ElementsofLessonPlanning

ReesWilson

A teachers successful use of planning when designing a lesson allows them to teach to desired
outcomes and achievements for their students. This essay will draw on existing literature concerning
the creation of a lesson plan and four key elements involved in it. The first element which will be
covered is the use of syllabus documents to inform the lesson plan. A teachers use of syllabi in
designing a lesson is vital, as it ensures that the required content is covered and that the lesson has a
place in the overall learning experience of the students. In addition to this, a teacher must account for
the various learning needs of students in the classroom. As each student has their own individual ways
of learning and interacting within the classroom, the teacher must specially tailor the lesson to each of
these. Further, an effective lesson plan will make use of previous assessment data to discern the
current level of understanding of the students and also to influence the teaching pedagogy used. The
fourth element in planning a lesson which is examined is the use of professional teaching standards.
This ensures that the teacher is constantly improving their teaching pedagogy and also accounting for
various needs of the students. Following the assessment of these four elements of lesson planning, the
essay will then change focus to analyse the success to which an existing lesson plan has met these
requirements.
The first aspect that this essay will consider is the use of syllabus documents in creating a lesson plan.
Syllabus documents are instructions which prescribe the direction and content to be taught in each key
learning area (Luke & Woods & Weir, 2013), providing teachers with knowledge of WHAT (Marsh &
Clarke & Pittaway, 2014) to teach, and helping them form the content making up their lesson plan.
These documents act as a guide (Luke et. al., 2013) for teachers, detailing the concepts and ideas
which must be taught to students by the time they reach the end of their current stage. While the
syllabus prescribes the content that must be taught, a teacher is free to present this content in
whatever manner they find best suits the information and their own teaching pedagogy. It is important

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to note that there is a clear difference between the syllabi and the curriculum. Where syllabi deal with
specific content to be taught, the curriculum is broader, concerned with the pedagogy involved in
teaching as well as defining why certain things are taught. (Marsh, et. al., 2014). Both the syllabus and
curriculum are influential in designing a lesson outline and are key elements for the teacher to
consider.
In an environment of teaching which stresses the individual learning of each student in the classroom,
teachers must also address a range of diverse learning needs when creating a lesson plan. The
Australian Curriculum (n.d.) provides teachers with the rhetoric of providing for the needs of each
individual student. One way that teachers have attempted to cater to each individual student is in
developing lessons which focus on their individual learning style, be it visual, aural or kinesthetic.
However, current literature displays no support for a personal style, however it encourages the use of
all three to reinforce information in different ways (Rohrer & Pashler, 2012). Furthermore, in catering
to a diverse range of needs, the teacher must attempt to provide for a range of students such as those
of different socio-economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds as well as indigenous students and
students with a range of sexualities (Ramburuth & Hartel, 2010). Teacher must also cater to gifted
students and those with disabilities (Australian Curriculum, n.d.). When these needs are met, students
see clear improvement in self efficacy. One case study performed in New Zealand found that when
teachers accommodated for the cultural backgrounds of Maori and Pasifika children in their pedagogy,
these students engagement in the classroom greatly improved (Conner, 2013).
Another key aspect for a teacher to consider when constructing a lesson plan is the use of previous
assessment data to inform their practice. The evaluation of students past success in assessments
yields two main benefits in the classroom. The first is that it allows the identification of any areas of
student weakness in various topics of study (Pierce & Chick, 2011) as well as highlighting any
misconceptions (Wilder, 2015, p.77) held by the students. The other primary benefit of considering
previous assessment data when creating a lesson is that it allows for the teachers themselves to review
their own teaching pedagogy and redesign learning activities based on assessment of what has and
hasnt worked in the classroom in the past (Black & Harrison & Lee & Marshall & Wiliam, 2004: Wilder,
2015). However, a case study conducted on three teachers personal practice found that while the use

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of this data can improve a teachers pedagogy, this will only occur in an environment where the use of
assessment data is encouraged in lesson planning and the teacher is adequately supported. When
teachers were not supported, they saw very little improvement in the classroom environment, despite
personal attempts to make use of assessment data. In contrast, when teachers were supported the
classroom engagement increased and a learner centered (Box & Skoog & Dabbs, 2015, p.979)
environment was created.
An additional aspect which teachers have to consider when planning a lesson is the integration of the
National Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2016). Compiled by the Australian Institute for
Teaching and School Leadership, the standards aim to further solidify teaching as a profession. In
addition to this, they seek to improve the performance of students by assuring that teachers are
constantly developing their skills throughout their careers (BOSTES, 2016). The existing body of
research suggests that teachers are the biggest influence on students success and achievement of
outcomes in the school environment. Policies such as these standards were made in response to such
findings, aiming to improve student outcomes (McKenzie & Santiago & Sliwka & Hiroyuki, 2005). Similar
teacher standards have been adopted worldwide and are generally accepted as beneficial for the
profession. Nonetheless, there is still some resistance to standards for teachers. The resistance is
found in the fear that such standardisation may not be implemented in a successful way, as some have
been accused of not accounting for teachers in different contexts, and evidence has seen similar
systems fail when schools did not provide teachers with adequate support (Ford & McMahon &
Hamilton & Murray, 2016). Yet the general consensus is that teaching standards will benefit both
teachers and students.
The focus of this essay will now change from an engagement with current literature concerning these
four elements in lesson planning to the analysis of an existing lesson plan through the lense of each
element. The chosen lesson plan is for a mathematics class in year 7, who are to create a floor plan of
their house and then construct a three-dimensional representation of it (Australian Curriculum
Lessons, 2012). This essay begins the analysis by addressing the plans success in dealing with the
syllabus document for mathematics (BOSTES, n.d.). While the lesson plan includes reference to two
elements of the Australian Curriculum, as they easily translate to the BOSTES syllabus. these

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references will be used instead. The first referenced element of the syllabus, MA4-13MG, relates to
teaching students to use formulas for measuring two-dimensional shapes. This is addressed in the first
step of the lesson where students draw the floor plan of the house. Furthermore, it is addressed in the
calculation of the amount of paint needed to paint the entire house. The second element of the
syllabus which this lesson plan addresses is the calculation of volume of rectangular prisms, namely,
MA4-14MG. This is addressed in the additional activities which take place towards the end of the
lesson, where the volume of the house is measured. As such, the teacher accounts well for the syllabus
documents in the lesson plan.
While the class is all performing the same activity, it is clear that the teacher has tailored the lesson to
account for the diverse learning needs of the individuals in the class. Firstly, in roaming the classroom
as the students work, aiding those who need help and providing more difficult activities to those who
excel, the teacher is able to target the lesson to the abilities of each individual student. In addition to
this, the teacher also uses all three learning styles, first explaining the task, then showing what is to be
done, then allowing students to physically manipulate objects. This inclusion of all three learning styles
aids every student in learning, as discussed above. Furthermore, the lesson plan is heavily influenced
by Piagets understanding of the stages of learning, as it provides for students in the formal
operational stage as well as students still in the concrete operational stage (Blake & Pope, 2008). This is
achieved through the creation and manipulation of physical objects, while also introducing abstract
ideas such as mathematical formulas. Furthermore, the teachers explicit instructions at different
points followed by the gradual removal of their aid, draws on knowledge about the Zone of Proximal
Development, drawing students from their current knowledge base and expanding it (Roth & Radford,
2010: Blake et. al., 2008).
While the lesson plan accounts well for syllabus content and addresses some elements of diverse
learning needs of students, it does not mention previous assessment data or give an indication that
any was used. The lesson plan does say that the basic concepts taught, such as an introduction to two
and three-dimensional shapes, should be revision for these children, which suggests that the students
have already been tested on these concepts. The use of scaffolding to build on this knowledge which
then continues to explicit teaching and modeling of new concepts also suggests that students either

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have not learnt these concepts or have shown a lack of understanding as evidenced by examination
data. While use of current data is lacking, there is evidence that some assessment data is collected that
could be used by the teacher to improve the lesson itself and also determine whether or not the
students understood the content. This is seen firstly in the instruction that the teacher will roam the
room, helping students as needed. This would allow the teacher to actively assess the situation and
rectify any problems. In addition to this, a list of three assessments at the end of the plan provide
another means by which the teacher can reflect on the lesson and the content the students
understood, although this section of the plan is brief and could be expanded.
Furthermore, the lesson plan makes no mention of the teacher standards which were considered in
creation of it, however it is easy to see examples of many standards which are fulfilled by the lesson.
The first of these is 1.2.1 which focuses on the teachers understanding of the processes involved in the
learning of the students. This is clearly evidenced above when looking at the diverse learning needs of
the students. In the same way, the teacher also fulfils 1.5.1 which focuses directly on meeting diverse
learning needs. Two more teaching standards that the lesson plan could be used to prove are 2.2.1
and 3.2.1. The first of these looks at the selection and organisation of content. Similarly, the second
standard is concerned with the sequence of the lesson. As seen in the lesson, simple elements are
revised first, then increasingly harder elements are taught, first explicitly then by student participation.
Hence, each of these teaching standards are also met.
It is clear that the effective planning of a lesson, and subsequent successful learning of students, relies
heavily upon the teachers consideration of different elements during the process. It is vital that the
teacher address the syllabus for the subject, providing a lesson which covers relevant content, as well
as ensuring that they teach to the diverse learning needs of a student. The given lesson plan succeeded
in both of these areas. However, an effective lesson plan will also make use of existing assessment
data to inform the way the lesson is taught and the content the students still need to learn. While the
examined plan did not provide evidence of this, it did contain ways to gather assessment data for
future use in creating lessons. Finally, in creating an effective lesson plan, a teacher must also consider
their own teaching standards against nationally approved standards of teaching. Even though the
lesson plan did not contain evidence of this, it was easy to identify multiple standards of teaching

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which it met. As such, a lesson plan will be more beneficial to the teacher and students if it is
concerned with the syllabus documents, diverse student learning needs, analysis of previous
assessment and standards of teaching.

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Student Diversity Advice.
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