Do we really need a Lesson Plan?

Early Days Education and Training

When you first start working in education and training you rely on Lesson Plans. You fill them out studiously and ensure that you meet all the objectives. As the years go by, you can get a bit lapse with this practice particularly as you get more comfortable with your topic. So I pose the question.... Is it really necessary to have a Lesson Plan?

At a recent team get together our leader advised that all training sessions would require a lesson plan and there was a certain format that must be adhered to. One of the trainers piped up and stated that he didn't use lesson plans anymore because he has been doing his Health and Safety courses for decades and doesn't need one. A bit of discussion followed, but the upshot was that he would be providing lesson plans and he would get help to start producing them.

So lets look at the purpose and benefits of a lesson plan.

In all successful projects, planning is a key element to success and when it comes to teaching, this is no different. Lesson plans provide the structure to enable this.  An effective lesson will be organized well and have interesting and varied activities and content. Resources used will be appropriate to the audience and at the right level.

Time Management is important too. Within a lesson plan it is important to break activities into time slots and try to adhere to these. (with a degree of flexibility). A well managed and balanced lesson plan gives a sense of security and ensures that all boxes are ticked that need to be so that relevant objectives are met.

There are many different types of lesson plans available dependent on what field of teaching you are working in, however, the basic structure should include the following elements:

1. An Introduction - The main objective and learning outcomes for the lesson
2. A Starter Activity - this could be an ice breaker, a warm-up exercise, a review, etc.
3. The Body - The content and activities planned
4. The Conclusion - A review of main points, questions, assessment, feedback.

Resources for you to download

To get a variety of templates with some examples click here: Lesson Plans and Templates.

To view other teacher and training resources go to my TPT store.

I'd be interested to know if you use lesson plans, or rely on your memory? Please comment below :)