Teaching to Learn, Learning to Teach

·Social skillsinvolve learning to work effectively in a group, to take responsibility for indi-

vidual work, to coach a fellow student, or to provide leadership on a class project.

Advanced planning is not unique to teaching. Anyone who has worked in the business
world; played an organized team sport; competed in chess or poker; or has been in the mili-
tary knows the importance of having a strategy to achieve success. A lesson plan is our
strategy to achieve our goals.
Most new teachers and many experienced teachers start their planning from a textbook,
following its organization of the subject and emphasizing its concept, main idea, content,
and skill choices. Starting from the textbook is helpful when teachers do not feel comfort-
able with their own knowledge of the subject or the scope of the curriculum. It can also
make it easier for students to follow the sequence of lessons. But there are potential prob-
lems with this approach. Students become overwhelmed by facts, main ideas are lost in a
swirl of details, lessons are dry, and students grow bored. In addition, when teachers are de-
pendent on packaged textbook-based units, they sacrifice much of their own creative en-
ergy. They become part of an information conveyor belt, instead of being active learners
themselves.
It is often very difficult to decide in advance how much planning is enough. Certainly, unit
and lesson planning is more an art than a science, and decisions become easier as a teacher
gains experience. As you plan, it is useful to ask yourself some questions:

·Does this unit build on previous work and understanding?

·Does this unit lay the basis for future explorations?

·Do I understand the period, the broader issues, or the topic? Will students understand

them based on these lessons?

PLANNING 65

FIG. 3.1 (Continued)

Design: Full class or group, demonstration or discussion, and so on.

Topic Goals Concepts Main Ideas Content Skills Materials Design

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10

Unit Assessment: