SETTING UP THE CLASS

The most important aspect of an effective Key stage 2 learning experience is the ability to put into consideration the peculiarities of the learners and the average ability of the class. in this lecture we will be looking at 7 areas that must be put into consideration while setting up a class which will directly determine the layout of the lesson plan, lesson materials and the lesson experiences.

These are 7 things to consider when setting up your class.

1. Age Bracket of the learners; it is very important to take note of the age bracket of the learners this is because it gives you first-hand knowledge to determine the structure of the lesson plan, activities, hands-on-activities, videos, pattern of worksheets and the evaluation method.
2. The Class Learning Abilities: learners assimilate lessons differently and their modes of learning is also different. Some learners assimilate more with videos, some with audios and some others via hands-on-activities. it is important to take note of the learning styles of the learners as this will make your lesson plan very inclusive. Also to note is the fact that in a class there are mixed abilities which means that you could have High flyers, Mid-Achievers and Low Achievers. The lesson must be structured such that every learner irrespective of their ability learns effectively.
3. SEN Learners: there are learners with special educational needs and they must be put into consideration while planning your lesson. E.g. ADHD, Autistic learners etc. The principle of inclusion must be practice so as to give everyone an equal opportunity towards effective learning. where necessary provisions should be made for learning support to these learners.
4. Differentiation: just as mentioned above, the lesson must be structured such that the learners experience a personal learning experience. this means that the worksheets, Hands-on-activities, evaluations etc. must be uniquely tailored to meet each learners need. This therefore means that there should be different learning targets set for different learners.
5. The sitting Arrangements: it will be very important to let the learners sit in a mixed-ability, where you have a mixture of high flyers, mid achievers and low achievers all sitting together.
6. Residual Knowledge: a good learning experience must put into consideration the knowledge of the learners on that particular topic. A quick guide might include taking a look at the curriculum for the previous class and lessons.
7. Outcome: it is very important to have in mind the expected outcomes of the learning experience. This also means that the expected outcomes for the different category of learners should be clearly stated.