ROYAL CANADIAN SEA CADETS MASTER LESSON PLAN PHASE LEVEL FOUR PO: INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUE PO/EO: 408.06 ENABLING OBJECTIVE: Present a Lesson. REFERENCE(S): A. Course Training Plan/Instructor s Guide notes, chapter 5, page 5-IV-38 SUPPLEMENTARY REF(S): N/A TRAINING AID(S): A. Give a debrief to the entire class for each cadet presentation B. A video camera may be used to record each lesson presented C. Have the cadets participate fully as students to give suggestions during the debrief D. OHP and OHP Slides LEARNING AID(S): A. Blank lesson plan forms TEACHING POINT(S): A. Asking Questions. B. Overcoming Nervousness. C. Becoming a better instructor by developing a personable approach. METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: Have cadets present as many lessons as possible to gain experience. TIME: 4 X 30 MINs 1
ROYAL CANADIAN SEA CADETS MASTER LESSON PLAN PHASE LEVEL FOUR PO: INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUE PO/EO: 408.06 ENABLING OBJECTIVE: Present a Lesson. REVIEW PO/EO: 408.05 ENABLING OBJECTIVE: Develop and Plan a Lesson. 1. What are the four main sections that must be found in every lesson plan? Answer: (1) Introduction (2) Body (3) Performance Check (4) Conclusion 2. What three questions should be answered in the introduction? Answer: What, Why, and Where. INTRODUCTION WHAT: WHY: WHERE: In this class you will learn how to present a lesson and then each of you will have to present a lesson. It is important for every cadet at this level to present a lesson to gain experience in teaching before you start instructing on a regular basis. This will give you an opportunity to get used to teaching, which will allow you to get used to asking questions and getting over any nervousness that you may have. All senior cadets will have to instruct, possibly both at the corps and the summer training centre levels, and this will give you an opportunity to get used to it. TIME BODY NOTES 15 MINs STAGE 1 1. General: GETTING READY TO PRESENT Although an instructor has a well thought out and prepared lesson, this does not automatically mean that he/she will present a good lesson. The 2
instructor may be well prepared but might not be able to get his/her point across to the class. This is why it is important to know some general things about the effective delivery of a lesson before getting up to give one for the first time. 2. Nervousness: a. Almost every instructor feels a bit nervous at the beginning of a lesson, so there is no need to worry if you feel this way. However, if you are too nervous, it may have a negative effect on your overall performance. Yet, some degree of nervousness is really a good thing, as it can motivate you to be prepared! b. There are some techniques that more experienced instructors use to help them overcome their feelings of nervousness. You should try out some of these techniques to see which of them works the best for you. Some techniques include: (i) Room Layout: Before you go in to instruct, you should familiarize yourself with the layout of the room. This will ensure that the layout is good for your lesson presentation, or else you can change it before class to ensure that everyone will be able to see and hear you. (ii) Materials: Ensure your lesson plan, notes, handouts, and any other training aids are well organized before the start of the class. (iii) Equipment: Ensure any equipment you need is in good working order and is set up before the students arrive. (iv) Practice: Spend some time going over your lesson, before you actually present it. Have a friend or relative listen and make comments that could help improve your lesson for the class. (v) Attitude: Have a positive attitude to teaching. Enter the classroom with a smile and remember that the cadets are there to learn. Their attitudes may reflect yours! OHP #1 (vi) Breathing: If feeling nervous, take a deep breath before entering the classroom, or before speaking. This will help you to 3
relax and will slow your speaking down to a good pace. CONFIRMATION STAGE 1 1. Can it be considered good to be nervous before teaching a lesson? Answer: A small amount of nervousness can be good for an instructor because it will ensure that they come well prepared for the class. 2. What are some things you can do prior to presenting a lesson to help you overcome your nervousness? Answer: You can predetermine: - Room layout - Materials - Equipment - Practice - Attitude - Breathing 20 MINs STAGE 2 1. Personality: IN THE CLASSROOM It is the job of the instructor to ensure the class is motivated and interested in the lesson. Not every student, no matter what age, will enter the classroom with a positive attitude. Therefore, the instructor must be personable and enthusiastic. There are three things an instructor should never be negative about in the classroom. These are: a. The Student: An instructor should never criticize members of the class, not individually or collectively. b. The Subject: An instructor should never be negative about the subject they are teaching. By saying the subject is hard or boring, you will lose the interest and determination of the class. You are basically telling the class that it is a waste of their time to pay attention to you if you say this. c. Yourself: Never say that you do not like or understand the material you are 4
teaching. 2. Aiding your Delivery: There are several things that you can do to aid your delivery of a lesson. These include: a. Speak Conversationally: Use everyday words when speaking to your class. Do not speak in a fake manner. If you use big fancy words, you will not impress your class, you will simply confuse them because they will not know what you are talking about. Examples should be given here that the cadets can relate to. b. Look at the Class: Make eye contact with everyone in the class. Do not stare at one cadet or at the wall over their heads. Let your gaze wander to each cadet. This will make them feel more like a part of the class. It is very important to make eye contact with someone when you are speaking directly to them. c. Show Interest in the Express your personal Subject: interest for the subject matter. Your interest in it may rub off on the cadets that you are teaching. If you are teaching it and are not interested in it, why should the class be interested? d. Vary Speech: Speak loud enough for everyone in the class to hear you but do not shout. The pitch of your voice should vary according to what you are saying. There is nothing worse than a monotone instructor. As well, you 5
should speak slowly enough for everyone to understand you but vary the rate slightly to maintain interest. CONFIRMATION STAGE 2 1. What are the three things you should never be negative about while in the classroom teaching? Answer: (1) The students (2) The subject (3) Yourself 2. How can you aid the delivery of your lesson? Answer: You can aid the delivery of your lesson by speaking conversationally, looking at the class, showing interest in the subject matter, and varying your speech. STAGE 3 QUESTIONS 20 MINs 1. General: Questions are an important part of any lesson. We know this because questions are a set part of the lesson plan, both in the Confirmation of each stage as well as in the Performance Check. How instructors pose, respond to, and time their questions can have a dramatic impact on how well their students learn. 2. Reasons for Questions: OHP #2 There are four reasons why we question the cadets. These are: a. To Stimulate and You should start your class this Maintain Interest: way and continue it throughout the class. b. To Promote Questions keep the cadets alert Mental Activity: as their brains actively search for answers and solutions. c. To Guide The instructor can lead the Thinking: cadets to a correct answer by 6
asking a series of simple questions designed to bring them to a logical solution. d. To Evaluate Questions help the instructor Learning: determine how well the cadets are learning and progressing. 3. Proper Technique for Asking Questions: As an instructor, it is important to formulate each question in a manner which will get everyone in the class thinking about the answer, inspire the cadets to give a good answer, and provide them with enough information to answer the question. The following questioning technique is the best way to ask a question to the class: a. Ask the question to the class; b. Pause for five seconds to allow cadets time to think; c. Ask the question again to ensure clarity; and d. Choose the cadet you want to answer the question The instructor does not want to ask a person to give an answer to the question before they actually ask it because than the other students will not take the time to think of the answer. They will already know who has to answer it so they will then tune themselves out. 4. Questions from Cadets: Cadets sometimes come up with very good questions for the instructor. However, some times the instructor may not know the answer to it. When this happens the instructor should be honest and tell the class that they do not know the exact answer. Do not try to fake an answer, the cadets will know! Instead copy down the question and find the answer after class. You can then go back in the next class and let the cadets know the answer. The cadets will respect your honesty for this and you will not lose your credibility. As well, it will make the cadets feel more comfortable as soonto-be instructors as they will realize that the instructor does not have to know everything. Give an example of how to ask a question. CONFIRMATION STAGE 3 7
25 MINs 1. What are the four reasons for asking questions? Answer: (1) To stimulate and maintain interest (2) To promote mental activity (3) To guide thinking (4) To evaluate learning 2. Explain the steps in a proper questioning technique. STAGE 4 Answer: (1) Ask the question to the class (2) Pause to allow the cadets time to think of the answer (3) Ask the question again to ensure clarity (4) Choose the cadet that you want to answer PRESENT A LESSON 1. If time allows, the cadets should be given the opportunity to teach three classes. a. The first class should be only about 5-10 minutes long and should be on an easy subject, such as making a paper airplane. The purpose of this is to get each cadet up in front of the class to ease nervousness. b. The second class should be about 15 minutes long and should be a class such as parts of the sailboat or tying a figure eight or bowline. The purpose of this is to begin to incorporate more of the principles learned and to focus on accurate content. c. The third class should be a full class that is to come out of the CTP. The cadet should be given the Lesson Specification and should prepare a full class. This is the class of importance and a higher standard will be expected. CONFIRMATION STAGE 4 1. Have cadets prepare a full class to be taught. 35 MINs PERFORMANCE CHECK Test Details: Cadets will have three practical teaching exercises. A marking guide has been included. This will prepare cadets for the Performance Check, which is to teach a full lesson. 8
1. Each cadet is to present a full lesson that comes out of the lesson specifications. Instructor shall mark this and give cadets methods of improving the lesson. 2 MINs CONCLUSION SUMMARY: A. In this lesson you learned how to present a lesson and then you presented a lesson. RE-MOTIVATION: A. Comment on student progress. B. This was the last lesson for Instructional Technique. 9