Students take the lead in lesson planning

The normal rules of the classroom have been turned on their head this term by students in project based learning lessons.  Their teachers have been taking a back seat as the groups answer the question:  Is it possible to create the perfect lesson?

Working in groups they are planning every aspect of what they feel would be the perfect lesson.   Once their lesson plans are complete the most popular lessons will be selected by their peers and delivered to the rest of the students by the young people who have written them.

One of the students involved told us why he was enjoying this particular project: “Doing something like this gives us the chance to think of our own ideas and makes lessons more interesting and fun.  I like working in a group and we are working together to make sure everyone gets involved.  We get to work in different classrooms and areas of the school during project based learning which means we can plan different activities.”

Gary Moody, one of the teachers involved in the delivery of project based learning explains why this particular project is so valuable: “Working on ideas like this one really allows students to open their minds and take responsibility for their own learning. Stepping into the shoes of their teacher gives them a broader understanding of what goes into the planning of their lessons, which in turn helps them to develop self-management skills and to become effective participants in relation to their learning. Future projects will also build upon these skills, aiming to equip the students with tools for successful future learning.”