Although Oakville Swim Academy does not require Instructors to create lesson plans for their classes, there are a ton of benefits of creating them. Let's explore this document a little further, shall we? 

A lesson plan is a step-by-step guide that helps instructors in maintaining a standard teaching pattern, keeping the class focused. It also provides teachers with the learning objectives, equipment required, and ensures that all skills get covered. 

Lesson plans have a ton of benefits. Let's review some: 

Teach with a Higher Level of Confidence

When an Instructor follows a wisely prepared lesson plan, they teach better, more confident and the overall flow of the lesson is smoother. This is often due the Instructor’s lower level of nervousness since they are organized and equipped. Instructors with lesson plans can focus on the delivery of the content, rather than what content to deliver.

Achieve Goals

Setting goals is how people guide themselves down an intended path. In our environment, the intended path is helping students achieve swimming skills. Lesson plans can be a great tool in ensuring that each class is working towards the larger goals. For example, if a student must do 20M of front crawl by the end of the session, the foundational skills of kicks and side breathing must be routinely worked on. Lesson plans can assist Instructors ensure that all bases are being covered.

Teaching Path is Accurate

Oakville Swim Academy has over 15 levels, each having different distances, skills, and must sees. Realistically, it is impossible for instructors to memorize every single requirement, for every single level. Lesson plans can help with this! Writing important information like the distance needed is a great way to ensure that swimmers are being taught the correct skills!!

Structure

At some point, you are going to think to yourself, “What? There is only 5 minutes left in class!?” Sometimes, time slips away, and if class time runs out, critical learning activities/practice time is neglected. Having a detailed plan with time allocations ensures that all the desired skills and learning activities are being covered.

Reflection Tool 

Instructors can review past lesson plans and determine what has worked, what didn’t work, and develop a plan to change moving forward. Also, it can be a record of what was taught, when, to guarantee all skills of the level have been covered and practiced regularly.

When creating lesson plans, think back to the content in the Mind of a Swimmer Module. The age, size and type of class are all factors that should be taken into consideration when creating lesson plans. 

Below are a series of Lesson Plans that can be used by any of our Instructors.  Please, download or print them! Alternatively, you can ask your deck supervisor, and they can print you out a copy for you to use when teaching!