Patchwork Lesson Plans
Deviating from the Standard Course of Study for the Wrong Reasons
Patchwork lesson plans are efforts by teachers to fill any particular day with some worthwhile theme, yet they seldom comprise integral parts of a longer term unit and highlight poor planning, disorganization, and a departure from curricular goals. These quilted lesson plans find their way into the classroom when teachers are burned out, absent, or simply unwilling to follow curricular standards that mandate integrated and continuous learning units within the published course of study.
The Wrong Approach in Spontaneous Daily Lesson Plans
Short of inserting a video or DVD to fill the precious minutes of a classroom encounter, too many teachers follow the educational “path of least resistance” and derail curricular aims and outcomes. “Let’s discuss current events today” often tells students that the teacher is not prepared to actually teach. In the movie “Teachers,” Ralph Macchio asks a brooding Nick Nolte, “are you gonna teach today, or what?”
Such scenarios often occur when there is minimal classroom oversight and school administration allows individual teachers to follow their own agendas despite published guidelines and standards. While most teachers may feel the need for a “mental health day,” tinkering with the standard course of study by following a roller-coaster approach to daily instruction is defeatist. Unfortunately, this happens far too frequently.
Avoiding Incongruous Alternatives to Standard Lesson Plans
Teachers generally despise having to record and keep records of daily lesson plans that, in some cases, are reviewed regularly by supervisory personnel. However, if properly crafted, written lesson plans are the blue prints that keep teachers “honest” in day to day classroom instruction. Teachers with integrity and an honest desire to instruct will find these daily guideposts helpful in plotting the direction of desired outcomes as well as documenting material covered.
Preparing lesson plans in advance of a teaching unit not only keeps the teacher “honest,” but acts as a contract to fulfill promised goals. It is far more difficult to deviate from long term goals when the desired outcomes are enumerated as daily aims. Will the viewing of a movie substitute for a well planned lesson as dictated by the written plan, or is it just a “quick fix” because the teacher did not have time to prepare fully?
Patchwork Versus Seamless
Seamless lesson plans ensure the chronological and contiguous nature of daily classroom teaching. Students and supervisors know that the unbroken nature of instruction is part of the overall curricular goals. This requires that teachers devote quality time in terms of course preparation.
Patchwork planning is generally spontaneous. It seeks to integrate some level of continuity, but almost always detracts from the goals and desired outcomes associated with any particular course of study. Motives for patchwork planning may vary, but almost always point to a significant lack of supervisory oversight and pedagogical direction.
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