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Fifth Classroom Visit Report

Today marks the final classroom visit at the elementary school I have been observing for

the last few months. It has been quite an experience, and with the last visit came an observation

of one of the most important aspects of becoming a teacher, the lesson plan. To best understand

such an important topic, all twelve teaching competencies need to be implemented, whether

directly or indirectly, to facilitate an effective form of learning (Ministère de l'éducation, 2001).

The paper will look at the classroom visit of this final visit, especially in how important the

topics of the previous four reports are to make a lesson plan.

When making a lesson plan, it must be more about ensuring the students are learning

effectively rather than focusing on forcing the students forward through the lessons. This

requires a flexible lesson plan, and an ideology that no student should be left behind in their

studies. This can be achieved in so many ways, such as using multiple resources to focus on one

topic, allowing the students to explore and for the teacher to gauge their progress. Think of the

concept of the seventh competency, which focuses on adjusting the lesson to the students

(Ministère de l'éducation, 2001). Each child requires different teaching styles, and one of the best

methods to introduce the children to so much is through technology and the internet (Zakrajšek,

2016). The teacher can bring in visual, practical, and physical methods in the curriculum to teach

as many students as possible, while sticking to the lesson plan loosely, and making changes as

needed.

The teacher I had the chance to work with today talked to me about her lesson plans and

how she makes them. They believed that rigid plans are horrible, as the children do not always

understand the concept as quickly as expected. Instead, they would do multiple game-like

activities that were indirectly related to the topic to help make the lessons more memorable and
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fun (Manouchehri, 2017). This touches on the third, fourth, and sixth competencies of the

Quebec teacher, as the lesson is catered towards the children, made to be at their learning level,

but at the same time allows for social development between themselves (Ministère de

l'éducation, 2001). By making the lessons more memorable rather than making them sit down

and do work alone the entire time, the students begin to help each other rather than relying on the

teacher, making the classroom work together to complete the lesson plan objectives rather than

the teacher spending time with each child individually (Birch & Ladd, 1997).

Assessments in the classroom should be more for gauging the level of comprehension of

the students, which would be in following the fifth competency of Quebec teaching (Ministère de

l'éducation, 2001). This also goes back into the games, and touches on parental involvement, but

is based on speculations made by teachers I have conversed with. There is a belief that grades are

not healthy to learning in a classroom environment, as they add stress in whether the student has

passed or failed. Many teachers I have met were against this idea of giving actual grades to

students and parents alike and would much rather use comment systems or newsletters to

facilitate positive notions with teaching (see the First Classroom Visit Report and the Third

Classroom Visit Report) (Pushor, 2017). I plan to investigate the validity of this in my own time,

but the point is that assessment does not always have to be a grade, it could be as simple as

creative writing or playing a math game as a class.

To conclude, the lesson plan is not supposed to be the plan of the classroom itself, but a

guideline of expectations to be achieved. It must be open to changes, as children will not always

cooperate in the way you believe they will. By focusing less on making a great lesson plan and

focusing on the students and their needs, the teacher can be much more effective. The teacher

must follow the curriculum, but only in the objectives of the class, otherwise they can bring in
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almost any teaching method to get the lesson across. The teacher I was with today showed a

video for a cheese commercial that saw a mouse with happy music, then sad music, and finally

happy music again, just to get the point of tone to the kids before reading a book to them

(dbzfanz4life, 2010). Teaching is not just about giving children the information they need, it is

about giving them something they will remember and cherish for all their lives.
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References

Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G. W. (1997). The teacher–child relationship and children’s early school

adjustment. Journal of School Psychology, 35, 61–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-

4405(96)00029-5

Dbzfanz4life. (2010, Jan 22), Mouse trap Survivor Cheese Commercial [video file]. Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcSBO8YAnTQ

Manouchehri, E. (2017). Music as a cross-curricular teaching device in elementary school.

Canadian Music Educator, 58(2), 25+. Retrieved from https://link-gale-

com.proxy.ubishops.ca:2443/apps/doc/A490718283/CPI?u=crepuq_bishop&sid=CPI&xi

d=2116ab36

Ministère de l'éducation. (2001). Teacher training: Orientations, Professional Competencies.

Québec: Ministère de l'éducation.

Pushor, D. (2017). Family centric schools. Education Canada, 57(4). Retrieved from

https://www.edcan.ca/articles/familycentric-schools/

Zakrajsek, S. (2016). the impact of modern technologies on elementary school organization and

teaching methods. Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, 9(1), 60-76. doi:

10.12959/issn.1855-0541.IIASS-2016-no1-art04