Education: Designing a successful lesson plan

One of the most important thing to keep in mind when designing a lesson plan is the time you have at your disposition. You don't want to be too ambitious with your lesson. Likewise, you really need to make sure that there is enough content to make a successful lesson. Timing is key and it's all about the content you're presenting and the way the content is being communicated to the class. You need to take into consideration the learning abilities of individual students. Make sure that no one is excluded. These are the stages that all lessons should include:

1. Introduction: A good way to start a lesson is by engaging students in a small discussion. Ask questions about the topic so as to understand what the students already know. Another good idea is to make a brainstorming session and, on your chalk-board, write a list of all the important points brought up by the students. You can use these points later to further develop the students' ideas.
   
2. Presentation: chances are that most of the students will not be very knowledgeable about the lesson's main topic. This is the chance to present the main points to the class. Make sure that you engage your students in the lesson. Ask lots of questions and highlight the main points of the lesson. Write these points on the chalk board.
3. Active engagement: if you have not engaged students in a discussion, then it is important that you do so. Active engagement can also involve students working out exercises in the classroom. This reinforces the new knowledge that students have just learned.
4. Feedback: Ask your students questions about the new topics. This will help you understand if your students have learned the main topics of the lesson.
5. Follow-up practice: You may refer to this as homework and may involve your students in conducting research, writing essays or working out exercises. This further reinforces the main points of the lesson.

Any other ideas? Feedback? Please leave comments.