We had to make a lesson plan for the application this week and I found it to be frustrating. I think that I use a lot of STEM features already but didn't see how to really include that on the lesson plan form. Plus, I really think that form is hard to use. It isn't intuitive to me and I often get frustrated. I do like the thought process that it forces you to go through to make sure that you cover all of your bases and think about all of your kids. I am a big believer in project based learning, and think that PBL and STEM go hand in hand. I think that the more science exposure we can get our students the better off they will be and that by using techniques like STEM and PBL we will see an increase in science awareness and interst among our students.
I had heard of the 5E approach before. It is not the thought process that I normally use when planning lessons. It is not a process that I am a big believer in. I think that lesson planning is as different as the teacher is and I am very blessed to teach in a district that believes in that as well. I will attach a link to the form that I have started using (if I can figure out how to) since I started using PBL. It has proven very useful to me!
http://www.bie.org/tools/useful_stuff/pbl_handbook_project_planning_form/
I had previously taught the unit that I used for this weeks assignment. I was needing to reflect on the process and this assignment allowed me to reflect. I am interested to see how things are going to progress and change as we get more into this class.
Andie,
ReplyDeleteI agree as many of our classmates do, that the lesson plan template is difficult to use. Like you, I am a big believer in PBL (project based learning). When students can get their hands on content and take ownership of their learning, they truly begin to learn and engage in academia.
I thought you had wonderful insight about lesson planning being as different as each teacher is. My husband and I are both educators and often talk about this very issue. Lesson planning, strategies, and delivery are what make each teacher unique and allow teachers to enjoy what they do!