Posted: May 19th, 2015

Assignment 2—Lesson Plan and Planning Journal.

Assignment 2—Lesson Plan and Planning Journal.

This major assignment involves two sections.
Section 1 asks you to develop a lesson plan consistent with topic learning.
It is important that you think of this lesson as one of a sequence you might teach in a course or unit of work with a specific group of English language learners (as developed in the activities detailed in the Study guide). You can choose the format of the lesson plan but it must be expressed clearly and succinctly. A matrix showing time-frames, resources, process and content must be provided, with additional information in paragraph format. You should aim to produce a clear ‘stand alone’ plan which would allow another teacher to run the lesson from your outline, and achieve the desired learning outcomes.
You must include the following information:
i.    the nature and length of the course in which this lesson appears
ii.    where in the sequence of this course the lesson belongs
iii.    who the students are (proficiency, socio-cultural background, needs and interests)
iv.    thecontext(includingconstraints,stakeholdersotherthanthestudents)
v.    what you are teaching in the lesson and why (i.e. content and the rationale behind it, what it contributes to student learning and broader unit or course goals.
vi.    activitiesyouwilluse,includingclearphasesofthelesson(seeStudyguide,Unit 10)
vii.    how you will run each activity (for example, time allocated for each activity, mode of classroom organisation, how you will explain the activity to students, the sequence of activities, teacher manner, teacher and student roles, etc.)
viii.materials and resources you will use in the lesson ix. potentialproblemsandcontingencyplans
x. feedback, evaluation and assessment notes
Purpose
You will gain experience planning lessons designed to help learners reach the goals and objectives of a language course. This assignment will help you achieve the following learning outcomes:
•    demonstrate awareness of task dependency and appropriate sequencing
•    implement a lesson plan in order to achieve the learning outcomes of broader
course goals
•    understand the day to day strategies that facilitate positive classroom experience
You will plan well organised lessons that contain language learning activities likely to encourage SLA.
What you should do
First, complete all the work up to the end of Unit 10, including all textbook readings, additional readings and activities. It is advisable to revisit all the course design work you have done so far in this topic as well as your earlier assignments so that your course is fresh in your mind and you know what you want to achieve in your lesson.
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Finally, use your answers for Activity 10.4 Planning your own lesson as the basis for writing your lesson plan.
Marking
You will receive a mark out of twenty-five (25) for this section of the assignment. Your lecturer will provide you with a criteria sheet explaining how this will be graded. (Refer to the criteria sheets at the end of this booklet.)
Section 2- Planning journal (No more than 2000 words)
In this section of the assignment, you will reflect critically on your lesson and the planning process. You should examine and evaluate:
•    the planning process, including influential beliefs
•    lesson context, content and procedures
•    effectiveness of your lesson
•    implications for future teaching and learning.
You should use topic readings, personal experience, wider reading and research to inform and substantiate your reflections.
Your critical evaluation of the lesson might include reflections on:
1.    beliefs and theories underlying the lesson
2.    teacher decisions and choices (e.g. of content, process, materials, roles, activities, sequences) and implications of these decisions for teaching and learning.
3.    teacher and learner roles/behaviour
4.    levels of negotiation
5.    how well the lesson reflects knowledge of the context/how specific the lesson is to the context
6.    whether/how the needs of the learners are taken into account
7.    materials used
8.    assessment and evaluation component
9.    how the goals and objectives are/would be fulfilled (may be speculative). What you hoped to achieve and what learners will get out of their participation in the lesson.
10.    how the activities encourage SLA, what other learning takes place
11.    any assumptions you may have uncovered
12.    whether prior learning was engaged/acknowledged
13.    whether different levels of proficiency/understanding were catered for
14.    need for contingency plans, limitations of the lesson
Purpose
You will gain experience in reflecting on all aspects of planning designed to help learners reach the goals and objectives of a language course. This section of the assignment will help you achieve the following learning outcomes:
•    develop a critical awareness of approaches that inform classroom methodology
•    demonstrate an awareness of the relationship between learner motivation and
successful learning outcomes
•    observe principles of dependency and progression in tasks and activities
•    critically reflect on aspects of your practice
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•    plan in a reflective and reflexive way
•    understand the day to day strategies that facilitate positive classroom experience
•    plan classroom learning experiences likely to encourage SLA
•    ensure that lesson plans contribute to the achievement of broader course goals
What you should do
First, consider all the work completed during the preparation of your Lesson and Activity Plans, as well as your early workshop discussions about beliefs. This will ensure that the critical and reflective approach required for this assignment as well as your lesson and its wider course design framework are fresh in your mind.
Work systematically through your planning process and the lesson itself reflecting critically on its content and procedures. Analyse the effectiveness of the lesson, and possibilities for improvement/adaptation/re-use. Consider the value of reflective and reflexive responses in teaching and learning. You are advised to draft your journal as you develop your Lesson Plan, noting difficulties, adjustments, and insights as they occur. This will make the writing of this section of this assignment a more fluent process.
Remember that as an academic exercise, value is added to your assignment by the use of appropriate citation, demonstration of wider readings and topic understanding. You should aim to demonstrate a high level of awareness of sound pedagogy applied to a specific situation.
Marking
You will receive a mark out of twenty-five (25) for this section of the assignment. Your lecturer will provide you with a criteria sheet explaining how this assignment will be graded. (Refer to the criteria sheets at the end of this booklet.)
ASSIGNMENT 2 SECTION 1: LESSON PLAN CRITERIA
Criteria     Excellent     Very good     Good     Satisfactory     Poor
Lesson Plan
Is the course or unit of work described?
Is there a statement of overall course or unit goal?
Is there a description of the teaching and learning context?
Is there a description of learners?
Is the lesson contextualised within a larger unit or course?
Is the topic of the lesson plan clear?
Are the lesson plan’s goals and objectives clearly stated?
Do these clearly contribute to the unit’s or course’s overarching goals?
Organisation of Lesson Plan
Does the lesson plan include an outline (matrix) to illustrate its process and content?
Have organisational notes been completed?
Is the content of the lesson clear?
Are procedures and time allocations clearly stated?
Are required materials noted?
Is there a clear indication of anticipated learning outcomes?
Are the activities within the lesson sequenced?
Is what teacher and learners will do clear?
Are expected outcomes explicit and observable?
Is it clear how the teacher will monitor and support student
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engagement and understanding?
Are problematic issues identified and examined?
Are there contingency plans?
Is management of time and resources evident?
Does the plan demonstrate integration of class work, readings, independent research and personal experience? (Example: awareness of and ability to cater for varied student learning styles and proficiencies.)
Clarity
Is the plan clear and easy to follow?
Referencing
Is all material from other sources referenced correctly?
Is the reference list formatted correctly (using APA consistently?)
Spelling and vocabulary
Are all words (including authors’ names, place names etc.) spelt correctly?
Is the language used appropriate to academic writing?
Grammar and punctuation
Is the grammar and punctuation correct?
Presentation
Is the assignment neat and easy to read?
Length
Is the assignment an acceptable length?
Other Comments:
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ASSIGNMENT 2 SECTION 2: PLANNING JOURNAL CRITERIA
Criteria     Excellent     Very good     Good     Satisfactory     Poor
Critical reflection on planning process
Is there a statement of beliefs which relate to teaching and learning?
Is there exploration of how these are reflected in the lesson?
Is the placement of the lesson within the unit or course explained?
Does the journal examine both the process and content of the lesson?
Are the teacher’s choices and lesson processes examined and explained? (Is critical awareness of teacher behaviour evident? Are starting points, choices of materials and activities critiqued or justified?)
Does the evaluation demonstrate the teacher’s ability to monitor and support student engagement and understanding?
Does the evaluation examine management of time and resources?
Is the sequencing of activities within the lesson justified?
Are problematic issues identified and examined? (For example, are assumptions uncovered, are constraints identified?)
Is there consideration of how the achievement of goals and objectives will be evaluated? (For example, are outcomes observable and measurable?)
Does the evaluation demonstrate integration of class work, readings, independent research and personal experience? (Examples: knowledge of context; awareness of and ability to cater for varied student learning styles and proficiencies, allowing
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room for negotiation.)
Clarity
Is the evaluation clear and easy to follow?
Are ideas and reflections expressed clearly?
Referencing and briefly annotated reference list (annotated bibliography).
Is all material from other sources referenced and cited correctly?
Is the annotated bibliography formatted correctly (using APA consistently)?
Do annotations include critical reflections on resources and references used?
Spelling and vocabulary
Are all words (including authors’ names, place names etc.) spelt correctly?
Is the language used appropriate to academic writing?
Grammar and punctuation
Is the grammar and punctuation correct?
Presentation
Is the assignment neat and easy to read?
Length
Is the assignment an acceptable length?