University Teaching Practice Improvement: Lesson Plan and Activities

This report presents a comprehensive lesson plan designed to enhance teaching practices, particularly within a preschool setting. It outlines a five-step teaching plan encompassing anticipation, instruction, guided practice, review, and independent practice, emphasizing the importance of interactive and engaging activities to foster learning. The report details various activities such as introducing numbers, shapes, colors, and alphabets through interactive methods like matching games, craft projects, and alphabet trees. It also highlights the significance of games, sports, and bilingual proficiency in promoting overall child development. Furthermore, the report stresses the importance of incorporating technology and digital tools like animation and multimedia in teaching, emphasizing the strengths of the lesson plan's structured approach, clear objectives, and the role of senior students in guiding their juniors. The report ultimately aims to provide a practical guide for teachers to create an effective learning environment.

Running Head: IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
Implications for Improvement of Teaching Practice
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
A lesson plan is designed to provide a proper guideline for the teaching professionals. It is a
written outline stating what is to be taught to the students on particular days. A good lesson plan
should comprise of an anticipatory set, direct instruction for the teachers, the guided practice
materials for students, timely evaluation and finally independent practice (Beecher et al., 2016).
Thus, keeping in mind the designed curriculum perspective, these guidelines has been developed
to improve the teaching practices. The objective of the guideline is to make the students well
prepared to compete globally.
The lesson plan is made in such a way that it can help the students to attain a strong
knowledge base, empower their leadership and technical skill, develop bilingual proficiency.
Focus has also given for overall development beyond the traditional education. This includes
developing their ethical perspective, spiritual knowledge and above all strong feeling of national
identity. Pre-school plays a crucial role in building the education base. Thus, proper teaching
learning plan should be executed from pre-school level.
Planning effective Lesson Plan
The lesson plan is made in line with the Education Blueprint as released by the education
ministry. The blueprint focuses on some major areas of school level and higher education. The
first target is to achieve a full enrollment in all the preschool by 2020. The education ministry
also intended to ensure that the country should become one of the top three countries based on
performance in different international assessment. The hurdles of social and cultural diversity
have to be tackled for achieving a uniform state of education in the nation. In the new blueprint
currently prevailing rural urban gaps, socio economic diversity, gender discrimination are
targeted to be reduced by 2020 (2013-2025, 2017). The age limit for compulsory education has
increased from 6 years to 11 years. Planning has been made to revise the standard for both

2IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
Primary and Secondary education with weight given on developing the skills of creative
thinking, leadership quality, problem solving nature and emphasis on innovative ideas.
2.1 Five steps teaching plan
Five Step Teaching Plan incorporates the comprehensive planning and procedures to
teach the students. It is more likely to be a practical session which follow the steps properly to
guide the students in order to achieve the goal in life. Therefore, to understand the aspects of 5
Step Lesson Plan, it is important to go through the plan thoroughly basing on the 21st century
pedagogy (Pang, 2016)
5 Step Plan includes Anticipation, instruction, practice based on Guidance, review and practicing
independently.
 Anticipation: While a teacher is imparting lesson to the students, it is important for the
teacher to introduce the lesson to the students for a minute (Lewis et al, 2012). Before
discussing the lesson, teacher must ask some basic questions related to the lesson to the
students. Teacher must carry the objective to communicate the understanding and the
lessons to the students. For example a lesson on alphabets and numbering would be
taught today by the teacher, so before start discussing the topic, the teacher need to
discuss by framing the question. The discussion would be followed then. After this, in
order to make sure whether the student understood the subject or not, teachers can ask
questions to the students on the same topic the teacher discussed. Therefore, anticipation
includes the communication with the students along with the collaboration with them by
imparting important information through the method of discussion or by discussing the
books which was read previously (Lumpe, 2012).

3IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
 Instruction: Instruction followed by teacher by incorporating a model to make the
students more clear to the students. In order to depict the lesson, teacher be practical
enough to find ways to convince the students. For example, a teacher while teaching the
students about alphabets in the form of block building and numbers in the form of
counting model (Hardiman, 2012). Therefore, to make the study plan more convincing,
practical model is to be set up for the preschool learners to increase their thinking
capabilities and making the learning more precise and easier. It is more a contextual
learning, pertaining to the model, which imparts an innovative idea to the mode of
learning and practicing (Hardiman, 2012). In the end of the learning period, teacher must
check whether the students understood the practical model properly or not by throwing
questions to them or asking them to show how the numberings were arranged in the
model. The objective of the model skill practice is to determine whether the students
developed the thinking and understanding power.
 Practice based on guide: Students belong to first grade would assist the preschool
students also in understanding the model. Teachers over here need comparatively
experienced students to guide their juniors in understanding the models thoroughly. A
student from their own experience if they are successful in approaching the preschool
students, the latter will find it easier to interpret the entire thing properly. This would
result to the collaboration with the senior and junior students, the importance of imparting
information by experiences and finally setting an objective that the students learned
something out of this model (Erickson, Lanning & French, 2017). Preschool students also
would learn by seeing their senior about how to act like a leader and accordingly with the
cooperation and understanding, they will slowly learn the leadership qualities gradually.

4IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
To check which student need further assistance, the same should approach the student
and ask doubts about understanding. After the students got convinced with the subject
matter, teacher should ask questions to confirm the student understands. Accordingly, the
student will learn the problem- based solutions gradually.
 Review: After completing the work, the teacher would further discuss with the students
about the number series or alphabets and would try to help the students out about the
following number series just to check whether the students gained knowledge on the
particular matter or not. The students would try to relate with the previous lessons, and
brainstorm ideas about the next project based on number series or will arrange the
alphabets properly (Davis et al.,2014)
 Independent practice: Whatever the students learned in the classroom, must try out in
the home as well. The parents must help the child if the latter found it necessary to take
the guidance of the family. An independent practice would develop skills in a student and
would help them out to restructure the assignments. The students will come out with
creative and innovative ideas to learn the alphabets and numbers to learn them more
easily. Teachers must encourage independent thinking so that the students come up with a
thinking and rational power with problem solving mindset. These learning would
eventually help the students to coup with the future aspects of their life (Christenson et
al., 2012).
Teaching and Learning Activities
Once the lesson plan is ready, the next important step is to design the activities to achieve
the objectives outlined in the lesson plan. Pre-school is the first step in building the knowledge

5IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
base for students. Introduction to alphabet and numbers are the first things to be taught. The
activities are to be designed in such a way that the students find these interesting and can
participate eagerly (Hartman, Winsler & Manfra, 2017)
3.1 Activity: Introduction to Numbers
The teachers should arrange some interesting material to develop children’s number recognition
skill. The best way is to make some counting model and then ask the children to match the
numbers with the relevant model. One model is suggested below:
One easy way to do this is to use ice cream sticks. The teachers need to take two bunches of ice
cream sticks. In one bunch, some shapes with different numbers are made and in the other bunch,
the numbers are written. By matching the sticks, the students can easily learn the numbers.
3.2 Activity: Introduction to Shapes and Colour
The children should to be able to recognize the colors and shapes. Both skills can be
developed by involving the students in some craft activity. In the classroom, the children can be
asked to make some colorful pictures that are made out of different shapes. This shape can be
made using some easy tools like papers, scissors, colors and glue. The children need to cut the
required shapes, color those shapes and then stick the pieces. This will be an interesting exercise
for the children. The teachers can help the students if needed. Learning in this way will be fun
for the children.
3.3 Activity: Learning alphabets
The students have to know all the alphabets very well. From the beginning days the
curriculum is to designed in an interesting way. The teacher to improve the alphabet knowledge
can apply the following activity. This is an alphabet tree. To prepare this paper, glue, and

6IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
scissors are required. First, the paper is to be cut in the shapes of trunk of a tree and leaves. .Each
of the 26 letters should be written on the papers cut in the shapes of leaves. The teachers can ask
the students to stick the leaves one by one.
3.4 Activity: Games and Sports
Games and sports activities are important for overall development in the childhood. It
helps to develop communication and collaboration skills of the students. If the games are to be
played in groups then the leadership skill is also developed without much effort. The teacher
should make teams with students belonging from different community and culture. Involving
every student in the games without any discrimination will help to overcome the cultural
diversity in the society (Tomporowski, McCullick & Pesce, 2015). It has significant contribution
in promoting higher self-esteem and motivates the children to engage in physical activity and
increase their mental strength. Therefore, the spirits of sports and games should be started from
pre-school level. Athletics can be promoted at the beginning to observe whether the children are
interested in participating physical activity. Team games should also be encouraged where each
member can discover their talent and actively participate.
3.5 Activity: Bilingual Proficiency
The children should have the knowledge of their mother language and the international
language (Hoffmann, 2014). Equal effort should be given to teach them Malay as well as
English. The teacher can tell the students stories in both versions. Word game can be played with
jumbling words having same meaning but written in two different languages.
3.6 Activity: Advanced learning using technology
Animation is a education tool of 21st century that gives most effective way of teaching.
Storytelling can be best done using multimedia (Marsh et al., 2015). Digitalization is a bridge

7IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
between the conventional way of teaching and modern technology. Digital smart classes should
be arranged in pre schools.
4. Strength of the Teaching Activities
The lesson plan is made following the framework of ‘Five Step Lesson Plan’. This
systematic learning process accomplishes the goals of education in a planned way. The
anticipatory set consists of a very clear explanation of the objective of lesson. At this stage the
interaction between the students and children will develop that will benefit the students. The
teachers with good communication skill are more efficient to explain the lesson to the students
and also can better understand the problems (Reece & Walker, 2016). The instructions given to
the teachers keeping in mind the curriculum. The teachers are directed to teach the children in a
simple way. Teaching through building different interesting and interactive models are
encouraged. Interactive teaching is more effective than the traditional one. The third step in the
lesson plan is practice-based guide. The senior students are instructed to guide their juniors. The
children will be more comfortable to learn from their seniors. This will also make their
communication skill better. It is beneficial for the senior student to build their leadership skill
from the beginning of the school life. By giving special attention to comparatively weaker
students, a uniform development will be possible (Wintergerst & McVeigh, 2014). Thus, a
comprehensive plan is designed to make education more appealing to both the students and
teachers.
The success of the designed plan is fully depends on the teaching and learning activities
followed by the students. The activities are designed in such a way that the children can learn
their basic education effortlessly. Introduction to alphabet by making alphabet tree is an
innovative and effective way (Hopkins, 2013).The numbers and shape recognition skill can be

8IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
developed by involving the children in matching the number with relevant shapes. The craft
activity with shapes and colors will develop their thinking skill. The gaming and sports activity
will help to build their leadership skill, cooperation and collaboration ability. The assessment or
evaluation after completion of each lesson will help understand the progress. Those who do not
perform well in evaluation should be given special attention. The assessment will consider both
the previous and new lesson. Hence, the students can stay connected with all their lessons. The
last step in the lesson plan is to encourage the students to practice their classroom knowledge at
home as well. This will help the students to develop their knowledge independently (McArdle,
2015).
Five steps plan need a strategy to determine the objectives of a student’s need. It reflects
upon the relation between the students and teachers. A teacher needs to set out the lesson that
needed to be discussed in class and the teacher must carry the responsibility to approach the
students in a proper way so that the latter can find the lesson to understand (Cash, 2017). The
teacher should develop the objectives of learning such
 What is the name of the topic?
 What the students needed to learn?
 How the students supposed to approach after understanding the desired topic?
 The important concepts of the topic that needs to be properly determined by the teacher
to the students
 Pointing out the relevant examples

9IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
 Finally, a plan should be devised to check the understanding of the students
(crlt.umich.edu, 2017).
The Education Ministry has outlined some of the basic objectives of education
curriculum. These objectives include building knowledge base, promote thinking and leadership
skills, develop bilingual proficiency and build ethics, spirituality and national identity. Pre-
school is the fundamental level of education. Thus, a lesson plan for preschool teachers,
incorporating all the goals of nation education ministry is developed. The lesson plan has
followed the guideline of Five Step Lesson Plan. Twenty first century’s technology and
pedagogy are used in planning the teaching and learning activities in school. The proposed plan
if followed successfully will encourage the students to attend school. Once they learn the
importance of education in building career as well as good character the enrollment rate in higher
studies will also increase. If this continues, then the country will soon get fame one of the
world’s most prosperous countries.
The status in which the K-12 education system is evolving confines the potential value of the
content standards that has been developing traditionally. Thus, an initiative has been taken in
order to improve such standards. Five challenges has been identified in order to improve the
teachers of this system. Bothe applied work and research has to be conducted by the teachers on
their respective subjects to better understand the students. In this self evaluating process, there
might be a lot of problems and dilemmas that remain unanswered. The answers to those
problems have to be identified by the teachers with their own initiatives. At first, their aim will
be on what they are working on at this moment. Then consideration must be given to what has
been happening in their practice. After identification of that, the results obtained from the
research have to be given priority. The research results and the practical results then has to be

10IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
related to the necessity of doing this research. This method will help the teachers to identify the
unanswered questions and dilemmas about the students. This will improve the teaching practice
and the students as well.

11IMPLIACTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE
References
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