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How likely are you to put your plans aside last minute and try something new?
I spend a lot of time on my lesson plans. However, Believe me, I am not above looking at what I did this time last year and copying it! Our preschool doesn’t have a daily required curriculum so I design our learning around what the children need according to their IEP’s and basic preschool objectives. I look at the Early Childhood State Objectives and design lessons surrounding a book and a theme. It’s easy to look at what I’ve done in the past and copy it, but I always end up tweaking it.
I’ve found that I like to try out new things and keep things interesting. Not just for the kids, since it’s mostly a new group of kids each year anyway, but for me! I go to meetings, classes, and seminars to get fresh ideas, and I want to try them out. However, I’m not the type to follow everything I write each minute of every day anyway since the children in my room really guide the lessons. Often we get off on tangents when a question is asked. One time when we were talking about dinosaurs a child asked if they hatched from eggs as chickens do. (OK, not in that perfect sentence – but that was the gist). So we talked about that and then went into ALL animals that hatch and animals that are born live. We talked about different size eggs, different color eggs, etc. It turned into a MONTH AND A HALF of learning fun. So what I had “planned” really got pushed aside, but the concepts and activities I had to add were right in line with what we needed.
That would make some teachers crazy! I’ve been in classrooms where a question is posed or a child is obviously curious about something and the teacher doesn’t catch on. I think we get the attitude of, ”that’s not what I had planned this week AND I have already put A LOT of work into this.” Not that we would actually say that. We might answer a question or take a few extra minutes, but to ditch the lesson plan? Nope! Try to remember that you are still able to get the concepts and lessons taught, just in a different way than you planned.
OK, I admit I’ve had the same thoughts at times, determined to stick with what I planned. Who hasn’t? When I spend hours planning some really cool stuff I’m not too anxious to go off into another study that I’m not ready for. To all of our defense as teachers, I can’t remember having any classes on this topic while in college. No one tells us to pay attention and listen to let children guide the lessons. I mean, isn’t it OUR job to tell them what they need to learn? Besides, sometimes we have to follow a step-by-step curriculum and adding extras is just a lot of work!
One day a few years ago, a teacher made the comment that she used to be so stuck on doing the same lessons each year at the same time, that she didn’t even hear the comments around the room from the children that could have led her in a different direction. She said she even told a student once, “it’s October and we always talk about pumpkins.” A light bulb went off in my head, remembering how many times I was so determined to stick with what I had planned. How many times did I miss the opportunity to really teach? I don’t even think I was aware I felt like that at one time, but now that I know I just can’t go back to pretending ignorance
Here’s another example: During our study of the animals that hatch – remember we got into that from our dinosaur study – I discovered that many of the children didn’t understand just how slow a turtle, snail or caterpillar really moved. I couldn’t get my hands on those animals soon enough to keep the interest that had been sparked, so we did a human experiment that turned out really fun and very effective. We discussed moving fast, slow, and really slow. 3 children at a time lined up on the wall and I gave each of them directions on how they could get to the other side of the playground. We wrote down who got there faster and how they did it. One child had to slither on their belly, one hop with both feet together, and one would run. Another time someone would have to walk, one trot like a horse and one crawl. Some children could answer who would get their faster before they started, and some children didn’t get it for quite a few trials. But everyone understood by the time we were done. Sounds overly simple, but again, very effective. And I don’t think anyone will ever forget the lesson. Concepts that we think should be learned by a certain age, surprise us when several children don’t have it.
My point is: Don’t get so stuck on what you have planned, no matter how hard you have worked on it, that you miss the subtle actions or comments that tell you a child may not know a certain concept. Or a question that clearly shows you a child is interested in a different related subject. It takes time to train yourself to pay attention. Sometimes it’s just easier to answer questions for them than it is to let them discover the answer on their own.
Side note: Maybe you can’t “throw out” your lesson but can shorten it, add other things to it and take the time to really make it an effective teaching experience.
I understand many teachers reading this aren’t able to just ditch the lesson because it is the required next lesson in their curriculum. It doesn’t mean you can’t add some creativity into the lesson. Work in a few side lessons and specific small group activities that address those areas you find are an interest and need further teaching.
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