SYNERGY BETWEEN THE LESSON PLAN AND LESSON PRESENTATION: PRACTICE WHAT YOU PLAN!

Abstract

The starting point of every lesson to be presented is a lesson plan. The lesson plan maps out the route that the teacher intends to take in the classroom. At teacher education institutions, student teachers are capacitated to master the skills of lesson planning and the skill of lesson presentation. The aim of this study was to investigate why there is no synergy between the student teachers’ lesson plans and lesson presentations during teaching practice. Students map out their teaching on a lesson plan, but what they do in the classroom is not a reflection of the lesson plan itself. As a result, the researchers sought to investigate the reasons for this lack of synergy between the lesson plan and the actual lesson presentation. This qualitative research was conducted through semi-structured interviews. A sample of 20 B.Ed. degree student teachers who are in their third year of study were purposefully selected. The findings revealed that most students do not have high regard for lesson planning. The assessment rubric used to evaluate student teachers’ teaching competence during teaching practice does not point out any aspects of the lesson plan. Again, student teachers are unsure of how to implement some of the aspects of the lesson plan template, among others identification of prior learning, values, and attitudes, assessment strategies, and expanded opportunities. The study highlighted the need to put more emphasis on the importance of the lesson plan and implementation thereof. It was also recommended that more marks be allocated for the lesson plan on the assessment rubric.