Lesson 11: Deviating from the Lesson Plan

The lesson which the teacher planned for 20 minutes is completed in 10 minutes. What should you do?

The lesson the teacher has prepared is clearly not working. The student is very frustrated. What should you do?

At times it may be necessary to conclude a lesson before it is finished or before the scheduled time is up. This lesson discusses some of the reasons for terminating a lesson and provides suggestions for effectively dealing with the problem.

When should I deviate from a lesson plan?

• A student does not appear to have the basic skills necessary to complete the activity.
• A student is too upset to continue the lesson.
• The student completes the lesson in less than the allotted time.
• The student is making errors on every problem.
• The student's behavior does not allow you to continue.
• The child stops and refuses to do anything else.
• The child shows obvious frustration with the lesson.
• Another event or emergency in the classroom requires your immediate attention.

Since the development of the lesson and the materials is the responsibility of the teacher, it would not be appropriate for a paraeducator to take it upon themselves to redesign the lesson or create new activities. In order to address this situation, teachers and paraeducators often have prepared alternative activities. These alternative activities or lessons may be specific to a particular instructional unit or they may be more generic activities.

Examples of alternative plans might be:

1. A folder you have for each child with work in it that you could use when you finish a lesson early or when you need to conclude a lesson early.
2. Review previous lessons that you have completed with the student.
3. Students may work on any homework they have acquired.
4. Students may do independent reading.
5. A set of educational games/activities that have been pre-approved by your supervising teacher.

As a tutor you need to realize it may be best to terminate the lesson and work on another approved activity until you have a chance to discuss the situation with your supervising teacher. Then he/she can evaluate the situation with your help.

Reporting Problems to the Teacher

When you are having difficulties with a lesson you need to be able to report the problem to your supervising teacher and explain the reasons that it was ineffective. The supervising teacher needs to know what is going wrong and why. You should note the types of mistakes the student is making and the student's behavior that contributes to the difficulties in completing the lesson. This information helps the teacher plan more effective lessons in the future.

Cautions

Students can become adept at finding reasons to delay or terminate a lesson. You do not want to be in the position of having to terminate a lesson frequently. If there are problems with a lesson, adjustments should be made prior to the next lesson. You should have tried to motivate the student, clarify directions, and provide assistance and examples before deciding to terminate the lesson.