Joel Westheimer
University of Ottawa
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Joel Westheimer
“Finally, a book that approaches lesson planning with the complexity it deserves! McConnell, Conrad, and Uhrmacher’s five-approach exploration of curriculum design is one of the most nuanced and thoughtful works on curriculum I’ve seen to date. This book treats teachers as at once artists and intellectuals, curious and thoughtful, masters of their craft and eternal learners. As a result, readers will no doubt wrest lesson planning from the technocrats’ hold and return the wild and wonderful to education.” (from Amazon)
When teachers and students are both engaged in the educational enterprise, every day has the potential to be transformative. Lesson Planning with Purpose takes readers on a journey through many pathways to engaging and meaningful educational experiences. The text first discusses perceptive teaching: the belief that teachers must know themselves and their students while cultivating culturally sensitive, safe, and inviting spaces for learning for all students. Next, five unique approaches to lesson planning are explored: behaviorist, constructivist, aesthetic, ecological, and integrated social–emotional learning. Each chapter provides the rationale for the approach, its theoretical background, practical applications, and critiques and considerations. Chapters end with a sample lesson that can be compared across approaches. Book Features: A comprehensive examination of multiple approaches to lesson planning. Guidance for teachers on when to choose various approaches, as well as how they might mix and match and blend ideas. User-friendly lesson plan templates, sample lessons, and discussion questions.An appendix with lesson plan examples written by practicing teachers across content areas and age groups.