1. Lesson Plan: March 8, 2011
Instructor : Sally Teacher
Subject Area: Education
Course: Education 205: Ecology of the Child
Unit Title: Ecology of Teaching
Lesson Title: Teacher Characteristics and Student Learning/
Student Characteristics and Teacher Interaction
Objectives: Students will be able to:
1. identify/discuss/understand characteristics of teachers
which foster student learning
2. enable student learning
3. identify/discuss/understand the impact of the teacher’s
ability to manage on student learning
4. identify/discuss/understand how teacher expectations
affect the achievement and behavior of students
5. discuss/understand the bi-directionality of teacher-
student interaction
Materials Needed: 1. Flip chart paper
2. Crayons
3. Index cards – 3 different colors
4. Student directions sheet
Anticipatory Set: We have been discussing the impact of various socializing
(3 minutes) agents on the child including the family, the school, child
care providers and others.
Today we are going to focus on the teacher’s role as an
agent of socialization. As with the other agents, the student-
teacher relationship is bi-directional.
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2. Input: In preparation for today’s group activity students were asked
(3 minutes) to read Chapter 7 in your text entitled, The Ecology of
Teaching which discussed:
The teacher’s role as a socializing agent;
The impact of the teacher’s characteristics on student
learning (teachers as role models and managers and
teachers’ expectations); and
The impact of student characteristics on teacher
interaction – specifically as it relates to gender and culture.
Guided Practice: Instructions –
(5 – 7 minutes)
1. Each of you has an index card in front of you. The color
of the card indicates which group you are to join.
a. At this point, would those students with the
yellow cards sit at the tables on my left.
b. Those with the green cards sit at the tables on
my right.
c. And those with the orange cards sit at the
tables in the center.
2. At each table is a large piece of paper and crayons.
3. Students with the yellow cards are to describe in
words (adjectives) and drawing what your best teacher
was like.
4. Students with the orange cards are to use that paper
to describe in words (adjectives) and drawing what your
worst teacher was like.
5. Students with the green cards are to describe in word
(adjectives) and drawing what students are most likely to
be like in a class where the teacher’s style is:
a. authoritarian
b. democratic
c. laissez-faire.
6. All groups need to:
a. pick a student who will report your work to the
group.
b. include anticipated student
i. behavior
ii. achievement
iii. interaction with the teacher
in your report.
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3. (35 minutes) Group Activity –
a. Individual group work - 20 minutes
b. Group reports – 15 minutes
(15 minutes) Discussion –
a. General discussion flowing from group reports
b. Is who the student identifies as the “best” teacher
always the most “effective”?
c. What is the role of perception?
Closure: In summary give me one example of:
(10 minutes) 1. how a teacher contributes to the socialization of students;
2. one characteristic of an effective teacher;
3. one impact of a teacher’s laissez-faire leadership style;
4. one impact of a teacher’s authoritarian leadership style;
5. one impact of a teacher’s democratic leadership style;
6. an example of something you learned that you did not
expect.
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