Documenting Your Lesson Plans
What is the purpose and value of documenting your lesson plans?
Documentation is the mantra for all instructors and personnel. Lesson documentation provides the following: gives you organization that is crucial in the classroom, keeps you on track, gives you an idea of where you are going and what you have covered, and allows you to change the lesson if the audience or subject matter has changed. Guidance and direction above all. In regards to accreditation, lesson documentation is required for the majority of colleges as dictated by compliance standards.
Dar-
Thank you for your post and I agree with your assessment. In addition, lesson plans can be used to share ideas and collaborate with fellow instructors, that are teaching in a similar discipline.
The purpose of documenting your lesson plans is to provide concrete direction during a course of instruction, as well as provide administration your ability to relay to the students the objectives required by the course. The value of documenting them is you can always go back and adjust course content (lesson plan) based on the student's ability to learn the objectives expected to be taught by the administration.
Phillip,
Thank you for your observation. Lesson plans can also be used as "timelines", in which an instructor can review their progress from the inception of teaching a course. The instructor can use their lesson plans as evidence (during annual reviews), that they have added to the content of a particular course, over time.
Tremayne Simpson
I like to document lesson plans for the simple reason that if I am going to teach the course again I have copious notes to fall back on for the next time through and can use those to IMPROVE upon what I did the last time. Well drawn up lesson plans provide that for me when I review.
if i am unable to make it to work any given day there is an outline of what needs to be covered, this way the teacher taking over does not have any surprises.
In case there is a sub teacher taking over the lesson , the routine will not be broken and the students will not fall behind .
antonio,
Great observation. Does your school have a "shared" website or location, in which instructors can use to upload/store lesson plans and course materials?
Tremayne Simpson
If you are absent from work another instructor will be able to use your lesson plan so that the students can stay on track .
To prepare the student for what they should expect
Margaret,
In addition, lesson plans can also act as "teasers" in that you can create excitement for your students, as they anticipate a particular topic or activity that is scheduled for the class. Increasing the level of anticipation will enhance their level of attentiveness for the entire class.
Tremayne Simpson
Lesson plan allows me to stay on track with my timing and allow the students to not have a surprises along the way
I keep a folder with all the material and lesson plans for the course because it may not be me who teaches that course next. The material gives the other instructor a understanding of how I kept the class on point and flowing.
By documenting lesson plans someone else is able to pick up and teach the class in your absence. It also gives new instructors guidelines to use when setting up their lesson plans.
It is quite possible that I may have to miss a class due to unforseen cirsumstances and by having a lesson plan, some one can easily continue from where I left off.
In my case, I may not teach the same course for some months. When I am re-assigned to the class, a quick look at the leson plan can bring me back on track.
It gives the student a clear base of what the lesson plan is going to be about.
doing different courses can create an overload of tension for a instructor with a course lesson plan its easy to regaine the place where we left off mateial wise and keeps students interested in the material
I agree with the course material that it is important to document your lesson plan to share with co-workers and to improve the process. When I teach a course for the first time it's important for me to review and document what my lesson plan will entail for the class. With documentation comes improvement, so I believe I can critique my lesson plan by updating on what was successful and what needs to be changed.
