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.