It all starts with a plan

We have been working on lesson planning for the past week or so.  Planning instruction for learning is one of the most important skills good teachers possess.  Taking it a step further, after you have formulated your plans, now is when you put it all together in front of  your class.  Good instruction is just as important as a good plan.

What is good instruction?  Take a few minutes and think about effective teachers you have had in your life.  Think about ineffective teachers you have had.  What was the difference in the two types of teachers?  I am thinking it probably has something to do with the way they presented the information.
Some hints to make you an effective presenter:

• Know your material!  If you don't know what you are talking about, your students will sense this.  
• Speak with a loud enough voice to be heard by all of your students.  Relax the nerves. 
• # 1 rule is to be prepared!  Students know when you are winging it.  Don't be that teacher!
• Practice with a friend or in front of a mirror before your lesson.  Those that practice do much better than those that don't!

A good way to be a good teacher is to watch videos of other good teachers.  The Teaching Channel is a good place to search for videos that show good teaching.  You can sign up for an account with your email address.  This will enable you to save videos and lesson ideas for future use.  

Your blog assignment is to find a short video of a teacher that teaches the same grade level as you are teaching on The Teaching Channel.  

• Write a review of the video. 
• Write down the "Questions to Consider" and Answer the "Questions to Consider" found on the side panel of your video.

Embed the video on your blog.  Look for the embed symbol on each video toolbar.  Click on it and it will give you the embed code to copy.

As always use the rubric for best grading results.  This blog is due on Monday, February 6.