Experienced Teachers Share Their Best Lesson Planning Advice

What advice would experienced teachers give about lesson planning?

Lesson planning is a key task for teachers and it takes up a large part of their time and energy. The success of our classrooms largely depends on the success of our lessons. We all want to create good lessons that are meaningful, active, and engaging. We also want to make our lesson planning easier and more effective.

Lesson planning can be a source of stress and overwhelm. Some teachers feel the need for Pinterest perfect lesson plans. Others sacrifice hours and hours to planning to the detriment of their personal lives.

What have experienced teachers learned about lesson planing?  

In a recent Twitter discussion, Shaquise Elie, a social studies instructional coach and department chair asked:

“Teachers: What would you tell your first-year-teacher-self about lesson planning?”

We loved the ensuing discussion where to date 257 teachers have chimed in with their best advice. You can read the entire exchange here.

We read through the comments and thought we would share some of the best lesson planning advice we read.

Here are some key ideas we took away from this discussion:

Stephan said: Teach the students, not the lesson.

Sara said: Be sure to take note of the things that didn’t work so you can fix them for next time!

Karsten said: Some lessons will be a complete flop and that’s ok. Either try a different method or keep it moving. And….it’s ok to learn with your students.

Mariah said: Over plan activities so if you finish early or if something just doesn’t work you have options.

Julianne said: 90% of classroom management is in your lesson plan.

Mr. Thorley said: Lessons aren’t about you lecturing the students and passing off your information like you’re the bees knees. It’s about getting every child to access the same information but in different ways. Active learning is paramount.

Todd said: Ask yourself, would I be excited to do this if I were a student in this class?

Trina said: Plan units not lessons. It gives you more flexibility with each day and keeps you from being up late every Sunday planning.

Katy said: Diversify! And not just day-to-day, within the lesson. Get the kids up and moving, plan way less ‘lecture’ time, and know a little chaos is okay.

We close with Ebonique’s advice because it sums up so much:

Plan for the children in front of you.

Even good plans can improve.

Reflect, differentiate, have fun!

Lesson planning is important, and teachers need to prepare. Within that guideline, there is room for individuality and variation based on your best work style and the needs of your students. Each teacher eventually settles into a way of planning that works well for them. We hope you find your style and that your students benefit from great lessons.

Our best,

Our thanks to @ShaquiseTeach for the inspiration for today’s post.