The Impact of Planning for Potential Problems

Step 1: Teacher Marcus is planning a science experiment for his students that will involve using new and exciting materials. Marcus knows his students well and understands that he needs to strategically set up the room so his students can achieve success.

Step 2: Before the lesson, Marcus places all the materials on a table at the front of the room and labels them so students know how many of each item they need to return to their seats. He also has clear instructions written on the board behind him on what students need to do once they collect their materials.

Step 4: All this preparatory work has allowed Marcus to focus on delivering quality instruction to his students while maintaining control of the environment. His students participated actively in the experiment because there were few behavioural distractions.

Step 3: When assigning seats, Marcus places students he knows may need extra support at the front of the class and away from major distractions. Students work together in pairs for this experiment, so Marcus has also predetermined which students will be paired together to optimise engagement and minimise distraction.