​Lesson Planning in D&T

Sarah Davies

The Importance of Effective Lesson Planning

Planning lessons well is a key skill for design and technology teachers to learn. It might look like experienced teachers plan lessons easily, but they are actually using a lot of professional knowledge to create successful learning experiences. The chapter "Planning lessons in design and technology" (Davies 2020), explains that student teachers should see lesson planning as a dynamic, knowledge-based practice that will develop throughout their careers, not just a technical process.

Crafting Clear Learning Intentions

The most important part of every lesson plan is clear learning intentions that say what pupils should know, understand, or be able to do by the end of the lesson. These intentions help teachers choose learning activities, organise the lesson, decide how to measure success, and determine what resources are needed. Learning intentions are important, they identify what pupils will learn, not just what activities they will do. It is too easy when planning lessons in design and technology to focus on what pupils will do rather than what they will learn and how this is helping them progress in the design and technology capability (Hardy 2020). Anderson and Krathwohl's (2001) revised taxonomy is helpful guide for exploring ways to write intentions that cover factual, conceptual, procedural and metacognitive knowledge.

Sequencing Learning Activities

To make learning intentions happen, teachers must carefully organise learning activities to connect to prior knowledge, introduce new content, allow practice, and deepen understanding. Davies (2020, p. 197-198) recommends planning lessons in three parts - an introduction, main learning activities, and ending - while keeping individual activities under 20 minutes to keep pupils engaged (Cornish and Dukette 2009). During the lesson, regularly checking success criteria linked to the learning intentions allows teachers to track progress and respond to pupil needs.

Preparing Resources and Evaluating Lessons

Carefully choosing and preparing resources and materials is another important part of lesson planning, especially for the hands-on nature of design and technology. This includes thinking about any health and safety requirements (Leask 2020) and the roles of other adults who may be in the classroom, such as teaching assistants. After the lesson, evaluating how it went informs future planning and teaching.

Supporting Student Teachers

For student teachers who feel overwhelmed by lesson planning, Davies (2020, p. 203 – 204) suggests starting with the detailed template she provides, while remembering that planning will get easier with experience. Capel et al. (2022) and McGill (2017) provide more frameworks and ideas to support this important practice. In addition, the middle section of McGill’s book “Plan” - offers further reading to enhance student teachers’ developing understanding of lesson planning, using seven ideas to structure lesson planning in design and technology.

Key Takeaways

  • Lesson planning is a dynamic, knowledge-based practice that evolves throughout a teaching career.
  • Clear learning intentions focused on pupils’ learning in design and technology are the foundation of effective lesson plans.
  • Carefully sequenced learning activities, well-prepared resources, and lesson evaluation are essential elements of lesson planning.
  • By seeing lesson planning as an integral part of teaching, design and technology teachers can increase pupils learning in this important subject.

References and further reading

Anderson, L.W. and Krathwohl, D.R., 2001. A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. London: Longman. https://bit.ly/4as9Ul2

Krathwohl, D. 2002. A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview, Theory Into Practice, 41:4, 212-218, DOI: 10.1207/s15430421tip4104_2  https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_2

Capel, S., Leask, M. Younie, S., Hudson, E., and Lawrence, J. 2022. Learning to teach in the secondary school: a companion to school experience. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781032062297. https://routledgelearning.com/learningtoteach/.

Calderhead, J., 1996. Teachers: Beliefs and knowledge. In: D.C. Berliner and R.C. Calfee eds., Handbook of educational psychology. London, England: Prentice Hall International, pp. 709-725. https://bit.ly/4bmBcLe

Cornish, D, M. and Dukette, D., 2009. The essential 20: Twenty components of an excellent health care team. Dorrance Publishing. https://bit.ly/4awTGaq

Davies, S., 2020. Planning lessons in design and technology. In: A. Hardy, ed., Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School: A Companion to School Experience. London: Routledge. https://bit.ly/4bLgOTC

Hardy, A., 2020, Planning for progression in design and technology. In: A. Hardy, ed., Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School. Routledge, 2020, pp. 236-250.

Hattie, J., 2012. Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. London: Routledge. https://bit.ly/3yoJPGz

Leask, D., 2020. Health and safety in design and technology. In: A. Hardy, ed., Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School: A Companion to School Experience. London: Routledge. https://bit.ly/4bLgOTC

McGill, R.M., 2017. Mark. Plan. Teach. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. https://bit.ly/3yC2yy8

Mutton, T., Hagger, H. and Burn, K., 2011. Learning to plan, planning to learn: The developing expertise of Student teacher. Teachers and Teaching, 17(4), 399-416. https://bit.ly/4arDHuf

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