pair should have teachers from different subject areas Take it in turns to take the role of the teacher and then pupil in order to test whether the objectives can be clearly understood

What should be the key elements of good lesson plans Brief BUT have Lively, challenging and rigorous enquiry questions…(these help to highlight key concepts and skills/develop cognitive dialogue and interaction/provide evidence for informal, ongoing assessment) Lesson objectives which can be shared with pupils A clear structure for the lesson

What should be the key elements of good lesson plans Brief notes on key questions and teaching points Brief notes on specific activities Brief notes relating to SEN/G&T Note on how you will use additional support

What should be the key elements of good lesson plans Reference to any new/revisited vocabulary References to relevant resources Homework to be set

(See Handout 3.3) Structuring lessons (See Handout 3.3) Successful lessons include (i)Crisp starts (ii)Exposition and explanation (iii)Activities which build on this (iv)Opportunities to consolidate and apply their learning and express it in a range of ways (written/visual/ physical/auditory/oral) (v)Plenaries during and at the end of a lesson to check progress and for pupils to reflect on what they have learned and how they have learned it

Handouts 3.4 and 3.5 Lesson plan formats…see Handouts 3.4 and 3.5 All of these are potentially useful formats They contain some of the key elements of good lesson planning The more detailed plans serve a particular need and are not a requirement of all lesson plans

Handout 3.6 Activity…See Handout 3.6 Spend a couple of minutes analysing each lesson format Make notes on 3.6 How effective is each one in addressing each of the key elements Make a judgement about which one you prefer and why

Strengths and weaknesses StrengthsWeaknesses

A sample of effective thinking before teaching a lesson not from the Foundation Strand folder! 1. Long-term planning context Comment on the part the lesson plays in long-term progression of subject specific learning. What subject specific concepts, skills, knowledge, understandings does it address? 2. Medium-term planning context Enquiry question: Any learning issues arising from events of previous lesson? 3. Lesson objectives By the end of this lesson pupils will be able to:

A sample of effective thinking before teaching a lesson 4. Introduction (i) motivate, intrigue, gain attention (e.g. use hook, create atmosphere or puzzle, energise with starter activity); (ii) make links with prior learning; (iii) set out direction, scope or goals of lesson, including the role in medium-term plan e.g. by fascinating pupils about the enquiry question (iv) communicate high expectations 5. Development Main teaching points, pupils learning activities, your main interventions (substance, style, timing and purpose of those interventions).

A sample of effective thinking before teaching a lesson 6. Conclusion Pupils should be clear about what they have achieved. How will you create a sense of collective pride in achievement? A conclusion should involve a plenary. It can include fun, interactive activities for pupils that help them to consolidate learning or see the lesson in a fresh or intriguing light. 7. Homework Clear, achievable, challenging. It should secure worthwhile preparation for or consolidation of historical learning. Vague bits of finishing off, leaving some pupils with nothing to do, are unacceptable. 8. Evaluation Evaluate against each objective. Comment on the evidence of pupils historical learning in how they spoke, wrote, listened, reacted etc

What practical things could you do next Handout 3.8See Handout 3.8 Think about the lesson plans that you currently use and decide what aspects of your departments lesson plans you like and which you think you can develop

Ready for more? As a department, review and, if appropriate, revise the planning format for lessons to ensure that it addresses the key elements of lesson planning in a manageable way. Revise a weeks lesson plans to ensure there is a clear focus on objectives and an indication of the evidence needed to demonstrate what pupils have learned.

Ready for more? Question pupils during the lessons to check that: (a) they understand the lesson objectives; (b) they can explain how they will know when they have achieved them. Make sure that objectives are referred to during plenaries. Try different ways of introducing lesson objectives, for example through whole-class discussion, whole-class questioning, writing them on the board, providing them on cards.

Module 3 Planning lessons I'm not suggesting we abandon objectives-in fact, they are very helpful: its much easier to teach if you know what youre supposed to be teaching. But somehow we have forgotten that raw objectives can be turned into something more enjoyable, wrapped up in child- friendly drama, art, music, song, play… Sue Palmer 6 th Dec 2002