It is odd for students to attend classes for over twelve years without learning about the profession they observe every day: teaching. Most jobs include educating others so it is unfortunate that some learners never get guidance on how to teach effectively. Over at I’m Lovin Lit, you can find a great tool, a student-created lesson plan tool, to change that.
Student created lessons are an ideal differentiation strategy as they allow learners to make contributions based on their individual strengths. Further, learning to teach is empowering and educating students about it can give us insight into their classroom needs. For instance, a student who wants to use art to teach may be showing us that he needs more opportunities for expression and creativity.
My guess is once you start involving students in lesson planning and teaching you won’t want to stop.
About Paula Kluth
