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Introduction:

A lesson plan is a detailed step-by-step guide that outlines the teacher's goals for what the students
will learn and how they will learn it throughout class. Creating a lesson plan include setting goals,
developing exercises, and deciding on the materials to use.

A lesson plan is a step-by-step instruction manual that lays out the foundation for crucial learning.
Before designing a lesson, it's vital to classify the class's learning outcomes. It's important because it
helps the teacher maintain a regular teaching pattern and keeps the class focused on the issue.

Understanding a student's learning style benefits both the student and the teacher. When a student
is aware of his or her learning style, he or she can study more effectively and with less frustration.
Similarly, a teacher who is aware of his or her students' learning styles is less likely to feel frustrated
and more likely to deliver successful instruction.

Educators can use learning taxonomies to aid in the creation of excellent lesson plans. They can
easily help educators keep track of what they ask students to do so that courses are diversified and
meet a range of learning goals, needs, and foci.

Importance of learning styles while planning a lesson:

Learning styles in a lesson plan help the students be more focused with increased classroom
engagement. The student’s feel in control of themselves where their studies are concerned as their
preferences are being taken into consideration. The next important point is that the teacher gets an
idea of how and where would she seat the students according to their leaning, for ex, auditory,
visual or kinesthetic using differentiation as it is the key here to cater to all the students in the class.

When the learning method that best suits a student is utilized, he/she tends to learn more
effectively. The students become more interested, engaged, and also are able to learn more easily if
they learn in their preferred learning style.

Every student is unique and that's a slogan that all good educators live by. However, understanding
how to best teach the pupil’s needs far more than simply acknowledging that they are all unique is
important. It’s of utmost significance that the educators acquaint themselves with the students and
their working styles and incorporate them into their lesson plans so as to accommodate everyone in
the classroom.

As we know, Learning styles are theories that attempt to categorize pupils based on their preferred
methods of learning. Some learning style systems are as follows,

For example: Categorizing students as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners .

But the goal remains the same, to devise a framework for inclusive teaching as students have various
learning preferences and why including teaching something one way may be effective for one
student while teaching something other may be better for another.

Learning styles are quite popular with the teachers and the students but the idea is still argued
about in the academic circles, some are against it while others contend, that they do not correspond
to our understanding of how the brain remembers information. Others argue that evidence reveals
there may be a best technique to teach a specific topic, rather than the same style being best for
every student. Instead of focusing on your strongest learning style, perhaps you can concentrate on
your weakest and work to enhance your capacity to learn in all styles.

Two reasons why using them in the classroom can benefit pupils are ;
1) Learning styles create variety, which is one of the most important reasons to use them in the
classroom. While there is a lot of conflicting evidence on learning styles, one thing is clear,
multimodal learning is beneficial to everyone. Whatever your own learning style is, you will
learn a single concept if you hear something, see something, do something, and feel
something when learning that notion.
2) The importance of involvement is another reason to adopt learning styles. If one of your
pupils learns in a kinesthetic manner, their time in a standard school will be tedious and
unsuccessful. Spending all day reading, writing, or listening to lectures will not make the
pupil feel enthused about or engaged in the tasks if he/she prefers learning through
physical touch and activities. Even if learning styles are only a personal preference, there are
still lots of reasons to discover strategies to engage all of the pupils. It's more exciting and
engaging to be in a multimodal classroom.

Examples of using different learning styles in a classroom;The VARK design;


The VARK model of learning (visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic) is undoubtedly one of
the most well-known learning approaches. Four segments that cover various methods for
acquiring information form the basis of VARK.

Visual learners are students that prefer information to be given graphically. The best
methods for these kids include infographics, tables, sketches, and other visual aids. Visual
learning is less about pictures, photos, and movies and more about creating a mental image
in one's head using the information that is available. A visual learner can better memorise a
poem by taking a mental "screenshot" of the text page.

The most successful students are auditory learners (also known as aural learners). Radio,
music streaming services (like Tidal or Spotify), talking, singing, musical instruments, and
more are all used by teachers that use this method of learning. Students that prefer this
teaching style will use it outside of the classroom, for instance, by saying aloud what they
have learned or by practising their remembering skills with music and rhythm.

Systems of education that emphasise reading and writing are arguably the oldest. Individuals
who "love reading" get written information from books, personal notes, or the Internet.
They utilise writing, copying, and verbal trickery generally even while they are studying.
Many beginners to writing solely use their own notes. Basically, they take in and change the
information acquired to suit their needs.

The method of learning through touch, repetition, and actual actions up until a certain level
of information is acquired is known as kinesthetic learning. Because of this, tactile learners
will learn best if they complete assignments on their own. This method works best in
technical and athletic courses, while it can also be applied in other situations (e.g. for
learning letters and numbers using letter and number blocks and toys).

Importance of learning taxonomies in planning a lesson:


A taxonomy is a professional tool that assists educators in creating relevant instructional experiences
for students. Learning taxonomies also provide specialized frameworks for expressing what students
are doing and why. These frameworks can be utilized in the long run to track instructional
occurrences throughout time. They can also be used as professional self-assessment tools, allowing
teachers to reflect on their own teaching and instructional choices. It's essentially the science of
cataloguing and describing things.

The primary goal of the concept was to build listings in order to better organize vast amounts of
data. They are frequently grouped in a hierarchical order. That is, items are arranged in some sort of
order, usually one that progresses from the simplest to the most complex or vice versa. However, a
taxonomy can be developed to characterize locations that are below or above a defined midpoint or
neutral point. They can also be designed to indicate things at the same level, but in different
categories, as several of the newer taxonomies do.

Making a taxonomy is a simple way to organise concepts so that learners, users, readers, or viewers
may better grasp and recall a large number of objects, or a sequence of pieces or information. As
previously said, employing learning taxonomies is a great technique to assist educators in developing
exceptional educational strategies. They can readily assist educators in keeping track of what they
ask students to complete in order to ensure that courses are varied and meet a variety of learning
goals, needs, and foci. Educators benefit from using learning taxonomies to help them build great
lesson plans.

There are various learning taxonomies, the most well-known of which is Bloom's taxonomy, which
was proposed by Benjamin Bloom and a group of collaborators in 1950 and revised and published in
2001. The others include Solo, Fink's taxonomy, and, more recently, Wiggins and McTighe's
backward design of lesson preparation. For example:

Questions are posed exclusively to determine whether a student remembers what he or she has
learned at the remembering level of Bloom's taxonomy.

1) For the 'Create' level of Bloom's Taxonomy, implementing projects in the classroom can be
highly beneficial. Students can benefit from projects that require them to be creative,
ingenious, and resourceful, such as inventing a product, making a short film, conducting
interviews outside of the classroom, or even developing a simulation based on class topics.
By the end of the project, the students would be able to show the finalised version to a live
audience in order to test and receive comments on their work. Teamwork, honest and
original thinking, problem-solving, and planning are all important lessons for the children to
learn.
2) Student as a leader: Here the classroom can benefit from a teacher-student role flip from
time to time. It enables the teacher to have a better knowledge of the personalities and
potentials of the students. A Socratic seminar technique can be a terrific way to give
students the upper hand in class discussions while also teaching them tolerance and respect
for others' viewpoints. This method is particularly well-suited to Bloom's Taxonomy's "apply"
and "analyse" levels. Peer assessments are a terrific way to add variety to the session.
Students can assess the work of their peers and provide appropriate feedback. This phase is
important for the Bloom's Taxonomy's 'apply' and 'assess' stages since it can help the
teacher visualise the pupils' progress.

Importance of Action verbs in planning a lesson:


Learning objectives must include action verbs so that students may demonstrate their
understanding and teachers can assess the results. Students don't know what they're meant to be
able to achieve if the objectives are too broad.

Some examples of Action verbs used in learning objectives:

For a history lesson of grade 8:

The action verbs shown in bloom’s taxonomy could be used as follows:

1) At the end of the lesson the students will be able to make a list of all the policies introduced
by the East India company.
2) The students will be able to define and describe the causes that led to the revolt of 1857.
3) The students will also be able to make a list of the socio-political and economic events that
caused the rebellion and discuss and explain it to the rest of their respective groups.
4) The students will summarize and make a comparison between an essay the situation that
arose due to changes made by the east India company and if the changes were made
keeping the sensibilities of the Indians in mind.

The six levels of Bloom’s taxonomy play an important role as they provide the basis for the usage of
action verbs in making the lesson objectives effective.

The first level focuses on ‘Remembering’ and recalling facts. In many ways, this is the most
straightforward stage of learning. The students can be put to the test by playing a game called
"vocabulary elimination," in which they are required to go around in a circle and repeat topic-related
vocabulary. Students are not allowed to repeat what their classmates have stated. This can be used
as a warm-up or a cool-down. This game is feasible for ten-year-olds, in particular. Not only do they
have fun, but they also expand their vocabulary.

The aspect of ‘Understanding’(comprehension) is the second stage. Students, especially shy ones,
often fool themselves into thinking they know a lot of words by just parroting their peers, but they
must, however, be able to express their concepts in their own words in order to grasp them. Word
and definition match-up games, for example, are the best to assess student’s(14-15 year olds)
understanding. This game challenges students to work together as a group to match words to
definitions. Quizlet flashcards are an important resource that can be utilized in this game since it
contains a wide range of vocabulary that is important for learning and growth of language.

The third level is ‘Applying’ where pupils should be encouraged to put their newfound knowledge to
use by composing short phrases with a few well-chosen words. This helps them to practise not just
their writing skills, but also to use new language in the appropriate context. As the graphs show, this
method of instruction is quite unpopular with pupils. Nonetheless, it is a vital part of the process of
becoming fluent. This can be used as a quick activity and then games can be played as a reward to
make a fun lesson which results in the students being eager to finish the task so that they can return
to the more enjoyable pastimes.

‘Analysing’: (Level 4) via reading comprehension with topic-related jargon appears to be quite
beneficial. It enables kids to see the words in a different light. It not only enhances reading skills, but
it also allows them to practise pronouncing words. This is especially crucial for the students as they
need to be comfortable in discussing any selected image. Reading comprehension is also a must. As
a result, it is critical that students have the confidence to approach new and sometimes difficult texts
by analysing the language at hand. Students' confidence grows as they discover how language works
in diverse circumstances.

The fifth level is all about’ Evaluation’. The students should be encouraged to argue and debate on
themes that they are interested in. It keeps them interested and makes studying a pleasurable
experience. Each student is given a card on which to make brief thoughts to contribute to the class
discussion in order to guarantee that everyone participates equitably.

The sixth level is’ Creation’. In this level, the students can be assigned one large written work per
topic, which is usually a previously disputed topic. Students are expected to produce a piece of work
of up to 400 words throughout these writing lessons. Typically, by this point, students have spent a
significant amount of time studying the language through the various games described earlier in this
essay.

Different sorts of learning outcomes are frequently used to categorise objectives. Bloom's Revised
Taxonomy is the most widely used, and it divides cognitive learning into six categories:
remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating.

There are common action verbs for each classification, or domain, that target the degree of learning
outcomes we want students to attain.

Here are a few, but there are plenty more!

We can utilise some of these action verbs to get kids to REMEMBER something they've learned:
define, recollect, spell, select, list, or find.

We can utilise some of these action verbs to help pupils UNDERSTAND what they've learned:
compare, contrast, illustrate, relate, summarise, or explain.

We can utilise some of these action verbs to get students to APPLY what they've learned: apply,
model, solve, create, construct, or use.

We can use some of these action verbs to get pupils to ANALYZE anything they've learned: analyse,
classify, distinguish, compare, contrast, or categorise.

We might use some of these action verbs if we want students to EVALUATE something they've
learned: recommend, assess, evaluate, judge, prioritise, or determine.

We can utilise some of these action verbs to encourage kids to CREATE something they've learned:
build, design, enhance, plan, change, and create.
Importance of Reverse Planning in meeting lesson objectives:

Understanding by Design (UBD), also known as Backward Design or Reverse Planning, is a planning
framework that has gained prominence in the field of education during the last 20 years. Jay
McTighe and the late Grant Wiggins created the game. The focus on looking at teaching and learning
outcomes first and building courses around them is the framework's most noticeable aspect. The
goal of employing this framework is to develop proactive students who can think critically,
understand what they're learning, why they're learning it, and apply what they've learned in real-
world circumstances.

In their book Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe (2004) suggest a framework called
Backwards Design. Their concept of 'backwards design' was created in contrast to traditional
curriculum design, which prioritises information and subjects. Backwards Design focuses on intended
objectives (learning outcomes), how they'll be measured (assessment), and how students can apply
what they've learned (learning activities). These pieces work together to provide a road map for
keeping teaching and learning focused and organised. Backwards Design is based on the
Understanding by Design Framework and emphasises the need of teachers as learning designers.

Reverse planning is useful for difficult goals in part because it allows you to focus on the end result
rather than all the things that could go wrong along the route.

Backwards design or Reverse planning aims to improve student learning by putting the student at
the centre of the design process. A framework for self-reflection on teaching practise is provided by
the design. Backward Design focuses on improving student comprehension while also emphasising
the importance of teachers in how they design for student learning. Teachers can use this
framework to explain learning goals/targets, provide revealing assessments of student
comprehension, and create effective and engaging learning activities.

Backward Design is a method or methodology for creating instructional materials in which the
teacher or instructional designer concentrates on the unit's desired end result (i.e., the learning
outcome). Rather than focusing on supporting activities, tools, or well-worn textbooks, the designer
focuses on the learning and starts the design process by asking what learners should be able to
comprehend and perform after receiving instruction. The designer then determines which sorts of
proof are sufficient to prove the intended final outcome. The designer prepares and provides
supporting instruction and learning experiences around the intended objectives and evidence by
working "backwards" from the ultimate aim. It's a means for all educators to cooperate on designing
and implementing effective teaching and learning units.

Backward Design can be broken down into three stages:

1. Determine the desired outcomes: Specify what students should know, comprehend, and be
able to accomplish after receiving education.
2. Determine what types of tests and metrics might clarify (or serve as proof of) when and
whether students can perform the intended outcome.

Create Learning Activities, Materials, and Instruction: Create learning exercises, materials,
and instruction that are centered on the intended outcomes and evidence.
3. Teachers must identify desired objectives or learning goals for the coursework in the first
step of the framework.

Wiggins & McTighe describe four essential educational aims to address in their outline of the
Backwards Design Framework, including;

• Knowledge Objectives - define what students should know, including facts (state capitals,
multiplication tables), vocabulary terms, and fundamental concepts (climate, balance).

• Fundamental abilities Set goals for what pupils should be able to do. Basic abilities (addition,
handwriting, sketching, dribbling a basketball) are required for competency and mastery in any
subject area.

• Goals of Understanding – refer to pupils' understanding of conceptual "major ideas." Such


concepts are essentially ethereal. They can take the form of ideas (patriotism), principles (F=ma),
topics (friendship), problems (government rules), or procedures (problem solving).

• Long-Term Transfer Goals – These goals pertain to students' ability to apply what they've learned
in a new scenario or context. Transfer goals are process-oriented, defining what we want students to
be able to accomplish with their learning in the long term when faced with new opportunities and
obstacles. Official academic standards tend to reflect them in anchor standards or framework
practices, but they are frequently transdisciplinary in character (encompassing complex skills like
critical thinking and collaboration, or developmental Habits of Mind such as persistence and self-
regulation).

Teachers will consider Evidence of Learning in Formative and Summative Assessments in the second
stage of the Backward Design process. Students will complete Performance Tasks to exhibit evidence
of knowledge, learning, and transfer. This can be accomplished in a variety of methods, such as:

1) Reflective journals or learning logs • Portfolios — a compilation of student work throughout


time

2) Peer reviews and groups of peers that respond to each other

3) Projects that are long-term and 'genuine,' such as a senior exhibition

4) Self-evaluation by students

5) Observations of students on a regular basis, informally

6) Written/oral responses to academic prompts (e.g., short-answer format).

7) Tasks for evaluating performance, such as long written products (essays, lab reports), visual
products (PowerPoint, mural), oral performances (oral report, foreign language
conversations), and demonstrations (skill performance in physical education)

8) Multiple-choice and true-false quizzes and tests are examples of selected-response formats.
9) Formal student observations with observable indicators or a criterion list

Teachers can begin Stage 3 of the Backwards Design framework and prepare their Learning
Experiences and instruction once the unit's goals and assessment measures have been decided.
Learning objectives and assessments should be incorporated into all instructional materials and
activities.

The six facets of knowing should be included in the unit design since they are critical for students to
demonstrate their grasp.

1. Explanation - What is the reason for this?

2. What is the significance of interpretation?

3.Application- How, Where, and Why do you use what you've learned?

4. Consider things from a different perspective.

5.Empathy - What do others feel, see, and understand that I don't?

6.Self-awareness– Where are my blind spots, prejudices, and biases?

There are a variety of learning approaches that could be used in lesson planning, including:

• Group talks • Role play • Experiential learning activities

• Inquiry that is hands-on

• Learning through projects

Some examples of reverse planning are as follows:

The idea behind this planning is to start with your ultimate aim or target and move
backward to create an executable strategy, with this method, you work backward from
your major end goal to a list of daily, weekly, or monthly tasks that move you closer to
your objective.

1) If you have a paper to write, you would begin by determining the last action you would
need to take after looking at the paper's due date rather than concentrating on the first
stages.
2) For instance, if you want to reduce weight, you need first. Working on food and
exercise, you will fix an end goal like I will lose 15 kg in the next three months and then
so divided this effort into a tiny task on a weekly basis. Plan your nutrition and exercise
as well. This is called backward goal setting..
3) An architect doesn't merely start building something. It requires extensive planning and
discussions with clients and contractors. They consider the structure they want to create
before creating the route to get there.
4) In a classroom, students prepare lessons. They accomplish this by having access to the
home-based subjects' stuff. When they return to the classroom, they complete the
"homework" in addition to other tasks. They also evaluate concepts and have
discussions with their peers and this is possible with the help of information technology
which is very popular amongst students especially whilst using reverse planning.

Thus we can now determine that the ‘Backward Design’ framework is a useful tool for developing
conceptual Inquiry-based service-learning programmes. The framework is intended to help teachers
build modules that promote critical thinking, problem solving, and student engagement. Fostering
student knowledge of what they're learning, how they're learning it, and why they're learning it is an
important part of integrating service-learning into the classroom.

Using this framework to develop service-learning modules ensures that students grasp the wider
picture and that what they learn in the classroom is linked to their experiences outside of it. This
method of education provides students with the skills they need to function in society and overcome
any obstacles they may face in their academics or in life. To be able to use what they've learned in
the community in meaningful ways.

  

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