10 Tips for Effective Lesson Planning

We know how hard it might be to plan a lesson for particular students when you are overwhelmed with all other activities, For effective lesson planning there must be various things you should keep in mind. In this blog, we will make clear what are those things that are required to make your plan successful.

1. Familiarise yourself with the curriculum

Your lessons will be based on the yearly overview of the subject, so it is important to get a good idea of what that entails before starting your planning. A curriculum sets out the knowledge and skills that learners should be taught by their teacher within a certain time frame. The curriculum will help you to understand what the subject’s focus and learning objectives are.

Once you have a clear understanding of the curriculum, you can plan lessons more specifically with the bigger picture in mind. You can work from there to set up detailed lesson plans that will in the end help your learners to achieve the learning objectives for the year.

Getting yourself familiar with the curriculum helps a lot to plan effective lesson planning for teachers

2. Have a clear objective

For effective lesson planning,  ask yourself: What is the goal of this lesson? What should the lesson help learners achieve, learn, or think about? Thinking about the learning objectives will help you understand which activities will most benefit the lesson.

Your short-term objectives, in other words, what you plan to achieve within the lesson or the day, should definitely be important when planning your lesson, but that is not all. You have to also think about your medium-term objectives that you have for the whole week. You should also make sure your short-term and medium-term objectives take into account the yearly goals you have for your learners, also called your long-term objectives.

As with all goals, you can use the SMART method to help guide you. Ensure that your goals for your class are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Setting SMART goals will help you get a full overview of what you are trying to accomplish.

3. Research different teaching styles

While researching different teaching styles, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The size of your class will determine the practicality of some styles. The age of your students and the objectives of your lesson will also help you to determine which teaching style will work best for the group.

If you would like to, for example, work on problem-solving skills in a lesson, you would perhaps choose an approach that facilitates open discussion.

Whether you would like to present information to your class while they sit back and listen, or you want your class to start with open-ended questions to engage your learners, there is a teaching style for everyone.

You’ll be happy to hear that you don’t have to choose just one teaching style! You can adapt the way you approach a lesson based on various factors, and continue to adapt it until it works for you and your class.

4. Use differentiation

Differentiation means using different types of activities and different difficulty levels to make provision for the individual needs of the students in your class.

Differentiation can help to prevent students from becoming bored when they aren’t challenged enough, or frustrated when they find activities too challenging.

When planning your lessons, you should try to recognise the strengths and different abilities of your students. There are various ways to differentiate activities, and you can even use activities that already have differentiated questions included, like this one.

5. Find ways to engage students

When students are engaged in lessons, it can help them to be more interested and motivated to learn. As teachers, there are various ways in which we can make a classroom a great environment for learning, and that includes making learners feel excited about lessons.

A simple way to make your lessons more engaging is to create a space where students feel free to ask questions and are encouraged to participate in activities.

You can try to incorporate opportunities for students to work together and brainstorm great new ideas. Group discussions or even debates can also motivate students to participate actively in class.

Another way of engaging students in lessons is to use real-world examples that are relevant to them. Interactive games are also a great way to engage students in lessons.

6. Think of a plan B (and C)

You know that things don’t always go to plan. For that reason, it is always a good idea to think of different ways to continue with a great lesson, even if things change.

You can start by thinking about possible blockers for your plan. Did you plan an activity outside? Let’s think of a plan B in case it rains.

Did you plan on having a presentation to guide learners through your lesson? Let’s think of a way to keep your lesson engaging even if the projector decides to stop working today.

Have a plan ready in case everything goes right too! If you finish your lesson early, make sure to have some fun activities planned to keep your class entertained.

7. Be flexible

There are times when you are going to have to take a step back, see what is working and what is not, and adjust from there. It is important to be flexible!

You might adjust your teaching style if you recognise that your learners aren’t as engaged as you’d like them to be. It is important to make some adjustments in order to provide your learners with the best learning experience possible.

You can look at planning more interactive lessons, such as including games or encouraging group work, to engage your learners more.

Perhaps you notice that your learners aren’t fully comprehending the subject material. How are you going to adjust your teaching to help them?

You can look at spending more time on certain topics and have more frequent informal assessments to get an idea of how much your learners are comprehending.

8. Set realistic timelines

Make sure there is enough time to discuss, answer questions, explain, and allow for interaction. Your timelines should not only take into account your objectives but also the pace at which your students learn and the curriculum requirements.

It is also a good idea to allow time for valuable feedback from your learners!

Setting realistic timelines will benefit your learners, but it will also benefit you. It may help you to feel less overwhelmed if things don’t go as planned, or less stressed out when times are busy.

9. Work with your colleagues

Where possible, you can work with your colleagues to plan lessons. This will allow you to hear and share some advice, brainstorm ideas, and perhaps even share the workload. Working together can help you and your fellow teachers to see lessons and teaching from a different perspective, allowing you to bring a different perspective into your classroom. You can also share helpful resources with each other. Everyone wins!

10. Use tools to help you save time

You don’t have to do it all on your own, and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Find out if your fellow teachers have helpful resources that you can use when lesson planning, and find out some tips that work for them. You can also consider getting a Twinkl membership to get access to curriculum-focused teaching resources, planning resources, classroom displays, and more.

We live in a world full of wonderful technology, ready to help you save time. From AI tools that can help you to write reports and lesson plans, to graphic design websites that allow you to create visually engaging materials. Find out if your school has access to any tools that you might find helpful while planning your lessons.

Effective Lesson planning might seem a bit daunting if you aren’t used to it yet, but following these tips will help you set up a great lesson plan. You’ll be a pro in no time!