Introduction
The objective of creating lesson and unit plans is to arrange the curriculum and instruction for teaching and learning. The term “curriculum” has several definitions, including a document that describes learning as the delivery of material, practical experiences, and the creation of a product (“Reveal Math: Grade 1,” 2022). Teachers should consider each student’s unique learning needs and prior knowledge when creating these plans (Fonger et al., 2018).
Since the unit plan is linked to learner engagement, it is crucial to incorporate a student’s prior knowledge when developing the curriculum. According to Rasuli (2020), teachers can begin preparing lessons by first considering the final aim, the method by which they will determine whether they have attained it, and the route students will follow to achieve it. According to research by Reynolds and Kearns (2017), one of the four efficient educational approaches is backward design. The topic of the three lesson plans is mastering the basic notions in mathematics, including the numbers and the forms. The principles of progression used in the design of three lesson plans for mathematics classes in Grade 1 enable the teacher to enhance students’ counting, speaking, listening, and memory competencies.
Developing the Lesson Plan Based on the Principles of Progression
The lesson plan focuses on increasing effectiveness among grade 1 students, who are six- and seven-year-old children. The teacher will consider the learners’ interests, needs, and individual attentional characteristics. McCormick & James (2018) emphasize that creating a unit plan involves identifying the tasks the instructor has already completed and the exercises that still need to be done. It will enhance the effectiveness of learning and ensure that learners are equipped with the proper knowledge.
The development of social and emotional abilities among children increases between the ages of six and seven. They form preferences for games, novels, or friends at this stage of life. Additionally, they begin to gain self-confidence alongside their physical growth. Under the age group, the learners will learn about the world and how it functions, form friendships and playgroups, and may require help with routine and structure.
Learners in this age bracket will ask plenty of questions and recall more details about occurrences and events that have taken place or happened. As they grow older and become more communicative and mobile, students will learn from their teachers and form stronger connections with them. Moreover, the children are currently eager to learn and explore. If there is a delay, it is acceptable, as that is what the curriculum unit plan is designed to do: assist learners in successfully addressing their needs.
Consequently, to enhance the breadth and depth of knowledge, the concept of classroom management will be applied. The classroom management approach starts with a behavioral strategy as a teacher. The teacher’s safety in the learners’ environment is always the teacher’s responsibility. An educator’s duties include organizing, managing, instructing, and inspiring pupils (Nicholls & Nicholls, 2018).
Teachers typically combine a little of their personality with the school’s principles to construct their teaching personalities. Teachers must exhibit excellent tolerance, kindness, and consistency in their work to facilitate learning. Providing students with the opportunity to explore the classroom and learn new things while maintaining order and balance is the principle behind excellent classroom management.
When a teacher has effective classroom management, maintaining a secure and orderly atmosphere is a continuous effort that may be completed successfully. The first step in organizing a classroom is for the instructor to observe the students and the classroom environment. It is crucial to take action to introduce yourself to the class and establish the ground rules. When this is done, students will understand who is in the classroom.
Managing challenging behaviors in the classroom enables them to be effectively contained. The way children perform in class can be impacted by classroom management. Children will not learn effectively if the classroom is chaotic owing to lousy administration. Engaging, fascinating curricula that cater to all pupils and meet their needs will establish a positive classroom atmosphere and help reduce behavioral issues. The classroom atmosphere must be conducive to learning, as this will help students absorb information and adjust to the classroom environment.
A deepening understanding of the concepts taught and disciplines involved in the lesson requires a theoretical approach. The approach used in the teaching plan unit is Herbatianism since it applies to mathematics. According to Salone (2019), Herbatianism was designed to support pupils as they progressed from having no prior information to complete expertise. The steps of Herbart’s teaching approach were preparation, presentation, association, generalization, and application. Teachers prepare to pique students’ enthusiasm for the new content by relating it to their prior knowledge or areas of interest.
The new material is compared to the student’s prior knowledge to identify parallels and differences, thereby differentiating the new content. If the students have digested the new information, they will apply it to their daily activities, not just in a practical way, but also in a meaningful way when it comes to application. Learners will be able to understand the content being taught through this procedure thoroughly. Herbatianism is measurable, and teachers can use it to quantify how learners perceive the lesson concepts learned through evaluation.
The creative curriculum is the approach to adhering to the unit plan. An educator should choose a creative curriculum to refine and develop sophistication in applying skills, as it promotes children’s imagination, critical thinking abilities, and self-assurance. Educators may utilize the Creative Curriculum as a comprehensive resource when developing and delivering a developmentally appropriate, content-rich curriculum for learners of diverse skill levels and backgrounds.
The creative curriculum strikes a balance between student-driven and teacher-directed learning. Children grow and learn from creative curricula when an educator initially creates their plan. A teacher must choose resources and direction for the education of the students.
A creative curriculum fosters the development of social, cognitive, linguistic, and physical skills. The goals and objectives are a part of the creative curriculum in certain developmental domains (Shawer, 2017). The curriculum demonstrates how to create a professional learning environment in the classroom. The classroom is assembled and organized for teaching, and this environment is referred to as the learning environment.
The creative curriculum provides a vision for setting up and utilizing the classroom’s physical environment, as well as managing the various areas of expertise. Classroom appearance influences the level of competence of the learners. Moreover, grade one students will learn the core areas of arithmetic, reading, and technology when the creative curriculum is implemented in the classroom.
Measurable and Observable Student Outcomes
Learning outcomes describe the information, skills, and values that students demonstrate upon completing a course, a series of classes, or a program. The basis for assessing the efficacy of the teaching and learning process is the clear articulation of learning outcomes (Iqbal et al., 2021). The measurable and observable student outcome components include student learning behavior, specific performance criteria, and appropriate assessment methods.
Indicating that the desired performance standards are measurable and observable, with measurable student outcomes. Performance standards specify in precise, quantifiable, and observable terms what is appropriate for a particular course or program (Clunie et al., 2018). Using a grading rubric where a scale represents the unit’s progress to evaluate and assess learners will be a favorable, measurable method for quantifying the outcome.
A direct method, such as assessments using standardized exams, is measurable. Objective assessments and standardized tests have been the primary straightforward technique for evaluating student learning. The standard material, knowledge, and activities that students should be familiar with and able to do are determined by subject matter or discipline experts. Comparing student performance to other student groups on the same instrument is known as norm-referencing. The outcome criteria can be described in the following way:
- On this test, 90% of students are expected to achieve a score of 70% or higher. Students must achieve a passing grade of 70% or higher on at least 8 out of the 10 available categories on the test.
- Sixty-five percent of students will get scores at or above the national average calculated using information from grade 2 learners. Twenty % of students will have a score at least one standard deviation below the average.
Indirect methods, such as transcript analysis or surveys, will be assessed after every evaluation exam. This involves comparing the scores from other grades in previous years. The completion of a properly developed study at the beginning and conclusion of the unit curriculum will serve as an evaluation of the understanding of the importance of standard evaluation. The outcome criteria will be the following:
Eighty percent of the students polled and the scores compared will show a rise in appreciation for outcomes evaluation to ensure quality throughout the unit and facilitate future advances by putting more effort into creating unit lessons that accommodate all students. Three tables (Lesson 1, Lesson 2, and Lesson 3) show how these theoretical outcomes are realized in practice.
Lesson Design
Table 1. Lesson 1
Table 2. Lesson 2
Table 3. Lesson 3
The Tyler Model
The Tyler model is used in designing the unit plan for Grade 1 pupils. It is a discipline-focused method that equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to research, integrate theory and practice, and devise practical solutions to problems (Goudarzi et al., 2021). Due to the subject-centered nature of the curriculum, the teacher’s role is to act more as a facilitator by posing questions and helping the students (Goudarzi et al., 2021).
The first step is to determine the goals of the class or school. It involves what the pupils must do to succeed. All plans must align with the school’s philosophy, which is frequently disregarded in unit planning. Creating educational opportunities that help pupils complete step one is the second step. The teaching process includes a demonstration by the instructor, which the pupils observe (Goudarzi et al., 2021). The demonstration’s experience is consistent with the unit’s goal because it enhances students’ competencies.
The third step involves organizing the experiences. It involves the instructor giving a demonstration, which is effective in this plan (Goudarzi et al., 2021). The last step involves assessing learning objectives when the instructor evaluates the pupils’ numeracy skills, including their ability to add and subtract. An educator may be done in a variety of ways (Goudarzi et al., 2021). For instance, the instructor could provide fundamental equations that the students must answer independently. If they can accomplish this, it is proof that the pupils have met the lesson’s goal.
Achieving the Growth Mindset of Pupils
The developed unit focuses on fostering learners’ mindset growth by providing attainable challenges. Students are provided with simple, easy-to-follow instructions on how to do a task (Proud to be Primary, 2022). It comprises learning to recognize colors, complete arithmetic problems, or manageable, smaller goals achieved over time.
The choice of the learning strategies improves students’ self-assurance. In addition, the unit plan has achieved mindset growth by grouping the pupils to achieve the unit objective. By working together in groups, children discover that their contributions and involvement lead to the group’s success. They work hard because they feel responsible for the group’s performance. Consequently, after they finish the exercise, they will experience the feeling of achievement, which will boost their confidence.
Allowing learners to identify images and solve specific equations enables them to progress their mindsets (Hadar & Tirosh, 2019). Giving students complex equations to solve helps them experience hurdles as they learn to adopt a growth mindset. They must overcome these challenges, which provide them with the experience they need to develop a growth mindset.
Evaluation of the Resources, Pedagogies, Language Development, and Technology
Academic Quality Aspect
The experience the students will have when using the plan will be significantly influenced by the caliber of the information supplied, which will be used in the evaluation. When defining the term quality as it applies to information, there are two key factors: information relevance and reliability. Relevance is a critical component of information dependability.
It is necessary to begin by considering if the information is trustworthy, accurate, and error-free to assess this criterion. Under reliability, it tends to answer whether the precision is long-lasting over time or if the perceived dependability of the information matches its fundamental reliability. Contrarily, information effectiveness is connected to information relevance. One must consider whether the knowledge conveyed will prompt the learner to act desirably. If the perceived dependability is high, the processes to assure information reliability will impact its relevance.
Pedagogical Aspect
It is crucial to assess the quality of the instruction. A differentiated pedagogy that is active, subject-centered, and promotes skill growth must be employed in a learning resource to enhance learning and equip learners with the ability to build their knowledge (Rutto, 2017). Examining the resource’s aims, objectives, teaching methods, and assessment practices is part of evaluating its instructional design. Therefore, this section examines the numerous aspects of the educational dimension offered by the learning resource.
Language Development
To evaluate the language development of the learners, a tool called PEER will be adopted, which stands for Prompt, Evaluate, Expand, and Repeat. Using images and paintings in the unit book, learners will be engaged in answering simple questions about what they see and ensuring that proper and easily comprehensible language is used during the lessons.
Technological Aspect
Utilizing innovative educational technology in combination with multimedia approaches aims to improve students’ ability to transfer and assimilate knowledge. The second lesson’s projector use is intended to promote the dissemination of knowledge and education, including dynamic visuals and color identifications.
Lesson Evaluation
Three lesson plans feature the techniques of surface learning, deep learning, and transfer learning. The combination of these approaches enables the teacher to ensure that students understand new concepts, apply them in context, and utilize this knowledge in a completely different context. As a result, the information they acquire during the lessons is thoroughly naturalized, and children can apply it in all circumstances without the teacher’s help.
For example, lesson one represents surface and deep learning. Children learn proper behavior in the classroom and adequate participation in the learning process, and are introduced to math as a subject. It illustrates surface knowledge because children learn new concepts and patterns of behavior they need for the lesson.
Deep learning suggests that children combine their understanding of numerals with additional information about how to behave in the math lesson. They count and show objects aloud, write numerals on the blackboard, and name objects by shape, which are the competencies connected with deep learning. Therefore, Lesson one focuses on achieving both surface and deep understanding simultaneously.
Lesson two is an example of deep learning because students show how to use the information about interacting during the practice lesson. They learn to work in groups, identify colored objects, and count from 1 to 10.
Lesson three, in turn, is an example of transfer learning, which involves applying previously acquired knowledge in various contexts. Children learn about the differences between addition and subtraction, train their ability to identify and represent images in grids, and improve their image identification skills. Additionally, this lesson offers new insights into subtraction and addition, essential components of surface learning. Therefore, lesson three allows the teacher to ensure that children understand the information from lessons one and two, and provides them with new information to continue their education.
Conclusion
Resources, pedagogies, language development, and technology are interconnected in the planning for the progression process in education. These characteristics are applied in the described lesson plans, which aim to enhance the mathematical competencies of grade 1 students. Their use makes learning oriented towards students’ needs, helps children apply new knowledge in creative ways and new contexts, detect patterns in the topic, and integrate this data with previously gained information. The topic is the development of mathematical lessons following the principles of progression. Therefore, the lessons in mathematics contribute to the thorough intellectual development of grade 1 students, enhancing their listening, questioning, talking, and memorizing competencies.
References
Clunie, L., Morris, N. P., Joynes, V. C., & Pickering, J. D. (2018). How comprehensive are research studies investigating the efficacy of technology‐enhanced learning resources in anatomy education? A systematic review. Anatomical Sciences Education, 11(3), 303-319. Web.
Fonger, N. L., Stephens, A., Blanton, M., Isler, I., Knuth, E., & Gardiner, A. M. (2018). Developing a learning progression for curriculum, instruction, and student learning: An example from mathematics education. Cognition and Instruction, 36(1), 30-55. Web.
Goudarzi, F., Maleki, H., Khosravi, M., & Abbaspour, A. (2021). Elements of the secondary school social education curriculum based on the Tyler Model: characteristics and Requirements. Research in Teaching, 9(1), 254-234.
Hadar, L. L., & Tirosh, M. (2019). Creative thinking in mathematics curriculum: An analytic framework. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 33. Web.
Iqbal, M. H., Siddiqie, S. A., & Mazid, M. A. (2021). Rethinking theories of lesson plan for effective teaching and learning. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 4(1). Web.
McCormick, R., & James, M. (2018). Curriculum evaluation in schools. Routledge. Web.
Nicholls, A., & Nicholls, S. H. (2018). Developing a curriculum: A practical guide. Routledge. Web.
Proud to Be Primary. (2022). Teaching growth mindset in the classroom with 9 powerful strategies. Proud to Be Primary. Web.
Rasuli, M. H. (2020). The significance of a lesson plan and its considerations in teaching and learning process. IJRAR-International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR), 7(1), 852-857.
Reveal Math: Grade 1. (2022). In United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education. McGraw-Hill Education.
Reynolds, H. L., & Kearns, K. D. (2017). A planning tool for incorporating backward design, active learning, and authentic assessment in the college classroom. College Teaching, 65(1), 17-27. Web.
Rutto, D. (2017). Pedagogical theories. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 8(6), 2025-2030.
Salone, J. J. (2019). The cooperative works, a teacher training system open to the local social network. In Advances in the anthropological theory of the didactic and their consequences in curricula and in teacher education. Centre Universitaire de Formation et de Recherche de Mayotte.
Shawer, S. F. (2017). Teacher-driven curriculum development at the classroom level: Implications for curriculum, pedagogy and teacher training. Teaching and Teacher Education, 63, 296-313. Web.