Enroll Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/lesson-design
For anyone looking to elevate their teaching game, especially in the English language teaching (ELT) sphere, Coursera’s ‘Teach English Now! Lesson Design and Assessment’ course is a highly valuable resource. This course provides a comprehensive and practical guide to crafting effective lesson plans and developing robust assessment strategies, essential skills for any educator.
The course kicks off with ‘Basic Instructional Design,’ introducing foundational theories from educational heavyweights like Robert Gagne and Benjamin Bloom. You’ll delve into the crucial elements of initiating a lesson, such as gaining attention and stating objectives, as well as delivering instruction, presenting content, and eliciting performance. A general lesson plan template is provided, serving as a consistent framework throughout the course, alongside essential classroom management tips.
Following this, ‘Activating Background Knowledge and Objective Discussions’ focuses on the power of warm-up activities. The course effectively demonstrates how these can not only introduce a lesson’s theme but also forge vital connections to learners’ prior knowledge and previous lessons. The importance of clear objective discussions is also highlighted, offering practical advice on their timing and delivery.
‘Presenting Instruction and Modeling’ tackles the concept of ‘stickiness’ – making your content memorable and engaging. You’ll receive actionable advice on how to achieve this, with modeling presented as a potent instructional tool. The course wisely advises on using multiple models and cautions against introducing them too early, a nuanced point that can significantly impact learner comprehension.
The module on ‘Guided to Independent Practice’ is particularly strong. Through insightful ‘Three Teachers’ videos, you witness both exemplary and less effective facilitation of guided and independent practice. Detailed breakdowns and analyses of these scenarios offer invaluable learning opportunities, allowing you to internalize best practices.
‘Assessments’ dives into the critical concept of alignment between objectives and assessments. You’ll explore how to appropriately assess different types of learning, focusing on memory and knowledge acquisition. The course offers practical tips to streamline your assessment process and features more teacher observation videos with expert analysis, reinforcing the practical application of assessment principles.
Finally, ‘Final Review’ consolidates all the concepts covered, culminating in the submission of your own completed lesson plan for review. This hands-on approach ensures you’re not just learning theory but actively applying it.
Overall, ‘Teach English Now! Lesson Design and Assessment’ is a well-structured and highly practical course. It equips educators with the confidence and skills to design engaging, effective lessons and assessments that cater to diverse learning needs. I highly recommend this course to new and experienced English teachers alike who are seeking to refine their pedagogical approaches.
Enroll Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/lesson-design