Lesson Plan Template – Planning Chart Commented [1]: I will leave feedback throughout this.

Feel free, of course, to resolve positive comments as

you finish this up (I am hoping to not be relentlessly
negative...).
Lesson Title: Teachers and Teaching Commented [WD2R1]: Since my comments on the
previous draft are included, I’ll just build off of them.
AIM: Highlight differences between Students and Teachers’ needs.
Define teaching as a job, examine qualities of good and effective teachers.

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
A. Identify the definition of teaching as a job.
B. Analyse qualities found in good teachers.
C. Practice identifying areas for change.
D. Defend and debate ideas from the readings.

Central Focus:

1. Facts and Concepts: Good teachers have inherent qualities that make them stand out to students;
these qualities are expressed through certain actions, behaviors, and classroom management
styles.
● We are seeking to expand on prior class discussion about what teachers do using the following
texts:
- a) Sizer: Horace’s Compromise details the daily life of a middle-class suburban-area high
school teacher. We will use this text as a jumping-off point to discuss the ideals of
teaching vs. the realities, as well as what we think teachers should be doing in their
classrooms.
- b) Wilson & Corbett: The Teacher Students Wanted transcribes interviews with students
about qualities teachers possessed that they liked or that motivated them.
● Several members of the class are established teachers or school professionals; the class will use
their expertise and real-life experience as reference points during discussion.
Commented [WD3]: Granted, this material is much
different than one a secondary teacher might teach, but
still—here is an example of a sort of ‘concept’. What
exactly is the compromise that Horace makes, or has to
make? What does this have to do with the role of teacher?
Commented [WD4]: Yes, and here is another example:
the authors don’t have concepts necessarily, but the
organized the chapter into themes, which could have
been referenced as a conceptual category of sorts.

2. Interpretation/Analysis Skills:
a. As with some of our other readings, we will be looking to separate the realities of
teaching from teaching in its ideal state.
b. Current teachers in the class will analyze their professional experience. Commented [WD5]: Okay, how? The idea here is to
c. Those who are not currently teaching/working professionally in a school will identify make some of this thinking explicit. We can agree that
how their experiences align with or diverge from the readings. analyze means something like “break apart and try to
better understand”, but what exactly will that look like, at
least in broad strokes, with this group of students for this
3. Build/Support Arguments: Students have been asked to label characteristics of a “good/great” material?
teacher and compare it to see if Horace exemplifies it within the reading. Through this qualitative
Commented [6]: Activity idea: break into 4 small
assessment and the use of graphing, we can determine as a class, whether or not the interest is in groups and assign each a "period" from Horace's day.
the classroom or not. (i.e. great teachers are interested whether or not the students are engaged in What do they change/do differently/keep?
the lesson and will modify lessons to do so. Bad teachers aren’t interested in engagement and will Commented [7]: See my comment below regarding
not adjust lessons to try to engage.) the argument portion.
Commented [8]: I am getting stuck here.
Prior Academic Knowledge and Conceptions: Klaude/Marie: when you look this over, can you fill
some ideas in here to get us started?
A. Students’ Prior Learning/Skills: Students in this class have had 9 weeks’ time to analyze and Commented [WD9]: Okay, I see what you mean here,
participate in similar models of conversation. Students will have read and written a discussion response and I think we did discuss this afterwards (after the
on the reading material. Pertinent to the discussion topics, current teachers/school professionals will have teach-in).
real-life classroom experience to relate to the readings; all students in the class have the experience of
having been K-12 students. Commented [WD10]: Why does this matter, for this
particular class?
B. Personal/cultural/community assets: A variety of backgrounds:
● Current teachers & school professionals Commented [11]: Definitely an improvement from the
● K-12 student experience last version. I would push you to think more about this
● Parents of school-aged children first bullet; since these folks are in schools already,
how might they think about the 'role' or 'job' of teacher,
● [Some class members are also enrolled in EDFN 545, which is currently discussing culturally based on their experiences (and not just readings from
responsive classroom management techniques] a class)?
Commented [WD12R11]: Still think more should have
been done with this. You do reference their experiences
above, but there’s an assumption about what exactly
these experiences provide this group of students with.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks Commented [13]: Actually, you start to get into this in
the prior learning/skills part above--I would still push
your thinking more.
Instruction
1. Summary of Lesson (Including Outline): Commented [WD14]: A ha! I don’t even remember if
you wrote this the first time; let’s assume you did. What
1.) Prior to class, we arrange desks to accommodate 4 small groups (4 or less), placing one index card per does this suggest, or actually say, about the teacher role,
student at the tables. as some people construe it?
2.) At the start of class, we ask students to individually write 1-2 qualities of what they think makes a Commented [15]: I think you're on to something. Two
"good" teacher on their cards. Set aside for later. (3-5 mins) things:
3.) Discuss HORACE'S COMPROMISE (10 mins)
4.) Assign each group a "period" from Horace's day. Ask them to take 10 mins to outline how they would 1. You don't have to write anything to this effect, but
structure it differently/what they'd change/critique Horace's teaching style. (10-15 mins) consider what changes you will make if time becomes
a factor. You may find that #3, for instance, is a fruitful
5.)Reconvene: each group will "present" (5-10 mins) conversation, and worthy of more than 10 minutes. If
6.) Tie these changes into Wilson & Corbett (15-20 mins) that is the case--and maybe it won't be--you'll have to
7.) Map index cards on x-axis chart (3-5 mins) adjust the rest, right?

2. Consider the transition you will use from #1-5 to #6.

2. Engaging Students in Learning: Mapping + discussion
● Students will participate in a mapping activity involving placing 1-2 characteristics of good
teachers on notecards to be formed into a list of traits with their groups. The groups will then
participate in a full class discussion in which we make a master list on an x axis based on
common traits the other groups picked out.
● Students will have opportunities to discuss, qualify, and map behaviors and practices of “good”
teachers. By reviewing Horace’s day, students will make critical decisions about what changes
they have the ability to enact. Students will practice defining problems/areas for improvement, as
well as practicing arguing/defending their beliefs in regard to teaching practice.
3. Deepening Student Learning:
● Current teachers in the class will have an opportunity to assess their practice and evaluate what (if
any) changes they can make to their behavior or classroom management skills.
● Students who are not yet teaching will expand their ideas of what it means to be a teacher and
how teachers handle themselves in the classroom. In discussion with each other and current
teachers, these students will be able to assess teachers’ real-life experiences.
Will these activities naturally flow into each other? I
think this is one of the challenges in teaching, based on
what I observe of practicing teachers in my coaching
work; "teaching" becomes a list of 10 things to do, 8 of
which have nothing to do with one another. It's okay for
things to be different, but I think it's important to be
explicit about the connections, or the lack of
connections. (In other words, there is a kind of 'logic' to
a lesson, I think).
Commented [WD16]: I’m wondering if this came off the
way you thought it would.
Commented [WD17]: Well, this part of the lesson plan
was things you do. So, if the student is “expanding”, as
you wrote, that means I want to know what you all are
doing to facilitate/spur/initiate/etc. this.

Closure: Students will plot their 1-2 “qualities of good teachers” on the x-axis chart (student-teacher
directed, student-teacher interest). We will note the results, and close with a very brief overview of the
general qualities of “good” teachers.
Assessments:
As the “qualities of a good teacher” are subjective, this portion will not be assessed, but
suggestions that are not in line with qualities outlined in the Wilson & Corbett piece can be
reviewed or debated. Students will defend their ideas in discussion with support from the reading
(reading comprehension check), as well as personal experience: what works/doesn’t in their
classrooms or in their lives as students.
Commented [WD18]: You’re asking them to argue, or at
a minimum state an opinion. Is this not also subjective?
In other words, I don’t think the subjectivity of an activity
precludes it from being ‘assessed’. Assessment is not just
right or wrong. Sometimes, it’s just giving you a snapshot
of what students are thinking at a given moment.
Materials:
● Chalkboard
● whiteboard + Dry-erase Markers
● Notecards + tape (or post-its)