Instructional Planning of Mathematics Teachers

Instructional planning is at the heart of being an effective teacher. It is a time

when we envision the learning we want to occur and analyze how all the pieces of the
learning experience should fit together to make that vision a classroom reality. I
gathered some opinions of my colleagues from Mayondon National High School about
instructional planning and its importance. According to them, if the teacher is prepared
with the instructional plan, he/she will be cleared on what needs to be done, how to
execute the plan, and when it will be implemented. The teaching and learning process
will tend to flow more smoothly because all the information has been gathered and the
details have been decided upon beforehand. The teacher will not waste class time
flipping through the textbook and thinking of what to do next. The teacher’s confidence
will also inspire more respect from the learners, thereby reducing discipline problems
and helping the learners to feel more relaxed and open to learning. A well-planned class
reduces stress on the teacher and helps minimize disruptions. When teachers know
what they need to accomplish and how they are going to do it, they have a better
opportunity to achieve success with the added benefit of less stress. Further, when
students are engaged during the entire class period, they have less opportunity to
cause disruptions.

As part of their practice in our school, Instructional planning is usually performed

before the quarter begins with some additions every first day of the week. It is advisable
because it gives them the opportunity to think deliberately about their choice of lesson
objectives, the types of activities that will meet these objectives, the sequence of those
activities, the materials needed, how long each activity might take, and how students
should be grouped. Planning before the quarter begins also gives them the opportunity
to device a tasks that will cater individual differences and multiple intelligences.

Knowing the learning capacity of each students is one of the factor for an
effective implementation of instructional planning. If the teacher is already familiar with
the students, he could be able to device different activities that will cater their
differences. The availability of instructional materials also contributes for the success of
an instructional plan. We all know that teachers at all levels utilize a variety of
instructional materials such as textbooks, presentations and handouts to enhance the
quality of their lessons. The quality of those materials directly impacts the quality of
teaching. Knowing how to find the best instructional materials is a valuable skill for a
teacher to have. If all the materials are already made available, teachers won’t have any
problem with the planned activities that are in need of different instructional materials.

It is very clear that the unavailability of instructional materials is one of the

potential barriers for the successful execution of an instructional plan. The learner’s
intellectual intelligence could also be a hindrance for an effective instructional plan. It
refers to the individual mental level. Success in school is generally closely related to
level of the intellect. Students with low intelligence often encounter serious difficulty in
mastering school works. If the teacher proceeds too rapidly and does not constantly
check up on the extent to which the student is mastering what is being taught, the
student accumulates a number of deficiencies that interfere with successful progress.
This problem will make the plan stagnant because teachers would allocate additional
time for least mastered lessons. Teachers won’t be able to move to the next lesson
making some of the future lessons uncovered.

Instructional planning should always consider not only the curriculum but also the
individual learner’s need and differences. With planning, teacher will be able to device
sort of learning activities or assignments that are most appropriate for the students
being served. Planning for and responding to variances among learners creates the
best learning experience possible. In addition, instructional planning will make learning
a long-term, learner-centered process. Students will also be taught for transfer.
Students will learn to transfer knowledge and skills from one subject to another. It will
make lessons more relevant and help students retain what they've learned. The
students will also be guided with the flow of the course if the teacher provides the
outline of the subject matter beforehand.

Interviewees:

1. Merwin A. Landasan
2. Kirby B. Escobin
3. Lea A. Erasga