What are the best ways to plan
lessons that inspire and motivate students?
There are many ways to engage and motivate students, but the most important thing is to find out what they care about. You can use a variety of strategies like:
1. Finding out Students’ Interests
A good way to engage students in the classroom is to find out what they're interested in. This can be done by asking what they do outside of school, like playing sports or drawing, and incorporating these interests into your lesson plan.
2. Giving students Opportunities to Make Choices in the Lesson Plan
Allowing students to make choices in the lesson plan is an
excellent way to help them feel invested in their education. Giving students
this responsibility will motivate them to learn more and work harder.
- Giving them choices as to how they will learn - such as hands-on or traditional learning styles.
3. Identify the learning objectives
Before lesson planning, it is important to identify the learning objectives. Definition of learning objective is what the learner will be able to do or what will he achieve after learning the lesson rather than what topics he will going to learn or be exposed to during the teaching-learning process. Archetypally, objectives are written in a language that is easily understood by students and related to the program learning outcomes. This table contains the characteristics of clear learning objectives:
Characteristic
Description
Clearly stated tasks
Free from jargon and complex vocabulary; describe specific and
achievable tasks (such as ‘describe’, ‘analyze’ or ‘evaluate’) NOT vague tasks
(like ‘appreciate’, ‘understand’ or ‘explore’).
Important learning goals
Describe the essential (rather than trivial) learning in the
course that a student must achieve.
Achievable
Can be achieved within the given period and sufficient resources
are available.
Demonstrable and measurable
Can be demonstrated in a tangible way; are assessable;
achievement and quality of achievement can be observed.
Fair and equitable
All students, including those with disabilities or constraints,
have a fair chance of achieving them.
Read also, The Complete Guide to Learning Styles - How Your Brain Learns Differently and Why it's Important
Linked to the course and program objectives
Consider the broader goals - i.e. course, program, and institutional goals.
Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of Educational Objectives is a useful
resource for crafting learning objectives that are demonstrable and measurable.
2.
Innovation
Lessons that Push Your Students' Thinking
Innovation is a skill that is becoming increasingly important in
the modern world. But how do we teach our students to be innovative? One way to
teach innovation is by using lessons that push their thinking. These lessons
force students to look at the world differently, challenge their assumptions,
and explore new possibilities.
2.
Cultivating
Creativity through Lesson Planning Techniques
Lessons should be designed to help students develop a creative
mindset. This can be done by incorporating lessons that require creative
thinking and problem-solving skills.
Creativity is a skill that is not only important in the arts but
also in STEM fields. It has been suggested that there are two types of
creativity: divergent and convergent. Divergent thinking is used for generating
new ideas, while convergent thinking is used to narrow down ideas and come up
with a solution or answer to a question.
Creative lesson ideas include activities such as brainstorming
sessions, drawing pictures, writing stories, playing games with cards or dice,
and using mind mapping software to generate new ideas.
3.
A
New Approach to an old Teaching Tool
A New Approach to an Old Teaching Tool is a research paper that
discusses how technology has changed the way we learn. The paper talks about
how the new teaching techniques are more interactive and engaging than the old
ones.
The paper also talks about how these new teaching techniques can
be used in classrooms to make learning more fun and interesting for students.
It explores the many ways that these new teaching methods can be utilized in
schools, colleges, and universities.
4.
Make
Learning Fulfilling and Fun by Encouraging Student Creativity
Creativity is essential for student success. It is important to
encourage creativity in students to help them develop their skills and talents.
There are many ways to encourage creativity in students. One way
is to provide them with various opportunities for creativity, such as giving
them opportunities to express themselves through art, music, dance, and
theater. Another way is by encouraging student-led activities where they can
come up with their ideas and try new things.
5.
Inspiring
Curiosity with Inquiry-based Learning Techniques
Inquiry-based learning is a teaching method that focuses on the
personal and collaborative exploration of knowledge. It encourages learners to
ask questions, explore topics, and use evidence to support their thinking.
Inquiry-based learning is a great way to engage students in the
classroom. It can be used for any subject and at any grade level. Inquiry-based
lessons are often more engaging for students because they have a chance to work
together in small groups or as an entire class.
Conclusion
To be effective, the lesson plan does not have to be an exhaustive document that describes every possible classroom scenario. Nor does it have to anticipate each student’s response or question. Instead, it should provide you with a general outline of your teaching goals, learning objectives, and means to accomplish them. It is a reminder of what you want to do and how you want to do it. A productive lesson is not one in which everything goes exactly as planned, but one in which both students and instructors learn from each other.