Making Lesson Plans
Calculus Instructors Orientation
September 13, 2005Matthew Leingang
Copyright ©2005 The President and Fellows of Harvard College
IntroductionWe need to cover the section on
the product rule.Students hate the product ruleWhat to do?This “problem” exists for every
topic of every course
Why plan lessons? (apologies to Andy
Engelward)PPPPPPP
Proper Planning and Preparation Prevent Pretty Poor Performance!
Be an effective teacherMake yourself look smart
Lesson StylesTheorem-oriented
DefinitionTheoremProofExample
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Lesson Styles (continued) Problem-oriented
Example Example Definition Theorem Proof? Example Example Example (repeat as
necessary)
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Start with the end“Students will be able to” (SWBAT)
pointsContext, Big PictureAssessment
What class activities will determine if you have met your goals?
What homework problems are going to be assigned after this class?
Sample Goals“Understand the interplay between
logarithms and exponentials” (conceptual)
“Use the product rule to take derivatives of elementary functions” (technical)
“Recognize when to use logarithmic differentiation” (strategic)
Then go to the beginningIntroductory Example (Hatsumon)
here’s a problem you can’t do now, but will be able to do at the end of the class
Big Question that you plan to answer
Anticipating QuestionsWhat will
students find difficult?
What examples will illustrate and illuminate?
Practice and experience will improve this skill
End with the middleFill in the big ideaProof?Use your knowledge of students
backgrounds to fill in your examples.
Choosing Examples Wisely Vary degrees of simplicity
and complexity Try to find ways to involve
students Choose them to be
interesting to them Consider alternatives to
you doing them at the board
Work them out ahead of time!! Make sure they’re not too
complicated Make sure they illustrate
your point
Scripting your LessonConsider writing
out some parts verbatim
Important diagrams can be practiced ahead of time
Depends on experience and language skills
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Time ManagementKnow how much
of your notes corresponds to how much class time
Put a timeline in your lessons
“accordion” sections
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.
Group WorkBreaking up
studentsPreparing
worksheetsBig
problems/small problems
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Polling/Discussion organizing
InformalPRSGet students to
talk to each otherQuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
DiscussWhat ideas did you hear that you
hadn’t thought of?What principles of lesson planning
did you take away?
AssignmentThink about your lesson in the next
couple of daysFill in the restMeet in your group and share
PostmortemAssess your
Class!Analyze
What went rightWhat went wrongWhat you’d do
next timeKeep for posterity
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.
Cheats and HacksLook in (different)
textbookReuse old lesson
plans“Borrow” someone
else’s lesson planCollaborate on
lesson plansLesson Study
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Closing RemarksPPPPPPPOntogeny recapitulates phylogenyThe more you teach, the smarter
you get, but students stay the same!