This is a screen shot of Friday's agenda (I don't like to call them lesson plans.) It's nothing really fancy, but students can walk into the room, glance at the screen, and have a basic understanding of what we are going to try to accomplish. On this agenda, I can also remind students of what we accomplished yesterday, and this feature accomplishes a couple of things. First, students can be reminded of yesterday's activities, but second, students that were absent can view yesterday's class that was missed.
Also on this agenda, I can give students a preview of what is likely coming up in the days ahead. I feel like this is important for them, but it's also important for me as I strive to accomplish objectives on that day with the future in mind.
So the agenda includes
- The day's date plus anything special - Happy St. Patrick's Day in this screen shot example.
- Today's Agenda - What are we going accomplish? - Kassie Daly from WIU was scheduled.
- Previous Day - I had listed training path presenters that had visited earlier in the week.
- What's Next - In this case, I want to view some SAT essay tutorials.
I then keep these agendas in folders and have them stored on my Google Drive for safekeeping. I can review previous years' agendas for ideas I may have forgotten or to determine if I'm behind or ahead of the curriculum for the course.
I could write this stuff on a marker board, but that's too much work. I could hand it out as a handout, but that would be a waste of paper. I could send an email preview, but I'm not sure students would read it, and I already send out too many emails (according to students).
If you aren't previewing the class period with this simple little technique with your overhead projector, give it a try. You will find your classroom just runs a little more smoothly.
Have fun today!
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