Do you consider planning and preparation as an investment or a waste of time? Those who say it is a waste of time may have their genuine reasons due to experiences in the past. If you have planned for class activities or any other thing at school that turned out to be a flop, you may say planning is not necessary. However, well documented plans afford us the opportunity to retract and improve on our approach, this turns out to be beneficial for you and your students in the long run.
WHAT TO PLAN FOR
- Methodology
- Classroom management
- Resources
- Dealing with peculiarities: children and parents
- And so much more
WHY DO I NEED TO PLAN?
The teacher is continuously faced with numerous tasks to accomplish, without adequate planning, one is most likely to fail in some aspects even though you thrive in other areas.We do know that if you are ever given a choice to win-some or win-all, you will choose the latter. Good planning and preparation help you win more often than you would without the pair.
If you are still wondering why you need to plan, you should keep reading.
- Planning helps you to focus on what is important per time. With so many deadlines, you may want to be sure you are doing the right task per time.
- You set and keep up with standards (lesson delivery and every area of your teacher life) when you plan. Planning brings your wishes to reality because every teacher has big dreams for their classroom but not all are able to bring these bright dreams to fruition because they were not properly planned for.
- You become a better manager through planning. Properly engaged learners are more likely to be better behaved than those who are left idle or those without clear instructions. If you have ever been in a situation where your resources were not ready, complete or appropriate, then you can agree that when the teacher gets disorganized, the class is equally disorganized too.
- You become a better teacher. This one always works. A teacher with intentions to plan researches, practises, reflects, learns, relearns, fails, succeeds and much more. Because all these things build you, you earn the respect of your colleagues, administrators and students.
- Your students learn in a more enriched environment and achieve better results.
WHEN DO I PLAN AND PREPARE?
It is no doubt that the free periods we get at work do not suffice for the kind of planning and preparation that produce effective results, we need more time. Whatever time is comfortable for you is fine as long as you can do your planning.
- Staying back after close of work is effective for those who can do it. You have more quiet time at work to reflect and let the ideas flow.
- Some teachers prefer to come to work pretty early when there's hardly anyone else around to distract them.
- Others cherish the peace of their homes and would rather stay up late at wee hours to plan and prepare.
HOW DO I START MY PLANNING?
- Write notes. A teacher who wants to succeed at planning will have to write down important things at different times. You write when you want to reflect on your practice/day at work. A to-do list works wonders and will give you direction, help you stay focused and increase your chances of having a peak performance.
- Do a draft of your lesson by breaking down each aspect of delivery into minutes. Play out every part and see if you really will achieve the intended purpose at the specified time. (look out for future posts where I will be teaching you how to organize your activities and make sure Blended Learning is achieved).
- Your colleagues are valuable resources which should never be ruled out. Observe other lessons and ask questions. Allow others to observe your class and also tell them to give you honest feedback. Use the results of these to plan for your class.
- You can find a lot of information on whatever you need to know by surfing the net, reading a book or doing a short course. You do not always have to stare at the ceiling or give up when you lack ideas. Doing research can provide you with more ideas on how to deal with issues in your class.
- Always document your ideas as they come. If you choose to wait for a special time to recall them, important details may have been lost.
