Teach English Now! Lesson Design and Assessment

Overview

Learners will be introduced to designing lesson plans based on principles and knowledge of learning objectives, assessment plans, methods, materials, and learning activities. Learners will find and prepare appropriate teaching materials through careful analysis, adaptation and creation of professional resources. Learners will also reflect on the cohesion between lesson design and teaching philosophies.

Syllabus

Basic Instructional Design

In this module, learners are introduced to lesson design based on theorists such as Robert Gagne and Benjamin Bloom. Learners are introduced to concepts to both begin a lesson (gain attention, state objectives, stimulate recall) and give a lesson (present the content, provide learning guidance, elicit performance). This module also introduces learners to a general lesson plan template that will be used throughout the course and to basic classroom management skills.

Activating Background Knowledge and Objective Discussions

In this module, learners are introduced to warm up activities, and how warm ups not only can introduce a lesson's theme but also can be used to connect that theme to previous learner knowledge and previous lessons. Objective discussions are also introduced, and advice about when and how to give objective discussions is given.

Presenting Instruction and Modeling

Learners are introduced to the concepts of presenting instruction and modeling. Learners are introduced to the concept of "stickiness," and given several words of advice on how to make content sticky. Modeling is also depicted as a way in which to help learners to see what teachers are trying to explain, and can be a powerful form of instruction itself. Learners are counseled to have more than one model, and are cautioned about presenting models too early.

Guided to Independent Practice

In this module, learners are introduced to the importance of guided and independent practices of lesson planning. In our "Three Teachers" videos, learners will view different examples, both strong and weak, of teachers facilitate guided and independent practices and receive breakdowns and analysis of each teacher.

Assessments

In this module, learners review the concept of clear objectives and are introduced to the idea of alignment. Learners are introduced to the ideas of memory and knowledge learning and how to appropriately assess each type. Learners are given several tips to make their lives easier (regarding assessment). Learners see three teachers give assessments in their classrooms and hear analysis of each one.