Teacher Planning

There are many ways of describing important characteristics of teacher planning. The use of analogies is one way.
Identify three possible analogies for teacher planning that emphasize different important aspects of the activity.
You might consider a variety of sources for these analogies:
What living thing is like teacher planning in some respect?
What natural phenomenon is like teacher planning?
What artistic activity is like teacher planning?
For each analogy that you generate:
Tell several ways in which the analogy is like teacher planning.
At least two ways in which it is different from teacher planning.
What important characteristic(s) of teacher planning does each analogy highlight?
Which of the three analogies do you think is the best for demonstrating a thorough understanding of the concept of teacher planning? Explain your selection.

Full Answer Section

         
  1. Weeding & Pest Control (Addressing Misconceptions & Challenges): Gardeners must identify and remove weeds or pests that hinder growth. Teachers must identify and address student misconceptions, behavioral challenges, or learning difficulties that impede progress.
  2. Adapting to Conditions (Flexibility & Responsiveness): A gardener must constantly monitor weather, soil conditions, and plant health, adapting their care as needed. A teacher must be flexible, adapting lesson plans based on student understanding, classroom dynamics, or unexpected events.
  3. Harvesting (Assessment & Outcomes): The ultimate goal of gardening is a successful harvest. For teachers, the "harvest" is seeing students achieve learning goals, demonstrate understanding, and apply new knowledge.
Ways in which it is different from teacher planning:
  1. Agency of "Plants": Plants do not typically resist growth or have personal opinions about the care they receive. Students are active agents in their learning, with individual wills, prior knowledge, and emotional states that can significantly impact the planning and execution of lessons.
  2. Predictability of Growth: While gardening has variables, plant growth often follows relatively predictable biological cycles. Human learning is far more complex and less predictable, influenced by a myriad of cognitive, emotional, and social factors.
Important characteristic(s) of teacher planning highlighted:
  • Nurturing and Growth-Oriented: Emphasizes the teacher's role in fostering student development.

Sample Answer

         

Analogy 1: Teacher Planning as Gardening

  This analogy draws from a living thing and emphasizes the organic, nurturing, and adaptive aspects of planning. Ways in which it is like teacher planning:
  1. Preparation of the Soil/Environment: Just as a gardener prepares the soil (testing pH, adding nutrients, tilling), a teacher prepares the learning environment. This involves setting up the classroom, organizing materials, and establishing routines that are conducive to learning.
  2. Seed Selection & Planting (Curriculum & Goals): A gardener carefully selects seeds based on desired outcomes (flowers, vegetables) and knowledge of their growth requirements. Similarly, a teacher selects curriculum content and sets learning objectives, considering what knowledge and skills they want to "grow" in their students.
  3. Nurturing & Watering (Instruction & Support): A gardener consistently waters, fertilizes, and prunes to ensure healthy growth. A teacher provides instruction, offers scaffolding, gives feedback, and differentiates teaching to meet the varied needs of learners, nurturing their intellectual development.