Lesson Planning

How do you decide whether a lesson has been successful or not?

How do the assignments you give offer students the opportunity to express their creativity and individuality?

There are many things that allow me to know whether a lesson is successful or not. To start, knowing that the students enjoyed it, is one method I use to determine if a lesson is successful. It is important for me to do things that the students enjoy in this class because it is an elective, so it shouldn’t be boring. One way to check if it’s successful is by listening to the students’ responses. For example, when I first present a lesson, I explain to the students what it is that they are going to be doing, and by their responses, I can tell if it interests them. Case in point, when the students are excited about a lesson, they get really excited, they cheer, and they get to work right away. If the lesson doesn’t sound appealing they complain and it takes longer for them to get started. Another thing that tells me if a lesson is successful is when the students ask me if when can do that lesson or that activity again. Moreover, another factor that is important to me if a lesson is successful is making sure the students fully understand it. I can determine this by walking around the class and by look at what they have written on their papers. For example, when I walk around, I check for errors, and if I see more than three papers with the same mistake I know that I wasn’t successful. Also, by collecting their assignment at the end of the class, and going over them can tell me if the activity I presented was done well. I can also check level of understanding this way.

In the class that I am currently teaching in, I give the students many opportunities to show their creativity. And it’s done in different ways, so everyone has an opportunity to show their creativeness. For example, the students got to make weather forecast presentation videos in which they got into groups and create a video where they had the freedom to use props and pretend to be weatherperson. Many students were able to show their talent by the use of technology, like using sound effect, by showing their acting skill, and by the costumes they wore in the videos. Another way I allowed them to express themselves is by having them create a collage when they were learning body parts vocabulary in Spanish. Student made a collage by creating a body by using pictures from magazines and then they had to label the parts. For instance, one student showed his creativity by using a picture of soda bottle and a neck and a spoon as a tongue. In addition, I also allow students to express themselves through art because I let them draw pictures so they can depict what their sentences in Spanish say. I really enjoy teaching Spanish because it can be fun and it allows students to show their creativity at the same time.