1.) Know your 'big idea' or main essential learning outcome.
- Can you state very precisely what the lesson outcome is? What is the one thought or main idea of your lesson?
- Are you certain that the student(s)is ready for this learning outcome?
- How are you tapping into prior learning?
2.) Know your sequencing.
- What is the step by step procedure for this lesson?
- How will you make this lesson concrete?
- What are all the resources you need?
3.) Remain concrete.
- How will the skill be modeled?
- What do your examples look like? What prompts will you use?
- Have you allowed time for guided practice?
4.) How will you check for understanding?
- Checking for understanding is essential, it lets you know if your instruction works or if additional intervention or remediation or re-teaching is required.
- How will the child demonstrate that the learning outcome has been mastered? Will you use questioning? Observation? Show me approach?
- Many students with special needs have difficulty with self-monitoring, have you allowed for some opportunity for independence? The goal is to ensure all learners become independent, self-monitoring may require appropriate prompts from you, for example "Are you on task?"
- What and how are you giving in the way of feedback to the student?
5.) Follow up
- How will you record the student learning of this lesson?
- What is the follow up to this lesson?
- Is there a component worth involving parents or professionals for additional support?
In Summary:
Simply put, effective teaching/instruction means that learning has taken place. If learning hasn't taken place, the teaching and instructional strategies need to be re-visited.
