The article introduces student teachers to a suitable method of lesson planning that can enhance meaningful learning, through encouraging student participation in the entire teaching process. The Hierarchy for Effective Lesson Planning (HELP), supports the use of concrete materials in learning (Kerry & Stacy, 2011). The inclusion of such materials links students’ prior knowledge to new learning experiences, and this aids in exposing students to the real world. The article addresses the ways teachers can use the HELP to overcome challenges present in classes such as, catering for student differences, meeting the set standards among many others(Kerry & Stacy, 2011). The proponents of this method of lesson planning, saw the need to use materials availed to teachers and relate them to multisensory learning. For example, the research conducted on the lesson plans prepared by teachers, a greater percentage of those checked did not adequately incorporate the use of instructional materials(Kerry & Stacy, 2011). Similarly, from the other research conducted high performing schools relatively used concrete materials as compared to the poor performing ones

Teachers need to enhance active learning by enabling students to relate their prior knowledge to concrete materials presented in the classroom. The resources availed should invoke the relation of past experiences to the content being taught(Kerry & Stacy, 2011). The article has not effectively addressed the differences that exist between students and how the materials being represented will be relevant in helping the learners create the relationship needed. Moreover, the materials resemblance to the real world depends on the students’ past experiences. In other words whatever materials the teacher decides to use, will only be relevant in a given lesson if the students can relate it to what they already know. Although it requires less time to expose students to the environment around them actively, sometimes the time set aside for covering a given content might not be enough to allow students relate with the environment in the learning process

The article is relevant in enabling teachers to devise techniques on how they can enhance active learning. The criterion for selecting the learning materials based on the degree of their authenticity is vital in choosing the necessary resources for a given lesson. To effectively boost the recall of previous information in students, concrete learning material should be provided to enable students to learn new skills and concepts, and as such, the information helps teachers to come up with learning methods for the introduction of new ideas. Similarly, students’ unique capabilities can be tapped by enabling them to interact with their environment in different ways(Kerry & Stacy, 2011). The failure by most teachers to include concrete learning materials during the instructional process, is normally due to the fear that the time allocated might not be sufficient if such materials are incorporated. The article provides guidelines on how materials can be used with minimal time

Most teachers have had problems on how to use materials during the learning process. The article is important because it has extensively covered the relevance of learning resources, effective lesson planning, and how learning materials can be selected for a given lesson. Moreover, it explains why the inclusion of concrete learning materials facilitates the understanding of new concepts among learners. Preservice teachers can overcome the multiple challenges that are in schools through the use of the Hierarchy for Effective Lesson Panning, for example, the touches on the issue of time with regards to the use of learning materials. This is one of the challenges that teachers face, and it is well addressed in the article

Reference

Kerry P. Holmes, & Stacy V. Holmes (December 2011) Hierarchy for Effective Lesson Planning: A Guide to Differentiate Instruction through Material Selection. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1, No. 19, pp 144-151

http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_1_No_19_December_2011/14.pdf

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