Focused Lesson Planning

Professor Fraefel has created a text that is of great service to the teacher education community. He carefully explains the processes involved in having novices “backward plan” their lessons to foster thoughtful and engaging student understanding in lessons that are aligned with Standards. His vision of teaching sees planning for learning as a realistic and holistic experience that focuses on student-generated ideas and which calls for flexibility, openness and continued reflection. Its workbook nature directly integrates readers into its narrative and promotes their development and growth in a friendly, nurturing and upbeat manner. -- Paul Vermette, professor od education at Niagara University
The importance of this book on planning is the thorough detailing of all aspects of backward planning such that coaches in field-based programs can demonstrate to student teachers that planning is not a time-stealing process, but rather a way to centralize student involvement and to know to what extent their teaching has been successful. Professor Fraefel’s book lays out a way forward to tie the campus and field experiences together. No teacher educator who takes the author’s concern and remedy seriously will neglect planning as a central aspect of student teaching. -- Frank Lyman, Ph.D, teacher educator and educational consultant, co-originator of Think-Pair-Share
When planning lessons, teachers are asking themselves: How can I proceed in planning so that interest in learning is maintained, that students achieve the goals, that they make progress in a subject area, understand something more deeply, and perform well? To do just that, Urban Fraefel's book provides helpful and sound concepts and an elaborate procedural logic for planning instruction. -- Christine Rieder, professor of art education, University of Northwestern Switzerland