Lesson Planning: Let's get FLEXible (9/26/2011)

Anthology Chapter 3:
Daily lesson plans benefit English teachers (all teachers really) by planning ahead an attack of how to present content, materials, sequencing, timing, and activities. It provides protection in the crazy world of.. THE CLASSROOM! You always got to bring backup, can't come to duel with your hands in your pocket. A plan also gives you a log of what is going on and being taught, which can save your butt when an administrator questions any of your methods.
I agree with Tyler's (1949) rational-linear framework of "choosing your objectives, selecting learning activities, organizing learning activities, and specifying methods of evaluation," but I feel he (and this chapter) is missing out on taking account to all learners in the class. I know that his model is from 1949, but the rest of the chapter forgets to touch on learners on different tiers. I also know that this book is from 2006, but now we have to address RTI (Right to Intervention) into our lessons. Now, since we are dealing with ELLs, we will already have to address the issue of "tiering" our students by the help they need. We will have ELL students that are all over the board, and we are the ones who will need to differentiate our lessons based on the proficiency levels of our students. #challengeaccepted

Anthology Chapter 7:
The Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics defines "curriculum" as the educational purposes of the programme (the ends). I can agree with this, I feel that curriculum is like a musical or play, or whichever theatre term that fancies you. There's a prologue that guides us to what we are about to embark into, then the action as the story (learning) begins, an interlude where the students are able to mingle among one other (activities), an intermission (end of class, homework, study), then the next act (next class hour) begins, assessing and evaluation is thrown around during these acts as well, and culminates with the end of the unit, but the twist is that it is a continuous show, one leads into another... muahaha! (Sorry for the rant)
The chapter touched more on models which fit into the curriculum, presenting 'ideal' versions of applications of major types of curriculum models: content, objectives, and process. The book states that these are ideal because in order to actually get a blend of all of these models require school administrations and the state to loosen the handcuffs. What the chapter ended on was the move in ELT toward consolidation and integration, I will be very interested in hearing how that goes. Until then, we need to fight for more flexibility and openness to change and influences from the a bigger perspective of general educational theory, but let's not hold our breaths.. #realitycheck

Blogfully yours,
The TESOL Bro,
Tommy T.