Planning review how far have we come

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Planning review how far have we come?
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The Planning Cycle
Planning
Observing
understanding children
Enacting
Reflecting
Source Preschool Curriculum Guidelines
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Teachers Planning Process

• Long-term planning
• A year
• A term
• Middle-term planning
• Part of a term
• A unit of work
• Short-term planning
• Weekly plans
• Daily plans

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Pre-service Teachers Learning the Planning Process

• Long-term planning
• A term
• Middle-term planning
• A unit of work
• Short-term planning
• Weekly plans
• Daily plans
• Lesson plans
• Source Briggs Potter (1999, p. 340)

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Departmental Syllabus Documents (for each KLA)
School Development Plan (info about school
population)
School Programs
Year/Term Overview (Scope and Sequence)
Unit plans (integrated)
Weekly Plans Daily Plans
Lesson Plans
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Lesson Plans

• Steps for writing a lesson plan
• Select objectives or learning outcomes for the
  lesson. Write them down
• Consider the duration of the lesson
• Consider the place of your objectives or learning
  outcomes in terms of what the children already
  know and what you have already taught.
• Create experiences and a teaching sequence
  (introduction, body and conclusion or
  orientating, enhancing, synthesising phases) that
  will help meet the objectives/outcomes

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Lesson Plans

• Plan the grouping of children throughout the
  lesson
• Formulate a materials and resource list to match
  the procedure
• Plan for extension experiences and special needs
• Design an assessment strategy to let you know if
  the children have mastered the objectives/outcomes
  

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Lesson Plans Questions?

• When do I write a lesson plan?
• Do I teach from my lesson plan?
• Do experienced teachers write lesson plans?

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Lesson plan review

• Basic framework for lesson plan
• Objectives relate to content relate to assessment
• Introduction, body, conclusion
• Orientating, enhancing, synthesising
• Extension activities and special needs

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Daily Plans

• Daily plans
• A daily proforma
• Based on your class timetable using Departmental
  or School guidelines for time allocations
• Overview of flow of the day
• Working notes you will use as you plan each day
  with your supervising teacher
• Note tasks for teachers aide and other classroom
  personnel when applicable.

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Weekly Plans

• Weekly plans
• Based on your class timetable using Departmental
  or School guidelines for time allocations
• Overview of the flow of the week
• Allows you to plan ahead
• Experienced teachers will do these in note form
  like those shown in our tutorials. Yours may be
  more detailed

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Daily Plans and Weekly Plans Questions?

• When do I write a daily plan or a weekly plan?
• Do I teach from my daily plan or weekly plan?
• Do experienced teachers write daily plans and
  weekly plans?

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Unit Plans A Unit of Work as you are finding
out!

• Provides a context for integration
• Providing real reasons to learn
• See connections across the curriculum
• Need a clear purpose, a broad focus, and time to
  work productively (blocks of time)
• Need to plan engaging experiences that draw on
  childrens prior learning, knowledge and
  experiences stage, needs, strengths, interests,
  abilities, fascinations!

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Professional Experience Your Practicum

• teaching practice is deemed to be the focal
  point of the entire teacher education
  under-graduate program. It has been described as
  the indisputable essential element in
  professional education. (Conant in Briggs
  Potter, 1999, p. 7)
• Excitement versus Anxiety
• Make it a great learning experience.

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Professional Experience Book.

• Available to download next week.
• Contents are
• day by day through the practicum
• hints for a successful practicum
• learning from your mentor teacher
• notes on professional experience folder contents
• evaluative criteria
• suggested lesson feedback form
• professional experience assessment.

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Making the most of your stay

• Mentor teachers should
• model teaching skills, teaching strategies, and
  classroom management strategies very explicitly
• tell pre-service teachers what they are doing and
  why
• involve pre-service teachers in all aspects of
  classroom and school life
• explain their planning and how they use school
  programs, syllabus documents, and key resources
• show pre-service teachers how the curriculum is
  developed

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Making the most of your stay

• Mentor teachers should
• ask pre-service teachers if they understand their
  requirements
• check the pre-service teacher is clear about
  exactly what they are going to do with the
  children
• provide specific feedback, verbal and written,
  continually
• feedback should be constructive and focus on
  positive aspects of the pre-service teachers
  performance as well as areas requiring
  improvement.

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Making the most of your stay

• Pre-service teachers should
• prepare thoroughly
• make lesson motivating, and when appropriate,
  creative
• make lessons follow a sequence
• make planning neat and well organised and
  presented e.g. specific folder or book designated
  for this purpose

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Making the most of your stay

• Pre-service teachers should
• enthusiastically participate in an appropriate
  professional manner in all activities as directed
  by the mentor teacher
• maintain a practicum folder
• collect materials useful to this and future
  teaching
• keep folder up to date
• be prepared to discuss the contents with others.

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Learning from your mentor teacher

• How does the mentor teacher talk to the children
  when teaching?
• Is it different from when she/he is conversing
  with them about their everyday lives?
• Is it different from when she/he is telling them
  that they have done something unacceptable?
• What about when she/he is encouraging, praising
  or rewarding them?

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Learning from your mentor teacher

• How is the childrens behaviour managed in
• the whole class situation, the small group
• situation?
• when moving the children from one area of the
• school to another?
• during assembly?
• when parents are present?
• in the playground?
• when teaching?

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Learning from your mentor teacher

• What do you notice about the classroom?
• What resources are located around the
• room/area to assist children to feel
  comfortable
• and calm in their learning?
• What are the aesthetics of the room?
• What visual aids are there in the room?
• Take notes and/or draw diagrams to illustrate
• Find out where the teachers ideas came from.

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Learning from your mentor teacher

• Classroom noise level
• What noise level is acceptable when whole
• class is working on the same task?
• When they are in small groups?
• At news or sharing time?
• When children are being moved from one
• area of the school to another?

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Learning from your mentor teacher

• How does the teacher achieve compliance from a
• child who simply refuses to cooperate?
• What back-up systems are there within the
• school for this?

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Learning from your mentor teacher

• If a child persists in inappropriate behaviour,
• there are three options available
• 1. Ignoring
• 2. Active non-punishment approach
• 3. Use of consequences.

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Ignoring behaviour?

• The theory is that the student will receive no
  reinforcement for the inappropriate behaviour and
  will, in time cease the behaviour.
• But the student will usually try harder (get
  worse) to gain your reprimand before the
  behaviour subsides.
• Observers (e.g. other children and parents) may
  not fully appreciate this approach and interpret
  this as the teacher not carrying out their job
  letting children get away with

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Ignoring behaviour?

• This can disrupt other children
• It could lead to the attitude If s/he can get
  away with it I can too.
• Ignoring is a sound strategy for very minor
  behaviour problems that are not too disruptive to
  the class.
• Be aware/observe the way the children interact
  with each other.

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Active non-punishment techniques

• The student might be receiving no reinforcement
  from the teacher, but may be receiving plenty of
  reinforcement from peers.
• Be aware of the way the children interact with
  each other.

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Active non-punishment approach?

• Praise another student who is exibiting the
• preferred behaviour (others will copy this
  student).
• As soon as the student behaving inappropriataely
  does something appropriate make sure s/he is
  praised or rewarded.
• Prompt or redirect the student to return to
  appropriate behaviour (e.g. Sam you did such a
  good job in maths yesterday, lets see if you can
  do the same today.)

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Use of consequences?
Active non-punishment approach?

• Try to find the reason for the behaviour.
• The student will know that you are interested
  in them and care about their welfare.
• Check that the student can cope with the task.
  It may be too difficult for them or they be
  bored.
• Clarify the situation. State the unacceptable
  behaviour and its effect on the class.

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Use of consequences?

• The consequence needs to address the specific
  inappropriate behaviour (e.g. hurting others in
  the playground may have the consequence of
  withdrawing the childs play time with parental
  permission).
• Ensure the child knows why they are facing this
  consequence. (e.g. You hit Tom in the playground
  after I explained to you that everyone has the
  right to feel safe in our school. I cannot trust
  you to play if you do this. At lunch today, you
  will not be allowed to play.)

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Use of consequences?

• Use a calm and objective manner of speaking when
  you explain the consequence to the child.
• The consequence should be as immediate as
  possible.
• It needs to be applied consistently (to every
  student who persists).

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Use of consequences?

• The consequence should be such that the child
  will seek to avoid it in the future.
• It should be used sparingly and only when all of
  the above have failed.
• While on practicum, ensure that the consequence
  you use works within the system that is in place
  in your teachers class or the school.

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Use of consequences?

• Always stay controlled.
• Under no circumstances make physically handle a
  child or make emotive statements to a child.
• Some behaviours can prove extremely challenging,
  however, there is no excuse for loss of temper.

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Use of consequences?

• If you feel you cannot cope remove yourself
  from the situation or send the child to another
  teacher or the Principal if you feel you cannot
  cope.
• If for some reason you need to talk with a child
  away from his/her peers, always arrange for
  another colleague to be present. This safeguards
  everybodys interests.
• Dont be afraid to ask for advice!

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Common mistakes made by teachers

• ülack of simple, clear instructions
• üpoor routines
• üteacher not prepared
• üonly giving attention to inappropriate
  behaviour
• üno clear guidelines
• üthreatening consequences without
• follow-through

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Common mistakes made by teachers

• no clear guidelines
• lack of consistency
• lack of confidence
• teacher talking too much while
• children are inactive
• long periods of boring work
• prolonged raising ones voice at students
• inappropriate work

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Common mistakes made by teachers

• lack of simple, clear instructions
• poor routines, poor preparation
• only giving attention to inappropriate
• behaviour
• threatening consequences without follow-
• through.
• (Van der Kley, 1991, pp. 13-34)

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Use of consequences?

• If you feel you cannot cope remove yourself
  from the situation or send the child to another
  teacher or the Principal.
• If for some reason you need to talk with a child
  away from his/her peers, always arrange for
  another colleague to be present. This safeguards
  everybodys interests.
• Dont be afraid to ask for advice.

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How does the teacher..??

• cater to the individual learning styles/
  multiple intelligences?
• creating effective learning/hands on activities?
• plan for children at different stages of
  development, slow and fast finishers?
• Cater for those who do not know what is required
  of them despite a detailed modelling or
  explanation prior to the task?

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How does the teacher..??

• set expectations?
• provide for free choice of activities?
• provide for fine and /or gross motor
• problems?
• provide an early intervention program?
• provide for children with home problems?
• provide for children who may be tired or
• hungry?

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How does the teacher..??

• involve parents in the classroom?
• monitor what the children eat (if at all)?
• facilitate communication between home and
• school?
• structure the language/literacy block?
• teach mathematics lessons?
• relate lessons to childrens prior learning?
• make observations and monitor progress?

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The learning environment?

• Room arrangements, desks, places
• Striking features, group working areas
• How does teacher decide who sits where?
• Or do children contribute to deciding?
• Bell times and break lengths
• Administrative procedures for collecting
• money, distributing notices, handling
• visitors and interruptions (eg if a parent
• appears at the door)?

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Procedures Transitions?

• Procedures/Transitions for moving around, for
  coming into and leaving the classroom, for
  getting into groups, for coming to sit on the
  carpet.
• Procedures for collection and distribution of
  materials (eg reading books, library books,
  homework sheets, tuckshop orders)
• Transitions from activity to activity within
  lessons, between lessons and between classes (eg
  specialist lessons).

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Techniques?

• How does the teacher gain and maintain attention?
  
• How does the teacher prevent/minimise behaviour
  problems (eg difficulty of activities, scanning
  the class, keeping the students on their toes,
  keeping the lesson moving)?
• What are the class rules, rewards, penalties and
  procedures for responding to inappropriate
  behaviour?

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Techniques?

• What techniques does the teacher use to make
  children responsible for their own learning?
• What statements does the teacher make to
  encourage and praise.

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Useful References

• Curriculum Corporation. (1997). Integrated units
  collection Oodles of noodles. Carlton, South,
  Vic Curriculum Corporation.
• Dalton, J. (1985). Adventures in thinking
  Creative thinking and co-operative talk in small
  groups. Melbourne Nelson.
• Jennings, C., Shepherd, J. (1996). Planning for
  the key learning areas Outcomes in context.
  Armadale, Vic Eleanor Curtain Publishing.
• Murdoch, K., Hornsby, D. (1997). Planning
  curriculum connections Whole-school planning for
  integrated curriculum. Armadale, Vic Elanor
  Curtain Publishing.
• Nicoll, V. (1996). May I see your program please?
  Australian teachers share their programming
  practice. Newtown, NSW Primary English Teaching
  Association.
• Wood, B., Jorgensen, G. (1994). A treasure
  chest for teachers and children too Themes to
  foster multiple intelligences. Toowoomba, QLD
  Toowoomba Education Centre.
• Wood, B., Jorgensen, G. (1996). Spotlight on
  multiple intelligences for teachers and children
  too. Dalby, QLD Heads Together.