The Ultimate Guide to Lesson Planning: Practical Planning for Everyday Teaching

This practical guide will help you to plan evidence-informed, innovative lessons that can be adapted to meet your individual student’s needs.

Modelled on a typical lesson plan, the book covers all aspects of planning such as learning aims, starting a lesson, resources and activities, embedding skills, and assessment. Each chapter features a wide range of activities and strategies that can be used every day and easily adapted for different learners. The chapters also explore what to do when lessons don’t go to plan and how to use technology effectively to support learning. Throughout there are nuggets of useful theory to help you reflect not only on what works in the classroom but why.

Written by an expert author team and linked to the early career framework, this is essential reading for all trainee and early career teachers across a wide range of educational settings.

Carol Thompson is a senior lecturer and researcher at the University of Bedfordshire. She has over 30 years’ teaching experience and more than 20 years working with trainee teachers and mentors. Passionate about sharing her experience, Carol has authored several books aimed at supporting teacher education, including The Trainee Teacher’s Handbook, Learning Theories for Everyday Teaching, Being a Teacher, Reflective Practice for Professional Development and The Magic of Mentoring.

Lydia Spenceley has recently retired as a teacher educator but continues her work in education through consultancy and writing. She has worked in various education settings specialising in post-compulsory education and has a special interest in inclusion and special needs education. Lydia is author of Learning Theories for Everyday Teaching and Inclusion in Further Education.

Mark Tinney is a teacher educator in one of the UK’s largest FE Colleges. Mark has come to FE after several years teaching in secondary and middle school, including running a Montessori middle school programme in upstate New York and teaching high school and GSCE maths and A-level history and sociology. Mark specialises in the use of technology in the classroom and has been training new and experienced teachers to use technology effectively for nearly 20 years.

Elaine Battams, after a career in Early Years, moved into Teacher Education and is now based at Barnfield College in Luton. She is an advanced practitioner supporting others in all things teaching, learning and assessment. A firm believer in reflective practice and self-development, Elaine was one of the first cohort in the country to achieve Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) and CTeach with the Education and Training Foundation.

Ann Solomon is a lecturer on teacher education programmes at Oaklands College St Albans. She has a background in health and education. She has over 20 years’ experience in education at various levels including primary, further and higher education. Ann has a special interest in mentoring teachers at all levels of their teaching career.