Teaching from Lesson Plans

Abstract

A crucial aspect of the Minerva curriculum is the lesson plan, which is used to structure and guide every class session of the Cornerstone, Major Core and Concentration courses. This chapter describes how professors use these lesson plans and how they form the basis for dynamic, evolving class sessions while maintaining a high-level of structure and consistency over different sections of the same class. The lesson plans specify assigned readings and videos, exercises the students work through before class, quizzes at the beginning and end of class, carefully crafted sets of active learning activities, and more. The core of the lesson plans is the activities, which rely on problem solving, focused analyses in small breakout groups, polls together with discussions, role-playing scenarios, debates, Socratic relays where students take turns discussing a given topic, and many other interactive exercises. In all of this, the professor plays a central role, shaping the discussion, adapting to evolving circumstances, and providing expertise to ensure that students understand the class material. The professor keeps the class focused on the learning outcomes that are specified in the lesson plan and which inform every aspect of it. In every class, students must actively interact with the professor and with each other, which makes every session a dynamic and distinct teaching experience.