lesson plans « learntolearn

Encouraging and Supporting Self-Directed Learning

by Fran

Do we want students to take ownership of their learning, to become more confident and self-directed, to become life-long learners? A way to encourage and support them in this endeavor is to engage them in meta learning. Meta Learning: understanding, directing, and assessing your learning. Here are some suggestions:

Make “learning about learning” a daily part of classroom conversation.
Include students in lesson planning.
Teach “reflection tools” and use them regularly in the classroom.
Given your model for lesson planning/teaching, introduce specific learning strategies. In our case, there will be strategies for Purpose, Operations, Remembering, Teamwork, Action, Laying a Foundation, and Self-management.
Initiate, encourage, and support the use of student designed and used assessment tools.

Today we will write about two of these suggestions.

Make “learning about learning” a daily part of classroom conversation. Recently I found a wonderful paper by Chris Watkins titled “Learning about Learning” that goes into an excellent level of detail about how to make learning a part of classroom discussion. https://www.um.edu.mt/educ/about/publications/mrer/files/JMERN5I2P3.pdf

He suggests 4 practices taught over time:

*noticing things about learning (in real time)

*talking about learning (retell learning stories)

*reflecting on learning (writing in a learning journal)

*making learning an object of learning (focusing on the process)

Including students in lesson planning. Do students know that teachers make/write

some sort of lesson plan? What if they understood the parts of a lesson plan?

Would they be able to assess their strengths and challenges before the lesson

began and evaluate their learning after the lesson? I think so!

If that’s the case, can we teach students to understand and rewrite plans to

meet their own needs? I say Yes!

We have created a mini text (20 slides) to explain the process of Meta

Lesson Planning. It is available on Google Docs:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VMJFwScnC7Tl7yEiTh_anASgze9YANJKshnZKuCnwo4/edit#slide=id.p4

In subsequent blogs we will describe and link other tools for teaching students to be meta learners.

We’d love to have your feedback. This is a work in progress.

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One example of a Meta Lesson Plan Format

by Fran

A Meta Lesson Plan incorporates meta learning into each element of a lesson plan. It prepares students to enter into a learning partnership, where participants have complementary roles. Here is one example. Of course, teachers can design their own planning format and emphasis meta learning in whichever elements are relevant to a particular lesson. In subsequent blogs we will suggest meta learning ideas for each element of a lesson plan, starting with Goals & Objectives

Teacher’s Role	Student’s Role
Goals & Objectives
Provides Big PictureTentative Itinerary*Rationale: Why these G & O	*Responds to big pix, itinerary, and rationale.
Knowledge of Students
Student input on strengths and challenges (S&C) for this planConveys and encourages a “growth” mindset	*Student can articulate S & Crelative to plan.
Content
*Essential Content for this unit^Concept Map of Topic Domain ^Assessment of Prior Knowledge	*Retrieves and assesses Prior knowledge at concept & map level.
Instructional Activities
Offers & tests variety and choices ofActivities Multiple Representations and Media Flexible time/timing *Explains/models “operations”	*Understands, assesses and communicates preferences about Instructional Activities
Resources
Offers variety & choices that are readily accessibleSeeks suggestions from Learners	Makes and evaluates choicesSuggests resources
Assessment
Frequent and Predictable use of Formative Assessment with informative feedback and opportunity for “correction” or re-doClearly values “mistakes”	Seeks and uses feedbackIs prepared to “correct”, “redo” or make different choices.*Suggests, creates, uses own assessment
Action (Outcomes)
Offers Choices for Demonstration and Dissemination of learningHas catalogue for preview	Shares ideas for Demonstration and Dissemination of learningMakes choices
Follow Through & Follow Up
*Opportunities for follow through and follow up that will enhance/support generalization^will offer opportunity for student to pursue topic/expand task	Anticipates and plans for generalizationPursues topics and tasks of interest.
Reflection
Reflection on student accomplishments and challenges; Reflects on plan*Updates knowledge of student(s)	*Takes a meta stance relative to planning, monitoring, and evaluating learning; and makes appropriate changes in learning choices & strategies.