Lesson 5

Instructional
Planning
Components
by: Esconde & Biason
 Instructional planning is one of the
most crucial skills teachers have in
their
arsenal in their teaching journey. It
helps them reflect on their teaching,
and make
the necessary adjustments needed to
ensure that learners attain the
 "failing to
plan is
planning to
fail,"
Thus, it is
important for teachers to
have a clear idea of how to
plan for effective
instruction.
Algozzine (2006) suggests three
Wow!

major components of instructional

planning namely:

(1) deciding what to teach

(2) deciding how to teach
(3) communicating realistic expectations
The following process
in deciding what to
teach:
1.Assessing learners' skills.
Being a teacher, we have to consider that the
tasks we provide our learners are within their
ablities. The learners are at the center of our
classroom decisions. As such, teachers need to
ensure to gather pertinent data to assess the
level of skill of the learners. This could be done
using various tool such as their diagnostic tests,
achievement tests, or an assessment of the
learners' performance in previous activities.
2. Analyzing instructional tasks
Other than analyzing the learners skills,
the teachers also need to be sure of
what they want the learners to do.
Teachers analyze the task they want the
learners to accomplish by breaking
down complex tasks to simpler,
manageable ones that are within the
learners' skills and abilities.
3. Establishing logical sequence
Along with the analysis of the
instructional tasks, the teacher then,
needs to sequence these tasks in a
logical and appropriate manner based
again on the learners' developmental
abilities. This could be done by
prioritizing the lower-level ones to the
more complex ones.
4. Considering contextual variables
In deciding what to teach, teachers may
need to look into the contextual
variables, which may include how long
the lesson will take, the availability of
materials needed, or the time of the day
the lesson will take place (class
schedule).
5. Analyzing instructional groupings
As language learning involves
sociolinguistic interactions, creating
opportunities for the learners to make
meaningful interactions in the classroom
needs consideration. Having an idea how
learners work with each other helps in
deciding how to give them instruction,
keep them engaged, and have them
6. Identifying gaps in actual and expected performance

As the teacher understands the level of

performance of the learners, it is now
imperative to understand how to bridge their
current understanding with the new material
being presented to them. This goes to show
how important the initial preparations are
before the teacher can even decide what to
teach the learners.
The following needs to
be considered in
deciding how to teach:
1.Setting instructional goals.
Teachers need to present the goals of
instruction to the learners in unambiguous
terms. As mentioned before, the simple,
lower-level skills need to be presented in
logical manner that would be
understandable at the level of the
learners.
2. Selecting instructional methods and materials.

Decisions that would be made for the method

and materials would be guided of course by the
topic selected, the activities or tasks for the
learners, and the learners themselves. This
might seem to be straightforward until we
realize that some of our learners might have
special needs such as tape recordings or higher
level reading materials.
3. Pacing instruction appropriately

Pace is simply how slowly or how quickly

the teacher goes through the material.
Thus, the teacher should be able to set the
appropriate pace when going through the
material, basing this of course on the
learners' level and the activities the learner
are tasked to accomplish.
4. Monitoring performance and replanning
instruction.
In planning how to teach, it is also
important for the teacher to know how to
monitor learners' performance, and then
use this information to plan the next
instruction.
Lastly, Algozzine identifies communicating
realistic expectation as the last component
of instructional planning.

This involves grousing the teachers'

expectations around realistic goals that the
learners can actually achieve given the
time and their level of skills.
Other models also present and
highlight other components of
instructional planning. McClymont
(2020) further forwards with
related components of
instructional planning namely:
1.Clear obiectives
Learners must be able to have a clear view of
what are expected of them in the lesson.
Providing them with clear objects sets the
tone of the class, gearing their thinking and
expectations in the lesson toward a clear goal.
In order to keep the objective clear they
Should be SMART (Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives.
2. Learning materials

Availability of necessary materials must be

considered in planning instruction. This
would help the teacher make adjustments
to his/her instruction based on these, such
as whether to use realia or to use models.
3. Active background knowledge
Tapping into the learners' prior knowledge
about the topic, lesson, or material helps
make a connection with the learners. It also
makes the lesson, topic, or material
relatable to the learners, enabling the
teacher to engage the learners more and
instill the new concepts easier.
4. Direct instruction
This is the where the teacher presents the
concepts or skills as indicated in the
objectives. This is where various means
are employed by the teacher to deliver the
learning to the learners.
5. Learner practice
Learners must be given the opportunity to
practice the concepts or the skills they
learned in class. Practice should be
designed to gradually let the learners
become independent. This has a three-step
process, including:
a. Guided practice - where learners are
b. Collaborative practice - where learners
are provided with practice with their
classmates. This can be through small or
large groups. At this stage, the teacher
could be going around the room, providing
help to the learners who might be
struggling; and
c. Independent practice - where the
learners are provided with activities that
they will perform on their own. The teacher
can still roam round the room to identify
who among the learner really grasped the
concepts taught, and who could use
additional practice.
6. Closure

After the lesson, the teacher then prepares

to synthesize the concepts presented in the
lesson. It can be in the form of an activity
where the learners can participate.
7. Demonstration of learning

This is in the form of an assessment that

assesses the learners' understanding of the
concepts presented in the lesson. This is
also an opportunity to gather data about
the learners performance.
THANK YOU !!!