The deluxe lesson was very beneficial as it prepared me for interviews, prior to this I hadn’t really considered the questions I may be asked at interview. It allowed me to think deeply about how I might answer the dreaded question “What is the perfect lesson to you?” I realised this question is much more detailed than just listing what a lesson includes, it is asking what I specifically think makes a perfect lesson. Thinking in a much more concise way about the question allowed me to think about the main features of the perfect lesson.
1. Making the lesson inclusive – this means making sure that the learning is accessible to all children. This means appropriate differentiation, knowing your children and having solid relationships with each of them so you know what level of learning they can access. “The concept of teaching all students at their own challenge level is one with which most teachers agree in principle…Sometimes when we try to offer gifted kids opportunities for challenge, they refuse to take us up on it. Complacency sets in… Why should they work harder if they don’t have to?” (Winebrenner, 2001, Free Sprit Publishing,31)
2. Making sure the children are engaged in the lesson as this ensures they are learning and enjoying which in turn ensures that they are well behaved and they have no time to misbehave. Gripping the children and keeping them hooked is the most important feature to me because it they are not enjoying learning from a young age they will not grow to enjoy learning. One way to engage children is to use the creative curriculum that we have looked at over the past few weeks. Wheatfield Primary School in Bristol have been using the creative curriculum “We found offering our children an element of choice in both content and methods of presentation of their learning, played a core part in raising their motivation levels.” (http://www.cureepaccts.com/files/publication/1230895566/Engaging_primary_schools_learners_through_a_creative_curriculum.pdf)
3. Assessing and monitoring children’s progress is my next most important feature. If children are to progress it is important that they know what they are aiming for, what level they are at and which objectives they have met, assessment should be explicitly shared with the children as should learning objectives and success criteria, this allows children to play a key role in their own education and learning.
“What we are essentially assessing is to what extent the children (and we as teachers) have been able to do the following:
· Reach the objectives set in planning;
· Develop appropriate attitudes and opinions;
· Reach high standards and offer quality outcomes;
· Deal with the rates at which children learn;
· Find out about children’s strengths and weaknesses; understand what learning should take place for children to progress;
· Know what activities or experiences should now be provided or repeated and what differentiated experiences are needed for individual, or groups of, children.
These are then evaluated against longer – term aims to see what adjustments are required in planning.”
(Moyles, 2007, Mc Graw Hill Education, 150)
The Deluxe lesson also helped me to develop me philosophy of education as it demonstrated the questions I should be asking myself in order to build a philosophy of education such as “Why do I teach the way I do?, What do I believe about teaching and learning?, What motivated me to choose a career in teaching?”. Before this I had no idea where to begin in developing my own philosophy of education but these past weeks have given me an excellent starting point and have led me to look closer at why I agree with certain education theories and practices.
1. Making the lesson inclusive – this means making sure that the learning is accessible to all children. This means appropriate differentiation, knowing your children and having solid relationships with each of them so you know what level of learning they can access. “The concept of teaching all students at their own challenge level is one with which most teachers agree in principle…Sometimes when we try to offer gifted kids opportunities for challenge, they refuse to take us up on it. Complacency sets in… Why should they work harder if they don’t have to?” (Winebrenner, 2001, Free Sprit Publishing,31)
2. Making sure the children are engaged in the lesson as this ensures they are learning and enjoying which in turn ensures that they are well behaved and they have no time to misbehave. Gripping the children and keeping them hooked is the most important feature to me because it they are not enjoying learning from a young age they will not grow to enjoy learning. One way to engage children is to use the creative curriculum that we have looked at over the past few weeks. Wheatfield Primary School in Bristol have been using the creative curriculum “We found offering our children an element of choice in both content and methods of presentation of their learning, played a core part in raising their motivation levels.” (http://www.cureepaccts.com/files/publication/1230895566/Engaging_primary_schools_learners_through_a_creative_curriculum.pdf)
3. Assessing and monitoring children’s progress is my next most important feature. If children are to progress it is important that they know what they are aiming for, what level they are at and which objectives they have met, assessment should be explicitly shared with the children as should learning objectives and success criteria, this allows children to play a key role in their own education and learning.
“What we are essentially assessing is to what extent the children (and we as teachers) have been able to do the following:
· Reach the objectives set in planning;
· Develop appropriate attitudes and opinions;
· Reach high standards and offer quality outcomes;
· Deal with the rates at which children learn;
· Find out about children’s strengths and weaknesses; understand what learning should take place for children to progress;
· Know what activities or experiences should now be provided or repeated and what differentiated experiences are needed for individual, or groups of, children.
These are then evaluated against longer – term aims to see what adjustments are required in planning.”
(Moyles, 2007, Mc Graw Hill Education, 150)
The Deluxe lesson also helped me to develop me philosophy of education as it demonstrated the questions I should be asking myself in order to build a philosophy of education such as “Why do I teach the way I do?, What do I believe about teaching and learning?, What motivated me to choose a career in teaching?”. Before this I had no idea where to begin in developing my own philosophy of education but these past weeks have given me an excellent starting point and have led me to look closer at why I agree with certain education theories and practices.
