| Often new teachers spend too much time planning | | | | Personalize part(s) of a lesson. It is easier to teach a |
| activities for their lessons that they tend to overlook | | | | group of students when you personalize content. |
| the needs of their students. When this happens, they | | | | Avoid saying: "Open your books to page 50." The best |
| are more concerned about the structure of the lesson | | | | time to take advantage of personalizing a lesson is |
| plan and how it is set up without realizing that they've | | | | during the first 5 minutes - that way you are able to |
| drifted too far away from connecting with their | | | | maintain their attention. You might need to be |
| students. | | | | spontaneous since engaging lessons depend on a |
| Planning for a mixed ability class demands a great deal | | | | dynamic interaction between a teacher and the |
| of flexibility and in the beginning of a new teacher's | | | | students. |
| career, it is hard to know what works so a lot is based | | | | Set up the lesson with activities that reinforce |
| on trial and error which is why it is a good idea to | | | | self-directed behavior. Teachers can use a timer for a |
| experiment with different teaching techniques. | | | | "Do Now" activity. As a beginning activity for example, |
| For new teachers, the best advice is to write a lesson | | | | students can look up the meanings of five words in 10 |
| plan that is true to your own teaching style and beliefs. | | | | minutes. |
| If you are "big" on cooperative learning, introduce pair | | | | Engaging a mixed ability class of 35 students from |
| and group work as the core activity of your lesson. If | | | | beginning to end is possible. By using easy to establish |
| you connect with music, then use songs to preteach | | | | procedures and fun and interesting lesson planning |
| and review targeted vocabulary and reading | | | | techniques, it's possible to build expectations for |
| comprehension. | | | | continued student success. |