What is one significant practice in teaching?
Planning!
By planning I don't mean just what we write in the boxes in a teacher's ledger book. Planning is multidimensional.
It's the big picture ... how that huge curriculum fits across 9 or 10 months.
It's the ongoing professional development -
... deepening understanding of content
... exploring new instructional strategies
... creating meaningful formative assessments -
It's collaboration with colleagues ... face to face and online PLN - discussions that challenge our thinking.
It's a sequencing puzzle ... how to hook students, what to teach first, next, how to wrap it all up.
It's about the pushmi-pullyu ... how fast, deep, detailed ... how much direct instruction ... how much discovery ... how much practice!
It's up, down, in, out ... movement to engage students' interest.
It's exploring the what ifs ... what if students struggle? what if they catch on quickly? what if the activity falls flat? what if ...
It's knowing in advance how you'll know they know what you want them to know!
Planning ... it takes time ... and more time!
Hi Beth, such a great definition (list) of all the things involved in planning. Whilst planning is something I do all the time, probably even in my sleep, I had never stopped to actually think about all the elements of planning that I do. Not just a signicant practice in teaching, significant in my role in school leadership and in life. Everytime I read this I find something else to consider. Thanks for sharing
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