In this lesson you will examine at what stage in the lesson planning process you will make decisions regarding resources and the use of technology. Your province may well have defined lesson plan templates that you are required to use. Use this lesson to identify where best to insert information about resources and technology, and of course detail about your approach to teaching and learning (the TPACK elements).

We will use the ASSURE model as an example of a structure for the lesson planning process.

The steps in the model are quite familiar to most teachers. Can you see where decisions about the use of digital content resources would come into the planning process?

Notice how you first decide on the method and resource, then how you plan to use and support it, and finally how you will require learners to actively participate. The SUR of ASSURE.

S Select methods, media and materials

In this section you build a bridge between the audience and the objectives. You decide what method you will primarily use to lead learning (pedagogy), what media and resources you will use, including technology, and what other materials you will need to prepare. You may adopt several methods in the lesson and at first you may identify more resources than you will finally use.

You are basically establishing what you have and what you will need to prepare in order for these learners to achieve the objectives through the method you have chosen. Consider this checklist for media selection.

U Use the media and materials

For each resource you should be able to describe in detail how you are going to implement them into your lesson to help your learners meet the lesson's objective. It almost goes without saying that you should include plans to:

• Prepare the material – make sure you have everything you need and that it all works.
• Prepare the environment – set up the classroom so whatever you are doing will work in the space you have.
• Prepare the learners - if the learners need to use resources in a specific way or it requires a specific skill, how will you support this?
• Prepare for the worst – what is your Plan B if resources fail you?
  

R Require Learner Participation

As you know, learners learn best when they are actively involved in the learning experience. Whatever your teaching strategy, be sure to incorporate hands-on activities, discussions, group work, and other ways of getting learners actively involved. Consider ways in which the learners can use the technology resources to create expressions of the knowledge they have gained during the lesson.

Activity 4.1

1. Open the ASSURE lesson plan template.

2. Working in pairs, create a trial abbreviated lesson plan using one of these scenarios. Also discuss the questions.

Scenario - The stand-in Mathematics teacher

Scenario - The flipping First Additional Language teacher

Activity 4.2

In this activity you will be designing a lesson which integrates digital content resources.

1. Open the ASSURE lesson plan template.

2. Complete the template using your lesson idea.

3. Open the ASSURE lesson plan rubric.

4. Swop lesson plans with a partner and assess each other's lesson plans using the rubric.

5. Provide feedback to your partner.

6. Amend your lesson plan.

7. Share your lesson plan with a wider community of teachers.