Lesson Planning

Description

Clare Hewitt, a former air hostess and supermarket manager, now teaches modern foreign languages at Parkside school near Bradford. This programme charts her progress over her first term of teaching and takes a detailed look at how she is tackling her lesson planning.

Clare is finding it hard to motivate children at Key Stage 4 and wants to plan dynamic lessons to keep them interested. Using mind-mapping - a non-linear way of planning - mentor Sarah Williams helps Clare to plan a Year 10 French lesson for pupils of mixed ability.

Here's the lesson structure Claire uses to teach school subjects in French:

• She begins with a Wordsearch as a starter activity
• She writes lesson objectives on board. Pupils then set their own targets
• This is followed by a mini-plenary: she asks the pupils why they think they are doing this task and what they think they are building up to
• Main meal of the lesson, using OHP and flash cards. Get pupils coming up to the board to write (this stimulates the kinaesthetic and visual learners)
• Summary: let pupils leave the class when they can show they've learnt something

Sarah thinks that the lesson was excellent, but adds that Claire:

• Should have pointed out objectives at the beginning
• Should insist on silence

Part of the series: Secondary NQTs