Instructional planning is one of the most important factors of a teacher’s professional performance. The purpose of the standard is for professional educators to use resources like the Virginia Standards of Learning, a school’s curriculum, and student data during the planning of instruction in order to produce teaching strategies that are relevant and effective in meeting the educational needs of all students.
Addressing the Virginia Standards of Learning
The Virginia Standards of Learning provides the frame work that I base my instructional planning. In early elementary education, many SOLs are being met simultaneously due to exponential amount of educational growth occurring during this time. As a professional teacher, my lesson plans adhere to as many SOLs as necessary to achieve optimum student growth.
Developing effective short- and long- range instructional plans
Teachers are masters in the craft of time management. I use these skills in order to breakdown the goals set forth by the SOLs and provide the appropriate sequencing for my students to effectively learn. In order for students to retain the content of a subject, lessons need to be broken down into daily increments and delivered across multiple days as well (2 week unit lesson plan part 1 and 2 week unit lesson plan part 2). My lesson plans are well thought out and extensively cover the short- and long- range goals established by the curriculum.
Planning Differentiated Instruction
There are numerous academic levels and learning styles that can be in one classroom. My goal as a teacher is to ensure each of my students can learn the curriculum at their recommended pace. My plans include differentiated instruction whenever possible in order to meet the needs of all students.
