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Critical Evaluation of Puberty Lesson Plan

Introduction

Lesson planning is central to the process of becoming an effective teacher. It is a time

when the teacher envisions the learning he/she wants to occur and analyses how all the pieces of

the learning experience should fit together to make that vision a classroom reality. Jensen (2001)

states all good teachers have some kind of plan when they walk into the classroom but stresses

that there must be advanced planning by the teacher before going into the classroom. Jensen

(2001) argues that just as teachers expect students to come to class prepared, students expect

teachers to be prepared to teach and lesson planning is a part of that preparation. The following is

a critical evaluation of a lesson plan on the topic of puberty for a form two class.

Pre-Knowledge

Pre-knowledge is knowledge students already have before they are exposed to new

information. In this lesson, it was stated that students would not have any pre-knowledge.

However, students at the form two level will have some knowledge of the topic as growth and

development of the human organism is taught at the primary level in both HFLE and Social

Studies (to a lesser degree). In addition, students are developing earlier and due to the age of

technology we live in, it is safe to assume a number of the students may be aware of puberty.

Objectives
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The objectives of a lesson are the first step in writing a strong lesson. The first noticeable

aspect of the objectives of this lesson is that there are only cognitive objectives. In delivering a

lesson, teachers must try as much as possible to have a full range of student performance as

lessons to do not only cater to a student’s mind. As far as possible, objectives should encompass

all three domains of learning. The fact that the objectives cover only one of the domains makes it

severely limited in scope. Wilson (2018) states when possible, teachers should use all three

domains to construct more holistic lessons that will cater to a number of learning styles.

Objectives must also be specific and measurable so that there is no confusion as to what

students are expected to do in the lesson. The second and third objectives of this lesson are

unclear. The second objective states to apply the knowledge of puberty to understand changes in

their own body. How are the students applying the knowledge? Will the students be using an

activity to relate the new knowledge to themselves?

The third objective creates confusion as one is not sure what the teacher wants students to

do. Does the teacher want the students to discuss the differences or changes? Each gender goes

through the process of puberty differently, is it that the teacher wants the class to describe how

boys and girls experience puberty? The adding of the word changes also creates uncertainty as

one does not know if students are expected to list emotional or physical changes that occur

during puberty.

Learning objectives should meet four criteria; audience, behaviour, condition and degree

(Dalto, 2013). These objectives only meet two of these four (audience & behaviour),

consequently these objectives are severely deficient in their construct. A suggested improvement

is as follows:
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Example: Students will be able to identify from a list of options provided by the teacher, four

changes associated with puberty in boys with 100% accuracy.

Audience: Students

Behaviour: Will be able to identify

Condition: From a list of options provided by the teacher

Degree: Four changes associated with puberty in boys with 100% accuracy.

Set Induction

This set induction is not attention grabbing. It is a passive activity and caters to one

learning style. In addition, leaving it up to students to read may mean that students derive

varying meanings from the letters. The set induction also lacks structure and control. The activity

for the set induction is also used in the lesson as a student activity. Rather than using the same

strategy, students can be introduced to the concept through a video or the teacher can create a

story about a teen experiencing puberty and read it for the class and at the end ask students what

they think the individual is experiencing.

Method

Content
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The teaching content can be broken down into two sections. The first objective was to

define the term puberty but where in the lesson is that taking place? A possible activity could be

to ask students to volunteer a definition based on the story read in the set induction or on the

video. When students offer definitions, they can be written on the board and then the class

formulates a definition based on answers given.

There is no detail given for the student strategy which creates confusion. It appears that

these letters are heterogeneous; therefore this may result in information overload as students may

have to sift through several scenarios. Another area of concern refers to the reading of the letters;

are students reading the letters to themselves? Is each student reading a letter to the class? A

handout is listed as a resource but one does not know what handout is being distributed to

students.

There is also a lack of detail concerning group work. One does not know if students will

be labelling the diagram based on their knowledge, what was gained from the letters or the

handouts provided.

Sectional Review

The suggested activity for review is a good idea but is puzzling as one does not know

who students are showing their completed diagram to; is it that each group presents what was

done to the class? Is it that the teacher will walk around and check on the groups while the

activity is done? The numbers are also confusing as three random students, one from each group

will be asked to share what they learnt from the lesson. Students were placed in groups of three

which means nine students in total. If this is correct, why were there six sets of handouts?
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Closure

The activity is not suitable for closure; it could be used in the lesson or as an extension

activity. The session lasts 35 minutes and students may not have time to create a poem at the end.

The closing activity should encapsulate and reinforce all of the high points of the lesson, this

does not do that.

Final Evaluation

The teacher has written details here that were not provided earlier in the lesson plan, for

example, what picture of a boy and girl was given to the class as well as when were the action

words given to the class? The first activity is not an evaluative exercise as it measures nothing. It

is a remedial activity given after the teacher has determined that some students did not achieve

one of the learning objectives. The teacher could have given each child a blank cut-out of both a

male and female human along with labels and ask students to attach the labels correctly. The

other two evaluative exercises are done in a group setting therefore the teacher is not aware if

each child has grasped the content.

Overall Judgment
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The lesson plan in my opinion was not well written and seemed rushed. It is short on

detail and somewhat vague. Content did not always align with the learning objectives and the

evaluative exercises fell short of their intended outcome. In addition, as a concept lesson, it

seemed to be more suitable for the primary or form one level. The lesson plan is a blue print for

what takes place in the classroom but many times during this plan one was confused about what

was supposed to occur and as such cannot be used by another individual to teach this lesson.
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References

Dalto, J. (2013) ABCD: The Four Parts of a Learning Objective. Convergence Training.

Retrieved from https://www.convergencetraining.com/blog/abcd-the-four-parts-of-a-

learning-objective

Jensen, L. (2001) Planning Lessons In Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D., & Snow, M. A. (2014).

Teaching English as a second or foreign language. Boston: National Geographic

Learning.

Wilson, O. (2018) Three Domains of Learning. The Second Principle. Retrieved from

https://thesecondprinciple.com/instructional-design/threedomainsoflearning/