Blog Post #2: Rich Activities and Lesson Planning

In a classroom of 25+ students it is beyond difficult to create a lesson plan that is slightly above each students cognitive demand. What students gain from a lesson is dependent upon the grade, age, prior knowledge, and life experiences of each student. Teachers need to allow for all students to access the curriculum and therefore should take great care in designing and implementing lesson plans. First, a teacher should ask herself what she knows about her students. What prior knowledge do they have on the topic? Could their previous life experiences and culture impact learning on this topic? Then, the teacher should seek to include all students into the lesson by asking questions such as: What additional supports would individuals with special needs require for this lesson? How can I further challenge students who easily grasp the material of the lesson? Thirdly, the teacher should determine how she is going to hold her students accountable for the material of the lesson. The teacher should establish specific classroom norms for students to follow such as taking turns, listening to others, and disagreeing with the idea not the person. Students should know the expectations for the classroom, so that class discussions run smoothly and all students feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Additionally, teachers should emphasize the idea that there are always multiple ways to solve a problem and one way is not necessarily better than another way.