This is just going to be the best lesson ever! I know exactly what I need to do, exactly what materials I need, and exactly how long it will take! (rarely ever said by teachers) Pacing is always a concern during a lesson. How fast do I need to get through this lesson? What kinds of questions will the kids ask? What misconceptions will the students have about this topic? It is all about planning, but even with the best planning, a lesson can get derailed for a multitude of reasons. The goal should be to waste as little time as possible. Have routines and procedures in place that will maximize classroom instruction.
I am in the role as an instructional coach currently and my eyes have been opened wide! Some teachers really struggle with managing time effectively and quickly moving from one task to another. When I was a classroom teacher, I was always praised for my transition time, and having routines and procedures in place to maximize instruction. I didn’t understand how much that can impact the instructional day until I was in several classrooms each day.
Keeping kids engaged is one of the keys to effective instruction. In order to keep kids engaged we need to keep our lessons on track. Sometimes events happen that can disrupt the pacing of a lesson, fire drills, a teacher that stops in and has a question, the document camera stops working, and things like that. Some things are unavoidable. As teachers, we also need to anticipate the misconceptions students may have about a topic and be flexible with our lessons. It’s all part of the planning process. Our district has put together documents with the standards. Listed in the document is an explanation of the standard in student-friendly terms and what types of misconceptions students may have when addressing this standard. I am not sure how many teachers actually look at these district documents when planning, but what I have found is that the more information we have about a standard, the better planned we are and the better the pacing can be. Sometimes I feel that some teachers just rely on the teacher’s manuals. Some parts of the teacher’s manuals are wonderful in assisting with pacing. Our teacher’s manuals include how long each section should take. It helps, but it isn’t always accurate.
My advice? Over plan. It’s always better to have too much planned than not enough. I taught primary grades and kids that aren’t engaged are more difficult to manage. It’s always a balancing act. Each year is different. Each student is different. I taught the primary grades for 22 years before becoming a coach and I can say from experience that just when I thought I had everything figured out, the district would switch curriculum or we would get a new administrator with new school goals. There are countless factors that affect change in the classroom. We need to be prepared and planned for whatever comes our way from day to day. Our flexibility will assist with our pacing. Planning, pacing, and flexibility are keys to effective instruction. How do you plan for your lessons?
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Sarah Kirchoff
Sarah Kirchoff is an instructional coach in Mesa Public Schools. She has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education. She began her teaching career way back in August 1999, when everyone was worried about Y2K. She did not even have computers in her classroom at that time! Since then, she has taught first grade for four years, preschool for three years, second grade for two years and kindergarten for twelve years. She has worked for three different school districts during her teaching career. During this time, she has been able to identify which grade she found to be the most enjoyable. Her greatest teaching passion is for kindergarten. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University. She was teacher of the year at her school in the 2019-2020 school year. She became a National Board Certified Teacher as an Early Childhood Generalist in December of 2020. She currently serves on numerous committees at her school including school site council, the instructional leadership team, and the culture and climate team. She is a mentor teacher at her school and has mentored numerous interns and student teaching candidates. When she is not busy with school commitments, she spends time with her family. She has a husband who is also a teacher, and four children. Two of which are students at NAU and two that are in high school. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading books and spending time with family, friends and her two dogs. Children need a teacher that is always advocating for them, socially, emotionally, and academically. Sarah wants every student she encounters to realize their potential and she is willing to help in any way she can. The impact early childhood educators have on students reaches far beyond their younger years. Sarah wants to leave a positive impact on her students so they can continue to have wonderful educational experiences beyond her classroom and school.