Here are some Frequently asked TeacherPlan questions:

Why do you have a section ‘resources’? 

It is not compulsory to use any of the sections. If you don’t like it don’t use it. Traditionally teachers tend to focus on their own subject and ignore the variety of resources that are available. By using a resources traditionally only applied in one subject we encourage students to think about how subjects are related and concepts are transferrable.

The ideas in TeacherPlan are excellent. I’ve not seen anything like them. Where can I find more?

The ideas in TeacherPlan have been written specifically for the app. They have deeply embedded differentiation. The idea is that anything you do should automatically be accessible to the least able and the most able students in the class.

Can I use the ideas over and over?

The teaching ideas in TeacherPlan are designed to have many possible answers. This means that for many of the ideas you can do them again and again and pupils will still find them interesting.

What should I input as my topic?

Most teachers have a syllabus that needs to be followed. If you don’t then you have the freedom to make your own. For instance if you are teaching English as a Second Languge then you might decide to do 3 lessons on each of the following topics. Food, Jobs, Getting Around, Movies, Current Affairs. For each topic you would split it into sub topics each of which you would do in a separate lesson. For example Food: Where food comes from, Preparing a meal and Going to a restaurant. In the StudyTopic you can put either the Topic or it’s subtopic. Either way looking through will be a powerful stimulus of ideas for how you will teach your lesson.

Why does it sometimes say: Students in groups of 1??

The majority of activities can be done with any size of group.’Students in groups of 1′ allows you to change group size that you want with the minimal of effort.

When I use the random button it takes me to the first section (which I don’t want to select).

Just select something from each section. If you don’t want it then delete it when you get to your calendar stage.

Some of the ideas don’t make sense or seem to be badly written.

The ideas are generated by what you enter in the StudyTopic box in the controls panel page. How they come out will depend on the StudyTopic you input. The purpose is to provide you with a framework which can be amended or provide a stimulus for you to think of a fresh idea.

The teaching idea says 5 keywords and I only have 3.

Change it to 3.

What is the idea of Reminders?

Reminders remind you of the things that you want to focus on in the lesson.

How can I change the wording of the objectives before I move on to select the starter, activity, plenary etc?

During the selection stage most teachers change their ideas about how they want to word the objective(s). Therefore you select the bits you want and then make the final edit at the end, when you put the lesson into your calendar. Just like a craftsperson selecting the blocks of stone before crafting them into beautiful objects.

Could I use a starter for a plenary activity?

Absolutely all the parts are interchangeable sections. It is very easy to switch them. Select the parts you want and then just move them around after you have clicked on the calendar icon.

How do I see the lessons that I’ve scheduled?

Go to your calendar.

In what languages is TeacherPlan available in?

At the moment it is only available in English. We are working on making it available in other languages

What are the ‘Reminders’ that start with Q?

These are questions that will aide you in examining how you are teaching. They will help you generate new ways of interacting with students.

Help all my lesson plans are ending up in my personal calendar.

Help differentiate between your work/ life by starting a calendar called ‘School’. Goto Calendar App, click on ‘Calendars’(top left), ‘Edit’ (top left) and ‘Add Calendar’. To always use a particular calendar as your default calendar goto ‘Settings’, ‘Mail, Contacts, Calendars’ scroll to the bottom and change the ‘default calendar’. If you want to automatically share your calendar then see iCloud instructions.

Why do many lesson ideas have ‘Ramdomly Select Students’.

Randomly selecting learners ensures that everyone understands there is no pattern. Selecting learners randomly during lessons means that everyone understands that ‘I could be picked’. It increases the cognitive alertness and withitness of learners.

I’m not happy with TeacherPlan, how do I get a refund?

We want everyone to be happy, do let us know where you feel let down. To claim for a refund follow the process here. Refunds are not something we have control over.

Why doesn’t the StudyTopic change, when I edit it in the control panel?

Make sure that you click on ‘Done’.

 

We hope that we’ve covered everything but if you’ve got a question we haven’t covered, contact us.