Where Great Teaching Begins: Planning for Student Thinking and Learning

by Anne R. Reeves

What comes to mind when you think about lesson planning? If you're like most teachers, you focus on the material you need to present, what you will do and say, what you will ask students to do, and the assessments you will create and administer. And if you're like most teachers, you also know what it's like to be disappointed when this careful planning doesn't always lead to the deep understanding and mastery you'd intended. There's a better way to approach instructional design says author and teacher-educator Ann R. Reeves, and it's within every teacher's grasp. It begins with a simple mental shift from "planning for activities" to "planning for learning outcomes" and a critical concentration on learning objectives. Remarkable for its clarity and filled with vivid examples, Where Great Teaching Begins is a step-by-step walk through the crucial, behind-the-scenes intellectual work necessary to make instruction truly effective and help students learn deeply and meaningfully. Here, you'll discover how to
* Translate even the most inscrutable standards into strong, learning-focused objectives.

* Use effective objectives as the basis for excellent assessment.

* Craft engaging learning activities that incorporate both targeted content and necessary thinking skills.

* Pull objectives, assessments, and learning activities together into powerful plans for learning.
Whether you're a novice instructional designer or a veteran seeking a new, streamlined process, this book is a must-read take on how to plan and achieve the excellent learning all teachers aim for and all students deserve.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development, Nonfiction

215 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

Reviews

[Rick Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good examination of the concept of writing good learning objectives for lesson plans.

The book is comprehensive, but almost hyperfocused, and it began to feel repetitive by the end. Learning objectives are important, and properly formulating them will improve a teacher's overall approach to the lesson plan as a whole, and to learning in general. But I felt like the author kept pushing the point after I had already gotten in.

There are good ideas here, and it will definitely get you thinking, but be prepared for a book that really highlights one very specific aspect of the teaching profession.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colleges should be the first to start using this book! It would have been extremely helpful as a first year teacher to be trained to write student and learning centered objectives, followed by a written objective for the lesson's assessment, THEN begin on the learning activities! (Many times, teachers write their lessons going the exact opposite route.) School districts should be using this book for a book study for their new teachers (even those who have teaching experience but are new to a district)... include veteran teachers... use as a mentoring tool... there are many options.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book explaining the many ways to plan for student learning. It is a great book for those needing to review various forms of assessment, objectives, and purpose of learning.

[Chaos & Confetti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where Great Teaching Begins focuses on the instructional planning and implementation of lessons that are both student focused. The text aims to teach about objective setting, activity planning, and progress assessing.

Overall, I would say this is a strong and well put together resource for new educators and any teachers who want to brush up on what should be the foundations of instructional planning. The text breaks the planning process down step by step and makes sure that each part of the lesson is centered on students and their actual learning.

As a veteran teacher, I felt that the text was well-written and it definitely helped me reflect on my own practices, making sure that my goals are meaningful and activities have true purpose (other than taking up time or being simply interesting).

Textbooks can be dry and wordy at times, and this one is no different, but if your aim is to learn about or review the foundations of instructional design, this is a solid choice. I would definitely recommend Reeves’ text to other educators.

[Jessica Montalvo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent resource for a new teacher or a seasoned teacher that wants to refresh their perspective. It focuses on learning objectives and promotes clear, consice, and specific objectives that will genuinely promote student learning. All aspects of learning such as assessments, rubrics, learning activities, and planning are discussed and emphasized with building them all around the objective and ask a specific question: What exactly will my students be able to do after this lesson?

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some really good information. It would be a great book for a college course. It walks you through the steps needed to create powerful learning plans for students. My one concern is how to make this work in real life with all the other requirements for teachers' time. I will pick and choose parts of it to share with my teachers. I do like the actual samples included in the book where you could see exactly what the author is describing.

[Nika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book excelled in clarity and compiled some wonderful lesson-planning literature that is much denser and perhaps more confusing. I am glad that I found it, and it has inspired me to be a much better lesson designer next year!

[Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introductory, approachable, practical.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thoughts on lesson planning and curriculum building.

[Lars De Richter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction and explanation of lesson objectives and their importance.