TPA Lesson Plan Response

In regards to writing lesson plans with the Washington Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) format, I feel somewhat sufficient in the task. I have only made two TPA lesson plans so examples and guiding questions are helpful and needed to complete and be acceptable. After this course I am sure it will be ingrained in all of our minds.

A few quarters ago when we were all introduced to this new “TPA” lesson planning style, I believe it was somewhat overwhelming to most people. For myself, the TPA format is the first type of lesson planning I was exposed to. I remember thinking, how could a teacher make one of these lesson plans for each class everyday? After working closely with the TPA that seems much more achievable. For example, when planning a lesson within the same unit, a lot of areas remain the same; there is no need to begin anew or start from scratch with every lesson.

I do have some queries as to how applicable or helpful this type of planning is to a music classroom. In the music classroom we generally work on the same repertoire (or "unit") for the entire quarter/semester, just polishing and digging deeper into the score until the music begins to make sense and gain clarity. As a music teacher, I believe that there should definitely be a plan on what needs to be focused upon that day, but other situations may present themselves that require attention and departure from the lesson that was originally planned.

In some ways this very intricate lesson planning may be quite helpful, but as a teacher, you should also be open to straying from what was planned. For instance, students may not be grasping a topic as quickly as anticipated so a diversion from the lesson plan must occur to ensure student comprehension. The same can happen when students exceed your expectations and quickly grasp a concept. In this scenario you must have extra activities, etc. to occupy the rest of the class time so it is not wasted.

One issue I have with this lesson plan is that, while writing past TPA lesson plans I had difficulty deciphering the differences between the Content Objectives and Academic Language. When filling out these sections they tend to feel a bit redundant.

One of the valuable aspects of this lesson plan format is the “Lesson Rationale.” Asking yourself, “Why am I teaching this lesson?” is a good way to check your motives and to make sure you are doing something for a purpose. Are you teaching this lesson “because the curriculum says I need to?” or “because this is the next lesson in the book?” As a teacher, we need to be able to explain our reasoning and purpose behind every decision we make because there will always be someone, whether they are a parent, a principle, or a student, who will ask those questions.

Overall, the TPA lesson plan format is very valuable. It includes a list of topics that should be considered when planning a lesson. A few of these important topics are too often brushed aside when planning. Being exposed to this type of planning will lead to more thoughtful teachers.