Do you share lesson plans? As in the ones you made yourself. I ask because I'm in a situation where I'm working with other STs and they want to use my lesson plans and I don't want to give it to them. I feel weird kinda saying no, but I'd be even more annoyed just handing them over. I make my own. I also try to use pre made ones, but I change them so much I find it easier to start from scratch.
I don't mind sharing as long as I am not the only one sharing. It really depends on who you are working with.
I plan my lessons myself. I don't use canned lessons. I do check in with the other teachers, so we know ballpark where the other teachers in the same course are.
Sharing is fine, but these are STs? Right? This is the time they should be learning how to do their own lessons, so maybe you are correct in saying no. What do they want to do with it, use it as is, change it up????
They claim it's for formating purposes. However, it's know the supervisors take it in any standard format. It's the end of the year. I mean, they don't know any format? :unsure:
Why not suggest planning together? We all share and learn from each other...even if you share a lesson or someone shares an idea with you- the delivery varies, each person has their own style, their own 'stamp' on lessons that make it 'their own'.
I work quite closely with one of the other teachers who teaches grade 7/8 English at my school (not as much with the other one). We share ideas more than lesson plans. Our students are very different from each other and what works for her class wouldn't work, as is, with mine. We are always, however, talking about what we are doing and where we are going next--particularly when a lesson or activity goes really well. Collaboration makes us both better teachers.
I agree with sharing and collaborating, and maybe you should try suggesting CZACZA's idea to plan together...but just handing over your hard work to them, if they plan on turning it around and using it without putting work into it doesn't sound like the best idea. Yes, suggest that you all share and plan together, but I would expect them to come up with something too and contribute.
I never write lesson plans - my lessons go wrong when try to follow lesson plans I write schemes of work, but rarely stick to them. All my lesson planning is done retrospectively. Don't refuse to share. It is natural for your ST to learn by emulating those she respects (at first) My advice is to give her your lesson plans, but also tell her to that you would also like her to find their own way. And yes, write some together. Even better, stick the whole lot in the bin, and "wing it" Only by using my mentor's lesson plans did I find out they did not work for me.
I think there is a difference in sharing lesson plans with STing and actually teaching. During STing, I wouldn't share- everyone needs to earn their own grade. While teaching, I would happily share what I know.
How could you get away with sharing lesson plans anyway? Don't they have a professor who has to look at each plan? I think he/she would notice when she read the exact same plans 2-4x in a row repeatedly
I am flattered when someone wants to borrow my ideas in my plans, etc., as long as they don't claim it's theirs. That would be so wrong. Some people will do it anyway, and get away with it. I can't lose sleep over it, so I don't sweat it. Rebel1
I thought most universities had a lesson plan format for ST to follow. They may be cumbersome, but very helpful in understanding pacing and how much can really get done in one class period. Heck, even today I tend to overplan at least 4 days out of 5. I don't think I would just give my plans to a ST. How can they learn practical planning skills? If they are asking for plans, are they really just stuck as to what order to teach their subject? If that is the case, offer suggestions on what activities could be done in class to accomplish a learning goal, then have them plan the lesson out.
Newbie is also a student teacher, I believe. Therefore, she should do her own work (which she does) and the other STs should do theirs.
The point behind student teaching is to give the ST the most realistic possible experience of having a class of his or her own, with the benefit of the CT as a safety net. As a full time teacher next year, no one will plan your lessons for you. No one will help you determine how much a 3rd grader (or a 9th grader) can handle in one session, how much practice it takes to get a particular concept across, or which examples will best make your point. Student teaching is about learning, not taking shortcuts or asking other people to do your work for you.
I spoke to one of them and I think they're failing. :unsure: They wouldn't come out and say it, but she asked me if you don't recommanded to be a teacher (at the end of STing) can you be an aid? This is one of the many gripes I have with this school we were placed at. If the situation is what I think it is, she's failing and was told so, why would they allow her to finish? Just let her leave. :unsure:
As a CT, I never failed a student teacher, neither did my school- the college determines the grade based on their observations, the CT's feedback, the student teachers work (submitted plans, papers, reflections...)...If a student teacher fails their placement- they failed themselves- it's not necessarily about the school in which they were placed. I'm sure your friend can apply for aide jobs. I recommend that she continue to do her best in her current placement, learn as much as she can from this experience, and get he resume out as soon as she knows whether or not she'll be certified to teach. When and if ANY job candidate is interviewed for a job in education, it's best to not complain about where they have taught/student taught previously...it's best to discuss what you learned from your experiences, take personal responsibility, and show a desire to continue to learn and grow. And why do they allow her to finish? Because she paid for the ST experience, because there's still time to perhaps redeem herself, because one shouldn't start what they don't finish...truthfully, in most schools full time STAFF who have already received notices of non-renewal have to finish their committment through the end of the school year. It's a similar situation for your friend.
Do you have more than one placement? I've no doubt my first co-op would have failed me, when most of what she complained about in regards to me were the direct result of her own actions - ie I would have all of my material for the lesson laid out before teaching. As soon as I got to the front of the room, she'd began putting materials away in various places around the room. She did this several times before I caught on because the place where I had to leave my materials was out of sight - she routinely complained to my supervisor that I never had any of my materials ready to go for the lessons, when the only reason they weren't ready to go was that she put them away, and I was left scrambling to figure out where they were since they weren't where I had believed I left them
When I was at school I sat next to a girl who diid much more and much better work that me. She showed me her work frequently, I copied stuff I missed through skiving school and she gave me her notes to copy for the exam. Yes I was a sponger, but she did not let that affect her generosity of spirit, and continued to help me anyway. I couldn't say if it did either of us any harm. Share what you got!
There is NO way that I would share my hard work with another student teacher. I would offer to give feedback and suggestions if another S/T requested it. As a S/T, you need to learn how to plan, implement, and reflect on your lessons effectively. Only through that will you become a better teacher. You will be aware of your strengths and weaknesses as well as learn the fundamentals of lesson planning. Once you are a licensed, full-time teacher, you can hope to be put into a situation where others will share with you. But, I can tell you, in the REAL world of education, no one will always do your work for you. You need to earn your keep-- it doesn't take long for people to figure our your character and start developing negative feelings towards you. Been there, done that. All said, do NOT give someone else your work. You can offer assistance to others. Remember, at some point, you may be competing against him/her for a position. How would you feel if your "lesson plan" given to him/her was the "cherry on top"-- and they got the job? You were passed over. Pretty sure, you would be angry and very disappointed. Good luck-- it will be difficult to say NO but do so knowing that you are, in fact, not enabling them to continue to fail.
Cheating is cheating. When one kid gives another his answers, both are guilty of cheating. And, yes, they call it "sharing" too. Don't cheat.
I'm shocked that using or requesting to use someone else's lesson plans can be regarded as cheating! There are loads of sites where teachers help each other by posting their schemes and lessons for free, how on earth can this be regarded as cheating? Why assume that the other ST's in the OP wish to share because they are lazy cheaters rather than because they are genuinely impressed at the quality of the OP's lessons, or struggling with aspects of planning!? As a teacher you always model work for kids, provide them with examples, structure the weaker kids' work, etc. Why should this be any different from your fellow ST's? OP- Treat it as a massive complement, think of yourself as an advanced teacher, freely giving your skills and knowledge, helping others to learn who aren't as good as you! Of course you feel weird withholding your lesson plans, because that would make you selfish and isolated. And of course you shouldn't just hand them over either- I would go a step further and spend time with the other STs, explain my lesson plans as I gave them, recommending changes or extensions. You will learn more about your own practice as you teach your plans to others. Steve
I share materials with other teachers on a daily basis. Every test, every review sheet I make up goes into the mailboxes of the teachers teaching the same course. And a spare set goes to my department chair, to be filed for anyone who wants to use it for tutoring or a review sheet or some other purpose. But we're the teachers, not the students. We're not being graded on that work. We're not supposed to be learning anything from it. Student teaching is totally different. Students who share homework, regardless of the motivation, are cheating. Students who share test answers, regardless of the motivation, are cheating. They're not learning from the assignment. They're not learning how to do it for themselves. When they need to know that information they won't. That's the difference. The OP isn't yet a teacher; she's a college student learning to teach. The student teacher copying someone else's lesson instead of developing his/her own isn't learning how to plan lessons. How will it be next year, as a teacher, if he or she isn't capapble of developing lessons without copying?
Wow. It's one thing to help a fellow student who may have trouble with the required verbage of a lesson plan or may be stuck for an idea/appropriate length of time/etc... but I would never give someone a lesson that was going to be part of my grade. Yes, teaching is all about the sharing of ideas and (hopefully) camaraderie of working together to educate our students... but you'll never get that certification/license if you help someone cheat... I'd be terrified of being caught. I'd politely tell them you're uncomfortable "giving" them your homework, but you'd be happy to answer some questions. Oops.. just saw Alice's reply. I concur.
Well I suppose we'll just have to disagree here I would say that copying is the absolute beginning point of all learning, from children to adults. And I would like to ask if those crying "cheat" have always written their own lesson plans, or began by "cheating" off their mentors, peers, idols etc? Steve
Gotta go with Steve on this one... Is it about passing or failing, or about learning? If I care about what a student learns, I try to create conditions that will promote that learning. I'd apply that to student teachers as well.
Yep, a quick answer to your question, then I'm out. When I began teaching in 1980, I had no internet access. If my school had teacher's editions, I had no access to them. Formal mentors didn't exist back then-- my informal mentor was another math teacher who became a close friend. She taught Seniors; I taught frosh and sophs. So while I learned a lot about teaching from her, I did NOT "borrow" any lessons from her. I can say with absolute truthfulness that I have always planned my own lessons. Have I used a worksheet or review sheet written by someone else? Yes-- our department policy is that all the kids get the same review sheets to prepare for Trimester and Final Exams. But I write all my own tests, my own quizzes, and prepare my own lessons. I've observed teachers teaching canned lessons, and they're easy to spot a mile away. Anyway, we've agreed to disagree. I didn't want to leave your question unanswered.
I have gone through this exact experience, and can tell you it truly sucks. It was my dream school and job. Was depressed for weeks, then found a job at a great school.
If they are student teachers, they should already have extensive experience in how to write and prepare lesson plans. Only beginning education majors would need to learn by copying, and even then it isn't necessary. I never copied a plan. I had a template to put my plan into and that was it
I don't share... my style is my style, when others try to do it they mess it up, and if they are being watched they say well it was so and so's idea (real mature I know) so I stopped. I make excuses like I don't use them..
