THE INSPECTOR CALLS
T.Elia, Senior Inspector Batinah South Region
No, you haven’t got the title wrong. Please read on.
The vexed issue of lesson preparation notes written by teachers in their preparation books comes up every so often at our inspectors’ meetings and stares us down as we look away from it helplessly.
The standard procedure for the teacher regarding lesson preparation is to put down as 3 or 4 points what is said in 3or 4 pages in the Teacher’s book. If there are 4 tasks in a leson the teacher writes down 4 sentences describing what he/his pupils want to do. And the usual procedure for the inspector is to ask to see the lesson preparation notes written by the teacher and get into the class with him. It is not very often that an inspector gets time to have a meaningful pre-lesson discussion.
Inspectors’ views on lesson preparation notes of teachers have been veried depending on the degree of match found between what is written as notes and wha is done in the lesson. Very often lesson notes do not tell much about the lesson but they do something about the teacher’s attitude towards work. We have however, seen beautifully written lesson preparation notes ending up in what I don’t want to call a disaster, while seemingly slip-shod notes turning into a well executed lesson. It is therefore axiomatic to say a good lesson does not take shape on a sheet of paper but in the mind of the teacher. And we cannot fully see his mind ntil he displays itwhile teaching just as we can not see the lesson until it takes shape as the teacher and his pupils interact with the materials.
Preparation notes can be seen basically written in two ways:
- mechanically – transferring task rubrics from the TB to the Preparation Book. ( What is normally done)
- reflectively – thoughtfully telling himself – as well as a possible observer, inspector/ colleague – why he is doing what he is doing. (not often seen).
When you choose 2 above you need to have in front of you:
- what to use - AB/PB, VSCs etc ( the materials)
- How to use it -TB notes ( the procedure)
- Why you use it - The aims ( the purpose)
- What is required of you - the competencies listed.
Though you do not refer to item 4 above on daily basis, you have these four items interacting with ( and sometimes even influencing) your personal beliefs regarding teaching/ learning processes. Reflective preparation notes take into consideration among other things the interactive problems the learners are likely to have. So far as materials are concerned these problems can be traced to two sources:
1. the density of the content both linguistic and conceptual and
2. the design of the tasks and their rubrics and in either case you need to intervene either preparedor unprepared.
With this as back ground, I would like you to look at a few concepts ( connected with lesson planning) Prof. Jack Richards shared with some inspectors and teachers on 23rd Feb.’97 in Muscat. Among other things Prof. Richards made certain pedagogis statements for us to think about, like:
· lesson planning is a process and not a product.
· Decision-making by the teacher is closely linked with teaching – learning process.
· Improvisation in teaching/ learning process involves learning from other teachers.
In his view teaching is seen as a decision- making process in which two stages can be identified:
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Stage One |
Pre-Active decisions |
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This is when the teacher is engaged in planning the lesson. It is called pre- active because decisions are taken before the actual teaching takes place. |
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A comment |
IN the OWTE context these decisions are already taken to a large degree by the author of the TB. The initiative of a teacher at this stage should reflect in what he makes out of the TB guide lines and how he puts it down as lesson preparation notes. The teacher’s understanding of the TB author’s thinking is seen in lesson preparation notes. |
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Stage Two |
Interactive decisions |
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These are so called because these decisions are taken by the teacher while teaching. He thinks on his feet- as the situation demands – and changes the course of the lesson as required. |
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A comment |
He changes the course of the lesson and he does it without losing sight of the aim of the task / lesson. We are all aware of the fact that all the teachers find themselves at one time or another instinctively making changes during the course of the lesson with different degrees of success. |
So, when the inspector looks at your lesson notes he is meeting you at stage 1 and when he observes you lesson he is watching you at stage 2. While this being so, I would like to add that a success ful teacher is one who always moves back and forth between stages 1 and 2. He always ploughs back, as it were, into stage one whatever decisions he has already found effective at stage two.
And that is why they say:
“A bad lesson is the one which follows a fixed lesson plan”.
And we must hurry to add:
“But it is better than the one which follows no lesson plan!”