So Demands the Lesson Plan

Against a backdrop of one hundred eighty school days, creating solid lesson plans for those days can seem rather daunting. After all, what claims as much excitement than "flying by the seat of your pants"? However, despite the glamour of spontaneity, educators who desire to wisely utilize instructional time recognize the value of carefully planning each lesson. Lesson plans can be replicated from colleagues and other resources but cannot replace personal scrutinization, maintenance, and execution in order to ensure students' success. Lesson planning is a demanding task which consists of setting aside sufficient time, exerting extensive effort, and conveying creativity.

First, lesson planning requires an allotment of ample time. Personally, the time-consuming nature of lesson planning, especially in formulating objectives, was the least appealing among the demands. Yet by having a set agenda, educators can prioritize their activities in order to elicit desired outcomes from their students (Milkova, n.d.). Although the time needed for a proper lesson plan seems laborious, the lesson may be rendered ineffective during execution if insufficient time is designated for planning. My group endeavored to formulate a solid lesson plan for tenth grade learners in a World Literature course by meeting at least once a week for approximately an hour outside of the classroom. Once we had presented our ideas, we took the time to evaluate and devise appropriate exercises for this grade level in conjunction with the A.S.S.U.R.E. format.

Second, along with sufficient time, lesson planning necessitates considerable effort. Ideas, as grand as they may be, will not manifest themselves without action. Every aspect of the lesson plan solicits the application of effort, even when considering materials that will be utilized in class and in preparation for class. Also, if the materials for the lesson were to malfunction, a back-up plan should always be in place before class starts. Without a "Plan B," students' interest can be easily lost and difficult to regain. In preparing for the activities, two of the technological materials that my group capitalized upon were the online-based file storage MediaFire and the PC video software MovieMaker. Documents and scripts related to our compiled lesson plan were stored in MediaFire, while the digital story aspect of the lesson plan was created through MovieMaker. Despite the mind and willpower needed for such exertion, students will appreciate the effort by the end of the school year. Besides, students can recognize whether or not a teacher cares for their classes based on the effort that is applied into the strategies and activities employed during lessons.

Last, in addition to time and effort, lesson planning involves avid creativity. Once objectives are finalized, the fun in lesson planning emerges. From the commencement of the lesson, students' interest must be piqued so that they would willingly imbibe the topic (Milkova, n.d.). Through my group's poetry lesson, I believe that our lesson plan directly achieves Standards 1A and 1C from the International Society for Technology in Education (ITSE) NETS*T. These standards mandate that "Teachers promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness" and "promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes" (ITSE, 2008). My group's lesson exhibits these standards since our evaluation of student comprehension relies on the class interpretation and personal articulation of Act 1, Scene 5 in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Creativity is the glue that sticks student's interest to the teacher's topic.

Significant demand lies within lesson planning which consists of setting aside sufficient time, exerting extensive effort, and conveying creativity.. Sufficient time must be allocated specifically for lesson planning. Effort must be applied to the time that is utilized in lesson preparation since students can detect whether or not the teacher believes that the class is worth his/her time. In addition, the teacher should be thoroughly aware of the loop holes and areas of potential malfunction. In essence, the creative vivacity must be apparent in order to hold students' interest throughout the entire instructional time. As effective pre-service educators, recognizing and applying the demands of lesson plans today will definitely be fruitful for our students in the future.

References

International Society for Technology in Education.  (2008).  NETS FOR TEACHERS 2008.  Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm

Milkova, S.  (n.d.).  Strategies for effective lesson planning.  Retrieved from http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/P2_5.php

School of the Future

The School of the Future in Philadelphia presents several exciting features while promising a variety of benefits for the students in attendance. However, despite the glamour of a completely electronic school, I am personally uninterested in such a school. I believe from this School of the Future will arise unprecedented difficulty due to adverse affects to physical well-being, issues in biodegradability and renewable resources, and grand expenses.

First, the school presents a hazard to physical well-being. Although completely ridding educational facilities of paper-based textbooks and embracing an array of software may seem favorable, I am uncomfortable with having kids sit in front of a computer screen for approximately ten hours every day (approximately five hours of instructional time, two hours for homework/studying, and two hours for miscellaneous personal interests). This causes unnecessary strain to their eyes and brain. Instead, balance should be sought. Individual reading books, dictionaries, and reference books could remain paper-based in order to prevent complete loss of the skills acquired from such resources (i.e. manual alphabetization, scanning through speed reading, etc.). No computer can ever replace the texture and fragrance of a book, old or new.

Second, the school may face adverse affects in the future in terms of biodegradability and being renewable. Most (if not all) computerized devices are produced from fossil fuels and contain programmed obsolescent schemes from their capitalistic creators. Thus, each student (or "learner") will be required to purchase a new laptop every other year, if not annually. Unlike computers, paper can be recycled and naturally reproduced by the earth. Even though trees would be saved by utilizing computers, what will happen when we no longer have fossil fuels to create our precious technological machines?

Last, the school is exceptionally expensive. Should other districts desire to replicate this model, our nationwide debt would continue to enlarge and sooner engulf the country. Even if other schools get the chance to copy the designs of such an alluring model, districts that cannot afford such large expenditures will continue to suffer with slow, outdated systems they currently operate. Such phenomenon leaves the excluded students feeling unimportant or not as treasured as those who are admitted to the exclusive schools of the future.

In conclusion, I believe that the School of the Future in Philadelphia can be doomed due to adverse affects to physical well-being, issues in biodegradability and renewable resources, and grand expenses. If we were to erect schools of the future throughout the United States, I believe it would prove to be disastrous, at least during this present time. Are schools of the future earth friendly? Is having exclusivity in such a school beneficial to all students across the country? Will building such schools solve problems of laziness, high drop out rates, and decreasing graduation rates? With much ardency I declare, "No."