Be Careful Not to Assume

For my technology class this past week, we were required to write a lesson plan that included using a productivity tool, such as a word processor or spreadsheet, as well as turn in the finished product itself.

I began this assignment thinking more about the actual lesson I chose, which was the water cycle, instead of the technology, which was Microsoft Word Processor. My approach was to use my productivity tool as a supplement to the lesson itself. This meaning that the students would learn about the water cycle via class experiments, discussion, and media, and finally use the productivity tool to assess their understanding by creating a chart of the water cycle using text and pictures in a table format. However, after turning in the assignment, I realized that I may have missed the point altogether.

I chose second grade. Second graders are not the most proficient in computer technology and require help from a teacher or other person with experience. I know this, but I didn’t incorporate the teaching of the technology into my lesson plan. I guess you could say I assumed that the students would know how to use the technology, or at the very least that it was obvious that the teacher, myself in this situation, would aid the students in the use of the technology as needed.

In my lesson, I mapped out how to demonstrate evaporation, condensation, and precipitation using a crock pot. I explained that the teacher should spark a discussion with the students about how this process worked. I even included a YouTube video with a catchy song about the water cycle that would easily capture the attention of a group of a eight year olds. However, I completely left out how to teach the young students how to use the word processor technology to create their water cycle chart. It didn’t hit me until I was presenting my lesson plan in class that I had assumed my students would know exactly what I meant when I told them they would be making a chart using Microsoft Word Processor.

I learned that, as a teacher, one of the most important things I need to remember when creating a lesson plan is to never make the mistake of assuming that my students know something that I haven’t taught them. Assuming can cost you valuable time and energy for a lesson plan you expected to run smoothly. Also, I would never want to set my students up for confusion or even failure by simply assuming they would know how to do something.

Even if I missed the point in the beginning, I feel that I learned a lot throughout this productivity tool lesson plan project. How can you teach if you don’t learn?

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