Essay 2 for teaching course 4 on cousera

1. Planning a teaching and learning
session
What are the critical factors that you would
consider when engaging the three way
relationship of the teacher, the curriculum, and
the students in planning a teaching and learning
session?

2. Teacher
Students
Curriculum

3. Teacher-curriculum
Key questions:
What does the curriculum say for this topic?
● Are there suggested activities for this topic?
● How do I interpret the topic?
● How am I going to sequence the whole topic?
● What are the learning outcomes from this topic?
●

4. Teacher-curriculum
Planning the lesson:
Topic: the atom
● Sub-topic: history of the atom
● Lesson type: class activity
● Aim: to introduce learners to atomic models by
using the history of the atom and how atomic theory
developed
● Materials: marker pens, large sheets of paper, postit notes, computers or other reference sources
● Misconceptions: No specific misconceptions, just
need to be aware that students might become fixed
on one person's model of the atom
● Challenges: keeping learners focused, making the
activity interesting, ensuring all learners have
access to reference materials, ensuring the content
is culturally relevant
●

5. Teacher-learner
Implementing the lesson:
Begin by explaining the assignment
● Divide class into groups and hand out a scientist to
research to each group
● Monitor the groups: are all learners engaged, do all
learners know what they need to do, is every
learner getting a chance to participate, are all
learners voices being heard, can learners find the
information they need
● Feedback: Give each group a chance to talk,
ensure each learner is heard
● Allow groups time to discuss the other groups work
● Ask learners what they learnt from the lesson
●

6. Teacher-learner
Meeting learners where they are:
Is each learner's voice being heard?
● Can each learner handle the task set? Are there
learners who may need extra help?
● Have the groups being fairly assigned to ensure
that stronger learners work with weaker learners?
● Are the learners actively learning something or are
they just making pretty pictures on their sheets of
paper?
● Are any learners left out due to cultural differences?
● Do the learners understand how to use reference
materials or search online for information?
● Did any learners come to the conclusion that one
model of the atom is the only model?
● Do all learners know how they will be marked on
this activity?
●

7. Learner-curriculum
Do learners:
● know the goal of the lesson?
● understand what they are being taught?
● feel they have achieved the goal of the lesson?
● have a part to play in setting the goals and choosing
activities?

8. References
1.
http://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/supportformatrics/NonL
anguageCAPS/tabid/5001/Default.aspx
2.
Lecture notes for weeks 3 and 4