scheming and planning 111
scheming and planning 111
Scheming and lesson planning are critical in the effectiveness of teaching and learning
lesson planning and the actual lesson experiences. Scheming and lesson planning are a faster
way of planning learning experiences. The essay will establish the link between the scheming
and lesson planning in terms of aims, objectives, content, methods and educational media. In
order to establish order of sequencing in scheming and planning, one is influenced by, the
content, aims and objectives, teaching media, methodology. More details are explored as the
essay unfolds.
Oyedele (2013) point out that the scheme is document that interprets the syllabus and
systematically arranges the content to be covered over a specific period of time. It is a plan
that states exactly what learners should learn at school in a particular learning area .Doll
(2006) viewed that it is a major curriculum document which prescribes what government
would like to see taught in all schools, it is an outline of the experiences of what learners
should be cover in a specified period. Teachers are required to teach from the syllabus, and
therefore the scheme is derived from the syllabus (Gwarinda 2010). Examinations are set
from the syllabus. Therefore syllabus interpretation is the process of making sense of the
syllabus.
Minnet (2005) highlighted that Lesson planning refers to a plan of specific activities that are
done during the lesson in order to facilitate achievement of stated objectives. It is the
immediate translation of the scheme of work into action. According to Gwarinda (2010) a
lesson plan shows what the teacher is going to teach, for how many minutes, to whom, how
trajectory for a lesson. It is developed by the teacher to guide class learning. It is the
teacher’s road map of what students need to learn and how it will be done effectively during
the class time. The plan is a lesson preparation based upon a scheme of work, showing what a
teacher is going to teach, to whom, why and the duration. It is the immediate translation of
the scheme of work into action (Gwarinda, 2010). It is a map of teaching with finer details. It
form the explanation, a lesson is what the teacher does when with the learners and delivering
learning content. The lesson plans from the schemes are premised on developing the
objectives. Petty, (2004) define objectives as precise and measurable statements of intention
which portray observable behaviours achievable at the end of specific episodes of learning.
The daily lesson plan is, in turn, derived from the scheme of work. While it is a prescription,
endeavour to stick to the official syllabus when scheming and planning lessons.
A broad topic is to be provided usually as it is given in the syllabus together with the
subtopics which are derived from the broad topics. Gwarinda (2010) views a scheme of work
as a medium range plan, which is the teachers’ interpretation of the syllabus. There are some
ways in which one can establish one's order of teaching topics such as covering easiest topics
first or ordering the topics chronologically works easily on topics which involve historical
events and starting with the most relevant and helpful topics to the students. A scheme can
also be seen as a class syllabus for a term. Against this background one cannot teach form the
scheme because it is broad to an extent. Therefore planning becomes a relevant aspect of the
delivery of lessons. It can therefore be argued that lesson plans of the term cannot be
successfully drawn up without the scheming process first. The implication is that effective
teaching and learning with regards to concept development hinges on the ability of the
provides the teacher on the necessary activities to be applied in the teaching and learning
process. The teacher at times is expected to play the role of a facilitator whilst the pupils are
identifying or drawing as suggested by the objectives of the lesson. There is no way a teacher
can expect the pupils to master the skill of classifying objects according to their
characteristics whilst the teacher is lecturing. The implication from the explanation is that
objectives indirectly tells the teacher of ‘How’ the learners ought to achieve the intended
outcomes.
It is also important to note that the teaching methods in the schemes are selected by the
teachers to facilitate learning. The methods will be determined by the needs and interests of
the learners, (Gwarinda2010). The rationale behind the emphasis of learners centred methods
is to enhance learning. The children need to master control the environment through
participation. Teachers carry out formative assessment as teaching and learning progresses.
At the end of the term or year summative assessment are also done. The whole purpose
behind the planning is to enable evaluation, (Oyedele 2013). Teaching and learning will be a
waste of time unless what is taught is subjected to some form of assessment. Therefore,
relationship between scheme and lesson plan transcends to the assessment activities.
development. In addition scheme indicates the methods the teacher will use when breaking
the scheme into lesson plans. It is expected therefore that the methods be learner centered.
Choosing methods that relate to the child’s current interests is always a safe, since it helps
fuel an existing interest in the child. Minnett (2005) points out those leaner centered methods
enable learners to find out about themselves and the world. The needs and interests of the
learners are considered in the scheming and planning of the teaching approaches the teacher
intends to use in the actual lessons. Therefore the scheming and planning processes serves as
projections of how the learners intend to be served by the teacher. Gender and multicultural
aspects are all factors that relate to the needs and interests of the learners. Therefore the
The Schemes contain the aims of the syllabus which are long term. They are supposed to be
achieved at the end of the course. On the other hand lesson plans indicate objectives that are
broken down from the schemes of work. Therefore the teacher preparing a scheme expected
to take into account the level of abilities of the learners, (Mwamwenda 2010). The cognitive
abilities of the learners are considered according to the performance of the learners. The
previous assessment procedures and evaluations are used to determine the level of
therefore important to seriously consider the media the professional teacher would use before
deciding on any resources to be used. Professional teachers do not buy schemes of work they
scheme and plan. This explains why commercialized schemes of work have been criticized
by the ministry. School based schemes are more favored because they indicate resources that
are found within the school in question. Teachers need resources to produce teaching aids and
to differentiate instruction.
In conclusion there is linear relationship between the national syllabus, teaching and
assessment. Each of the components is related in many ways with the national syllabus being
the source of all the activities that are expected to be happening in schools. The context
behind syllabus interpretation is to enhance teaching and learning. Teaching and learning can
be argued to be effective through the adoption of assessment as a fact gathering activity. The
Doll, R. (2006) Curriculum Improvement: Decision making and process. Longman, London.
Research Foundation.
Butterworths Pretoria.