Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Planning Questions for Instructors

by Jerry Wircenski
CTE Project Director
While planning a lesson there are a number of questions that should be asked and taken into consideration by instructors. A few key questions for planning consideration are as follows:
  • Am I aware of the transitions between activities I will use?
  • How will I address these transitions?
  • What will I do to remain aware of moving too slowly or too fast when presenting new content to students?
  • Do I have appropriate routines in place for teaching the class so that the lesson will flow smoothly?
  • What can I do to ensure fair and equitable treatment for all students (e.g., teasing, bullying, fair expectations)?
  • What methods will I use to show interest in my students as I teach the content?
  • During what activities could I provide praise and feedback to students?
  • What are some phrases I should use when providing praise and feedback so that I don’t use the same ones over and over?
  • What opportunities are there in the lesson to introduce physical movement?
  • What are a variety of teaching techniques that can be used to deliver the lesson…this will increase motivation on the part of the students.
  • Can I incorporate humor into any of the content I am presenting?
  • What content should I ask questions about during the summary of the lesson?
Source: Marzano, R. & Pickering, D. (2011). The Highly Engaged Classroom. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.