A Lesson Planning Companion
for LBS Practitioners
What is PAL?
This Planning a Lesson website — PAL for short — is a lesson planning companion that's a little like a conversation with a teaching peer—a peer who has already thought about planning engaging lessons that flow.
The ideas and materials in this digital space stem from thoughtful questions, robust discussions and the collaborative efforts of the PAL working group. Thus, PAL is a space to engage with the insights from front-line Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) practitioners just like you, and to garner some handy tips. PAL could also be used as a place to return to for inspiration or to spark discussions around learner-centred approaches and strategies with LBS colleagues.
Who's PAL for?
PAL is for Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) practitioners who seek to plan engaging lessons that help hone learner skills by purposefully integrating technology for better learning.
Whether program delivery is fully online, face-to-face with online components, or via a hybrid format, there's something here for those practitioners looking to actively engage learners as they enhance digital delivery with purposeful planning for learning.
LBS educators and tutors may find that the PAL site can also be an engaging space for reflection and a useful springboard for discussions with colleagues and peers.
The PAL site is a LESSON PLANNING COMPANION created by practitioners for practitioners!
What can PAL be for YOU?
A NEW WAY
TO LOOK AT LESSON PLANNING
TO LOOK AT LESSON PLANNING
DISCOVER how lesson flow can act as a helpful lens for supporting and enhancing technology integration in a way that ultimately helps adult learners hone skills their skills in meaningful and relevant ways.
EXPLORE lesson planning and all its stages as a practical vehicle for interrogating your practice.
CONSIDER a host of front-line challenges and possible solutions that may resonate for you.
AN OPPORTUNITY
TO REFLECT ON YOUR PRACTICE
TO REFLECT ON YOUR PRACTICE
MOVE THROUGH some engaging questions within each section of the PAL online suite of resources with respect to lesson planning and to digital integration as you aspire to achieve optimal lesson flow.
ENGAGE with your teaching colleagues using PAL's guiding questions.
CHOOSE what you find helpful for your teaching context and your learners when it comes to digital integration and skills strengthening.
A SPACE FOR FRONT-LINE INSIGHTS, TIPS AND RESOURCES
CHECK OUT front-line insights, tips and strategies throughout the PAL site from LBS practitioners like yourself.
TRY OUT a host of useful lesson planning resources co-created by LBS instructors just like you!
CONDUCT your own action research with your students as you get inspired by the action research carried out by the PAL working group.
ADD any tools you may find useful to your teaching toolbelt as you return to the site from time to time.
How do you navigate PAL?
View this mini PAL site orientation video below to learn about the key pieces of this planning companion and how to make the site your PAL for your purposes.
Three Planning Stages
Now that you've got the PAL basics, LET'S EXPLORE the three planning stages!
1. PRE-LESSON
Anticipating various challenges
Challenges to lesson flow present themselves before the lesson even begins. Technology issues and day-to-day class logistics can impact a lesson.
Let's consider the most common pre-lesson challenges that can become bottlenecks to flow and try to turn them into learning opportunities!
2. THE LESSON
Planning for learning and lesson flow
Skills are honed not only through discrete tasks, but through active learning strategies and lesson components that build upon each other for connections to be made.
Let's take a look at planning a lesson where adult learners work with digital tools and and each other by way of activities that are purposefully planned!
3. POST-LESSON
Taking the learning beyond the class session
Taking the learning and newly acquired digital skills into the real world, post-lesson, is a way for adult learners to solidify their learning.
Let's explore some simple ways to encourage learners to think about their digital wins and reflect on how to apply their new skills beyond the LBS classroom in a meaningful way!