Study Unit 5: Lesson planning

 Lesson planning

This is a long, warm, and tiring week. Although we are in the last stretch of the last semester of our second year, I am so tired.  Every now and then I think by myself, I am almost there. I am almost halfway. Then I get so anxious because how long must we still go…and I remember how far I have come.

This week has been heartwarming. I am volunteering at one of our primary schools here on my little dorpie. I can not explain to someone how awesome it is. I have gained so many courage and kindness and so much love from these kiddos. Some of these children don’t have parents nor older sisters to help them. They are all alone. In times like this I wonder how I can even complain about university work, I mean I have the chance to study further for something that is my passion.

This week together with my thoughts I have known what I have wanted to put out there for the longest time… Teachers, give them a chance. Give them an opportunity. Give them hope. Some of the children are not academically ready for an overly developed lesson plan. Some are not ready for a formal test. HELP THEM. It is so sad that some people take these opportunities they get for granted.

The lesson plans we do on university is nothing like the ones we must use in the classes. Prepare your lessons now in such way that you can easily adapt them from class to class. Lesson plans are not ALWAYS used each day. But it remains the core component of education. Without a plan, you will get nowhere.  We must take a video of a lesson we had to prepare. I dread doing this video, since I know how I will present it in the video is nothing like how I will present it to my class. Each class is different, and it is so important to know that.

If we teach in a compassionate way, take the needs of our students (and learners) into consideration and foster compassion among learners, we contribute towards a learning environment in which they can develop emotionally, intellectually, and socially while also experiencing success and mental stability. Include a variety of teaching, learning and assessment activities in your lesson (do not plan a lesson where learners only listen to music, only play on instruments, only listen to explanations by the teacher) When planning a lesson where learners only sit and listen, I can guarantee you that it will 90% of the time backfire.

I have learned so much in this study unit that I don’t even know if I will ever look at lesson plans like I did before.  One could incorporate music so easily in any lesson plan. I t important to not just play a song and think nothing of it. A teacher has a duty to teach, when playing a song it must be done for a purpose and a teacher should guide the students to that purpose.

Lesson plans are important, so please use the knowledge we have gained in this unit to help you help the students.  Time to go film, talk to you again.