Lesson Planning for Adults

Lesson Planning for Adults

When you think about planning a 3-4 hour session, you need to be aware that adult students need differentiation in how and what they learn. Modeling Best Practices in our classes is something we strongly believe in. Click below to learn about some of our favorites.

The Integration Matrix is a combination of Blooms Taxonomy and Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This matrix is especially important to keep in mind as we develop strong objectives and outcomes for each activity in our classroom space.

Another Learning Theory many adhere to in the College of Education is Learning Styles.

While there are many other learning theories that are valid and research-based, the important thing to remember is that students need differentiated content broken up into 20-40 minute chunks.

Other important tips:

1. Show, don't tell. Students are much happier when you model a concept rather than just tell them about it.

2. Group work is strongly encouraged, but please remember to hold individual students responsible for their contributions.

3. Use technology often!

4. Pacing is difficult, but vital. Too slow will cause students to feel bored. Too fast causes frustration. Multiple check-ins are a must.

5. We strongly encourage you to gather Formative assessment during every class session. You can keep a group on track by checking in with how they are doing and by assessing their understanding of content.

6. Over plan.