Resources Technology Workshops Services

Schedule of Events

Teacher Training

Teaching to Diversity

Using Technology

Large Class Teaching

Beginnings

Search TEP site

 

 

 

Home > Workshops and Classes > Teacher Training > Beginnings > Online Beginnings > Table of Contents > Lesson Planning

Lesson Planning

In preparing for the first day, I want you to think about what you will do from the minute you step into the room until the period is over. I want you to walk in with more planned than you will likely accomplish. The first day is unique. There is usually no pressure to cover a certain amount of material. You can concentrate on getting to know your students, being clear on the course policies and expectations and giving them an overview of what to expect for the 10 weeks.

How will you begin?

Arrive early if you can. Arriving early will give you time to rearrange the room if necessary, get any important information on the board and greet your early arrivals.

Put up an agenda for the day. This is an indication to your students that you have organized their time well. It also allows students who come in late (very common on the first day) to have a way to orient themselves. The agenda on the board can also serve as a reminder to you of what you hoped to accomplish and keep you on track. Adding an approximate timeline defines priorities. You might have seen this on the board for the first day of the Beginnings session.

Icebreakers

Some of the ice will be broken through informal introductions you make before class begins. I like knowing three or four names right away and I use them early on.

Planning an icebreaker is important for several reasons. Besides breaking down the strangeness we all feel being with a group of people we don't know, a good icebreaker can also get students talking about something related to the course. A GTF teaching creative writing asked his students (who were seated in a circle) to go around and say their name and major and to name the one book they wanted to have with them on a deserted island. When it came to the GTF (who deliberately chose to go last) he said the one book he wanted to have was a blank book in which to write.This exercise launched him into talking about creative writing, how the books we read influence our writing, how the authors we most admire teach us a great deal about writing, etc.

A history GTF put his students in groups of four and passed out old record album covers he'd found at a garage sale. He asked the groups to look carefully at the covers for clues as to what year this record was made (clothing styles, background elements, use of language). From here he began a discussion of how historians view and use various artifacts from different time periods.

Icebreaking activities get nearly all your students participating right away. If participation is a priority, getting students involved from the outset sends the message that in this class, we all contribute.

A few important tips about icebreakers:

1. Whatever you design--try it out yourself and approximate how long it will take a student to answer. Then multiply this by the number of students in the class. If you want it to take about 30 sec. per person, model the way you want your students to respond. (A 30-second icebreaker with 30-40 students can eat up 15-20 minutes of your period.) If you leave the instructions too loose on how you want them to respond, certain talkative students can dominate the time. Whoever speaks first often establishes the model which subsequent speakers will use. Make sure it's the one you want.
   
2. If you ask a question, choose one that everyone can answer easily. Speaking up in front of strangers is always uncomfortable, so make it a no brainer. I have asked new GTFs in the Beginnings training to add to this sentence--"A good teacher is someone who..." Right away we are talking about teaching and about positive attributes of good teaching. I keep a list of what people say and afterwards comment that as a group they know a great deal about good teaching already. I could ask each person to comment on bad teaching, but prefer the positive spin for starting off.
   
3. Make sure that what you are asking students to disclose is not too personal or something that would offend anyone. (Example: What was your most embarassing moment in the classroom?) Your student group may be quite diverse, so factor this into the design of all your activities.
   
4. If you go first with the icebreaking activity, don't remain on center stage for long. Save information about your graduate research interests and thesis topic for later. Undergraduates can feel "less than" by comparison.

Icebreaker resources

Goals, policies and expectations

Many of you will not be teaching your own course. The professor for whom you GTF will provide a syllabus. However, it is useful to give your students a handout explaining the goals, policies and expectations of the discussion section or lab that you are leading. It might include the following:

1. What do you hope your students will gain from this lab or discussion section.
2. Clearly state your policies on attendance, late papers, cheating, partial and extra credit, homework, etc.
3. Give students guidelines for discussion and expectations on participation. Some instructors require participation and offer a variety of ways students can do this. For example, students can speak up in class, participate in small group discussions, e-mail the instructor with their thoughts on a question or topic, visit the instructor during office hours to discuss the material or write a response and turn it in.
4. I would also address the issue of how you expect students to treat each other in the context of a dialogue with a community of learners. Sometimes it is worth taking a few minutes and having the class come up with guidelines for respectful communication in class--expecially if your subject area includes particularly controversial or provocative material.
5. You might also want to include something on how you will be grading their work. For example, if I find misspelled words and grammar mistakes which indicate sloppy editing--I read no further and send the paper back. Students need to be prepared for this by cleaning up their work before it gets to me and allowing time to do rewrites before the paper deadline.

An example on one GTF's first day handout.

Now you're ready to start thinking about what you want to accomplish with your students by the end of class.

 

---