Having a back up plan
Having a back up an ensures that you are always prepared for class even when the unexpected happens. It shows that you have total control of your classroom.
Tracey,
Yep! When a good back-up plan is put into place, the students shouldn't even know that it wasn't part of the plan to start with.
Barry Westling
A back up plan is always good when dealing with a class that has a variety of student skills.
I agree, a good back up plan is always needed to fall back on when the face to race dynamics take place. Plan B may be a better way to get the point across.
Steven
Steve,
In many ways, "Plan-A" and "Plan-B" ought to be interchangeable. Rather than thinking of it as a back-up, we should think of it as an alternative way to present a segment of the topic.
Barry Westling
I am a real believer of a back up plan. So many times I have planned for a lecture, discussion, or group activity to last a certain amount of time and they or I finish early. The first few times this happened to me really caught me by surprise. I now always have something that can be used when we finish early. I keep this extra material in the classroom so I will not be caught "not prepared". It didn't take me long to learn this lesson.
Nancy,
I agree. Back up plans can be for those "over/under times", but also when the whole day of activities cannot be completed for whatever reason. That's when a good back-up plan can be a lifesaver. I think they should be low tech, easy to implement on short notice, relevant, interesting, and related to the major topic. Students don't want to feel like they're just being assigned busy work.
Barry Westling
