This episode considers effective lesson-planning in the secondary school, offering practical advice and ideas for teachers as well as subject and curriculum leaders. Topics include curriculum-sequencing, the non-negotiables, your end-points, tackling misconceptions, and much more
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Our experts discuss the difference between a planned lesson and a lesson plan and ask how lesson planning is best undertaken – where do we start and who is responsible for what within each subject?

We ask what should be included in medium and short-term lesson planning? What are the non-negotiables for lesson plans, including key knowledge, skills, and the big questions? Which end-points should we include? What do we want pupils to think about, know and do? What are your success criteria?

How does lesson-planning link to curriculum sequencing? How do we incorporate our school’s learning values? What is the balance between departmental direction vs individual teacher planning and autonomy?

How do we plan lessons that cater for students’ different levels of prior knowledge? How do we tackle gaps in knowledge or misconceptions? What kind of questions are we going to ask?

We talk different types of lesson structure and different lesson ingredients, important lesson routines, planning for challenge, planning for differentiation, using teaching assistants and more.

This episode is hosted by Matt Bromley, an education advisor and author with more than 20 years’ experience in teaching including as a secondary headteacher and MAT director. Our guests are:

  • Helen Webb is a professional coach, lead practitioner and science teacher at Orchard Mead Academy in Leicester. Visit https://helenfwebb.wordpress.com follow her @helenfwebb and find her previous SecEd articles and podcast appearances at https://bit.ly/seced-hwebb
  • Chloe Testa is key stage 5 coordinator at Fullbrook School in Surrey and the MAT English lead for the Learning Partners Trust. Find her previous articles and podcast appearances for SecEd via http://bit.ly/seced-testa
  • Morgan Chatten is the cross-trust director of English at the Turner Schools Trust in Folkstone.

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For details about The SecEd Podcast, or to suggest future topics, email editor Pete Henshaw at editor@sec-ed.co.uk