In order to effectively deliver our lessons, we must prepare ourselves to handle what our students may or may not understand. Posting clear, simple content and language objectives not only help the teacher guide their lesson, but helps the students to track their learning.
In terms of student engagement, students who are engaged less than 50% of the time is extremely unacceptable. Not only are the students not learning, but if they are not engaged there is a high likelihood they will misbehave because they are bored. When considering the lessons I teach, I like to use Reading as an example. Since the students are in small groups, students are able to feel more like an individual rather than student #3 out of 17. Students are given ample opportunities to shine: individual turns (students will say letter sounds, words, and whole sentences); and pretending to be the teacher (when students come to the front of the group and point to certain words or sounds and take a turn as the teacher). This gives the student leadership opportunities as well as a chance to get out of their seats. Students are more actively engaged in the small group setting because there is less of a chance they will get lost within the material. The direct instruction method, I feel, leads to more student engagement.
This ties right into pacing the lesson so that it is appropriate to the students' ability levels. There are tests every five lessons that give the teacher an idea of how the students are doing (in addition to your daily lessons). If all the students are firm on certain sounds, words, and readings, there is opportunity to move forward within the program, bringing the students to the level at which they are currently at mastery. On the other hand, if students are not firm on the tests, the teacher is able to backtrack, and repeat the necessary lessons in order to ensure their mastery.
As stated in the book, having a general objective and refusing to deviate from a lesson's "flow" is not helpful for English Language Learners. Teachers must recognize when their students are not understanding the concepts being taught in order to accommodate those who might need more assistance. If teachers fail to recognize the needs of their students, they will fall behind. I have experienced this in my classroom, and am coming up with ways to rectify the situation. I have found that using my center time in the afternoon to review topics that are difficult for some students, gives them another chance to cement that information and hopefully retain it. While teaching at a slower pace might be difficult for some teachers, it will greatly benefit the students in their retention of information. As teachers, we must effectively deliver our lessons so our students can be successful.
That was a bit wordy...I apologize!
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