An Inservice Program for Developing Teacher Lesson Plans

This paper deals with change and the inservice program that brought about the change. A log is included that documents the process from the establishment of need, through three workshops that direct the change, to the final writing of a manual of yearly goals and objectives for each teacher participant. The writer of the paper is an elementary principal of a small rural school. The faculty participants were both elementary and high school teachers who were deeply ingrained in unchanging teaching methods. Several had taught in their fields for so long that they felt no need of establishing a plan for teaching, much less the need for lesson plans for substitute teacher use. The inservice program employed the use of a consultant and was funded through a grant from the Illinois Center for Educational Improvement. Stipends were paid to all participants from these funds, as well as consultant expenses and printing costs. Many of the problems that developed in the inservice process were attitudinal, brought about by teacher anxiety as it related to evaluation and accountability. The writer cites specific instances of teacher hostility and gives examples of techniques used to solicit a more cooperative attitude. By allowing the teachers to include the conditions that worked for and against instruction, and to itemize material needs, the writer explains how the teachers were guided toward the belief that the project would help them become better teachers and improve their working conditions. An appendix is included with the paper to illustrate this and the form taken by the goals and objective manual. The paper concludes with an analysis of the activity and makes reference both to the successes and failures of the activity. Plans for the ongoing use of the inservice program and a brief outline of the activity\u27s usefulness in developing a minimal competency test for the writer\u27s school district, are included