A Disarray Around the Theme of Lesson Planning: Definition and Characterization of its Constituent Elements

Amadeu Moura Bego,Milena Alves

doi:10.28976/1984-2686rbpec2020u97119

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the different meanings that the constituent elements of lesson planning have assumed in the works of Science Education and proposes, from a critical approach, the delimitation of its essential constituent elements, as well as their definitions. To this end, a systematic literature review was performed, involving the analysis of 403 papers from: Science Education journals in strata A1 and A2; Proceedings of Teaching and Education meetings; and theses and dissertations from the CAPES catalog. Studies were selected from 2012 to 2016. An absence of terminological equivalence was found for the terms strategy, methodology, method, technique, and resource. In addition, most of the papers use these terms unlinked from their definitions and any theoretical frameworks. Subsequently, theoretically grounded definitions were proposed for each of the terms in the context of lesson planning. It is argued that the methodological approach guides the teaching and learning process and consists of an essential element of lesson planning, which involves explaining the background conceptions about teaching and learning, the nature of science, and the social role of school education. Therefore, planning a lesson needs to be an explicit and conscious act of the teacher, in which he becomes aware of the methodological approach to be adopted. This approach will guide the requirement for the delimitation of learning objectives, the selection and arrangement of instructional and assessment strategies, as well as the teaching resources and instructional materials.

Highlights

This paper aims to investigate the different meanings that the constituent elements of lesson planning have assumed in the works of Science Education and proposes, from a critical approach, the delimitation of its essential constituent elements, as well as their definitions
From a critical approach, this work proposes the delimitation of the essential constituent elements of the lesson plan, as well as their conceptual definitions
Based on these meanings and definitions, this paper argues that the terms instructional strategy and technique, within the scope of Didactics, are not the same as teaching methodology, but they are understood as a set of actions planned by the teacher in order to achieve specific learning objectives

Summary

A Disarray Around the Theme of Lesson Planning

This paper aims to investigate the different meanings that the constituent elements of lesson planning have assumed in the works of Science Education and proposes, from a critical approach, the delimitation of its essential constituent elements, as well as their definitions. Alves & Bego learning process, because it is conceived of as a dimension responsible to define the teacher’s work, as well as a reflexive and continuous action of the teacher that involves methodological and theoretical choices (Farias, Sales, Braga, & França, 2011; Bego, 2013) In this context, Amaral (2006) lists the elements that composes a good lesson plan, such as: content, method, technique, and teaching resources. This paper intends to contribute to the area of Science Education, proposing critical and grounded definitions to the constituent elements of lesson plans This objective is justified, as presented, because the use of decontextualized expressions can generate many divergences between the intended meaning and the assigned meaning in a particular field of study. From a critical approach, this work proposes the delimitation of the essential constituent elements of the lesson plan, as well as their conceptual definitions

Methodological procedures

Methodology

Findings

Method