Teaching Tips # 3 Ideas to Improve Your Lesson

From Good to Outstanding

Simple ideas to improve the lesson

• Create thought provoking starter activities – have it ready as soon as they arrive on the desk/whiteboard – get them to start as latecomers arrive.                                                           

• If you were a ….what would you be and why?
• What do these three things have in common and why?

• Use learning objectives: colour coded to help students realise progression from green to orange to red means difficulty increases.
• Use learning objectives not task based objectives.

o   define/recall/describe/summarise           (green L/O)

o   explain/compare/discuss/compose           (orange L/O)

o   analyse/evaluate/investigate                (red L/O)

• Refer to learning objectives consistently throughout the lesson – not just the beginning and the end.
• Use hinge point questions (questions to test understanding before allowing students to move on to the next learning objective)
• Have clipboard with assessment checklist sheet on the desk to record your observation consistently.
• Make sure your resources are creative and have learning objectives on the board so students know where they are in the lesson.
• Step back from being the expert in the class from time to time and let students show their ability to learn independently. Try to work as a facilitator especially with grades 5-8
• Use different types of activities from lesson to lesson – aim to keep students on their toes each lesson so they do not know what to expect.
• Re-model tasks verbally to help differentiate – you can verbally scaffold tasks for individual students without having to have 8 zillion different worksheets.
• Ensure that you speak to every student in the room at least once during a lesson( ask them a question, praise them, comment on their work).
• If students simply aren't getting the content of your lesson try to re-model and re-shape your learning objectives and lesson.
• Ask probing, open-ended questions – ask them to the students without their hands up- even better- apply a no hands up policy from time to time.
• Be consistent with behaviour rules/discipline with every student in the class.
• Ensure you know where the learners are with their progression (use post it notes).
• Always have an extension task or two ready – students should never run out of work to complete.
• ALWAYS prepare independent class work and HOMEWORK for the covered learning objective(s). From : TES.co.uk