A brief course in the teaching process

by George D. Strayer

A good lesson plan will include pivotal questions which will serve to call for the data as indicated by the main topics given in the organization of the subject matter. The problem of questioning has been discussed at some length in a previous chapter.[27] In planning a lesson, a question or two which will discover to the children the problem to be solved should come first in the plan. With the problem before the children, the function of the question is to stimulate thought in the direction of the solution of the problem. The writer is familiar with the objection that questions cannot be prepared ahead of time.

It is true that the form of question may need to be varied because of progress or the lack of it, not anticipated by the teacher, but the question carefully prepared ahead of time will help rather than hinder in the formulation of a question to meet the situation. It is true, too, that not all of the questions can be prepared ahead of time. All the more reason for careful preparation of a few questions which will enable the teacher to prevent wandering by children during the development of the topic. Thought-provoking questions which guide and stimulate children in the solution of their problems are dependent upon the aim which has been established and upon the organization of material which it is desired to follow in the solution of the problem. One might as well deny the need of organizing material, as to question the value of preparing a few pivotal questions as a part of the plan.

Lessons often fail because the ground covered during the period cannot be retraced by the children at the end of the exercise. In a well-organized plan the teacher will provide for summaries as each main point is covered. In general these summaries should aim to recall the subject matter covered from the beginning of the lesson. It may be suggested that any good teacher summarizes her work as she passes from point to point in her teaching, and that no artificial reminder is necessary. The difficulty is that a good summary is not accomplished merely by asking for a recapitulation of the material covered. The skillful teacher puts her question which involves a summary in such form that the pupils get a new view of the ground already covered. In the experience of the writer, questions which involve a summary of the work covered, with the added element of a new view as a stimulus to further thought on the subject, are more rare than good questions introducing new topics.

A good plan will include a list of illustrations, illustrative material, books including references to chapter or page, maps or charts which are to be consulted during the recitation. Teacher and children are often disappointed because of the lack of materials which could have been at hand had the teacher only thought about the lesson before teaching it. In like manner, the opportunities for motor expression, other than reciting or discussing, should be noted in the plan. Dramatization, constructive work, graphic representation at the seat or on the blackboard, may make the difference between success and failure in a recitation.

A lesson which has been well planned will naturally end in the assignment of work to be done in preparation for the next recitation. In the discussion of any problem there must arise questions which cannot then be answered. A good lesson is characterized not simply by the ability of children to report progress, but quite as much by their statement of the questions still unanswered. The direction sometimes given to call up again the question which is left unanswered during the recitation indicates a teacher whose assignments provide a real stimulus for study in preparation for the next day’s work. If it is necessary to have a live problem before children during the recitation conducted by the teacher, obviously it is much more necessary to make assignments which involve real issues for children to meet.

In outline form the discussion of plan making given above would appear as given below. This lesson on plan making may be taken as an illustration of the type of plan a teacher should prepare for a development lesson. In this plan, as in others, it seems wise to keep the subject matter separate from the method of procedure.

A plan for teaching lesson plans: Their importance and the elements which enter into their composition.

Teacher’s aim: To show the importance of plan making and to indicate the elements which enter into the construction of a good plan.

Preparation (which aims to get the problem before the class). How do you prepare for your day’s work? Do you think you would do better work if you planned your several recitations somewhat systematically?

Pupil’s aim: Why do I need to make plans, and what are the elements of a good plan?