An experienced teacher and senior leader's perspective on lesson planning...
I recently met with a team of professional project managers and was asked by the team leader if I’d ever considered a career change. ‘What is your background? Have you ever considered becoming a project manager?’ he curiously enquired. A little puzzled and amazed, I replied with a half-laugh, ‘No, I am an English teacher.’ His parting message was, ‘Seriously, think about it.’
So, I did think about it… and my ponderings have led me to the realisation that it wasn’t such a stretch after all: good teaching is not really that different from good project management. It all boils down to the same thing- effective planning.
When I plan a project, a scheme of work, or even a lesson, I always start in the same place- at the end. I develop a clear vision of what ‘it’ needs to look like- what do my students need to know by the end of the unit or lesson? What do staff need to be able to do by the end of the project? From there, I plan backwards- following a logical sequence to my starting point, infusing as much creativity (and risk mitigation) as possible along the way.
In my years of teaching, managing and leading, I have had the privilege and misfortune of observing too many lessons to quantify. Most often, the key factor in whether a lesson goes well or poorly comes down to the same thing: planning. Those teachers who plan well, understand that a lesson is an opportunity to manage students’ process of discovery, to show students where they need to go and to help them get there. Those who don’t, either dictate from the front of the room for long stretches in the lesson, barely managing to hold on to students’ attention with the very tips of their fingers or just try to keep them busy, jumping from task to task- and often don’t even achieve that.
Maybe teachers should be rebranded as ‘project managers’. Perhaps that would reframe our thinking from ‘imparters of knowledge’ to ‘managers of learning’. Perhaps we’d sharpen our focus on how we can get students to where we want them to be. Perhaps we’d be seen as more than mere ‘baby-sitters’ by the media and treated with a bit more respect in society.
Anyway, I think Maria had it all wrong…start at the very end. The end is a very good place to start.
So there you have it, a top tip for effective planning! Why not check out our Resources page to download a copy of The Lesson Scribbler for quick and effective planning without the fuss!
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