How to Improve Lesson Delivery

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Improve SIOP lesson delivery for better student engagement and higher learning outcomes!

Discover how in this guide.

Table of Contents

Background

The SIOP Model is my go-to for high school lesson plans.

This model incorporates evidence-based strategies to ensure students of diverse backgrounds get the most out of their learning experiences.

Combining my Master in Education, Master in Arts, and TEFL certification, I am confident in applying the SIOP Model in developing effective instructional methods focusing on English Language Learners.

The SIOP Model

The SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Model (CREDE, 1996) is an instructional framework validated as highly effective in student achievement.

Student learning and success are enhanced by using instructional strategies and practices to engage both mother-tongue language and the target language used in each lesson.

It is also used as a best practice with students who need to improve areas of their language development, like grammar and literacy skills.

The SIOP model proposes that teachers plan and implement instruction in the target language by:

using scaffolding techniques to build the level of language skills students need to complete the activities
using a variety of learning experiences to bring students to progressively higher levels of language proficiency
building and maintaining motivation by engaging students in meaningful, authentic language activities and allowing them to interact with the target language community

8 Components of The SIOP Model

Lesson Delivery

Lesson delivery designed using the SIOP Model sets up student success by meeting the lesson’s outcomes.

This component helps students relate to what they are doing and how they interact with the content, the language, and one another.

The pacing of the lesson is vital in this component as it challenges teachers to ensure students are actively engaged in their learning experience 90-100% of the time.

Using The SIOP Model as a best practice instructional framework, lesson delivery challenges teachers to be creative and engaging.

Features of Lesson Delivery

Support content outcomes consistently.
Support lesson outcomes consistently.
Pace the lesson according to the student’s ability level.
Engage students 90-100% of the time.

Setting Students Up for Success

When it comes to delivering lessons, you can do a few things as an educator to set your students up for success.

First and foremost, it is essential to be clear and concise when communicating your expectations for the lesson.

Secondly, instructional strategies must provide helpful resources and materials to support student learning.

And lastly, take some time to check in with students periodically throughout the class to gauge their understanding.

Giving Instructions

Teachers must be clear and concise when communicating their expectations for the lesson.

If the students are not clear on what is expected of them, they will not be able to meet the outcomes of the lesson.

The proper explanation of each lesson activity and what students are to do is essential to delivering the lesson material for students to be successful.

When providing clear and specific instructions for each activity in a lesson, students will have a much easier time following expectations.

Therefore, keep directions short, clear, and specific.

It also helps to provide follow-up material in case students are unclear about what is expected of them.

Helpful Resources for Lesson Delivery

Secondly, provide helpful resources and materials that will support student learning.

When it comes to lesson delivery, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every student learns differently, and every teacher has their style. However, there are certain elements that all great lessons share.

First and foremost, a successful lesson must be well-planned and organized. Secondly, provide helpful resources and materials to support student learning and prompt your students to think critically and ask questions.

Third, give students real-world tasks relevant to the subject being taught. Lastly, check for understanding throughout the lesson by asking questions or incorporating formative assessments.

You can create an engaging, interesting, and successful lesson using all of these elements.

Examples of Creating Resources

I love the idea of using a visual presentation to set the stage for a lesson.

Visualizing vocabulary as a lesson activity helps students connect relevant vocabulary with a real-world visual representation of vocabulary words.

For example, students could create infographics of target vocabulary or use a graphic organizer to categorize words with synonyms and antonyms.

Plan and Prepare

Good lesson planning and preparation for a lesson ensure the activities are engaging and relevant to the teaching content.

When planning, know precisely what you want to teach and ensure a clear-cut lesson plan that leads to student understanding and achievement.

It would be best if you wanted to teach every lesson enthusiastically, ensuring every student feels a part of the course and achieves academic success.

When planning effectively, teachers can achieve this. One of the essential steps in creating an engaging lesson is to shape your expectations of your students.

Plan for various learning styles and needs but focus on high-level student understanding.

Students should leave your class knowing more than when they arrived.

Once you plan for the different learning styles, provide a variety of methods to help students learn the material (e.g., live demonstration, technology, project-based learning, etc.).

Plan the Content

When you have a lesson planned, it can be overwhelming to see the many tasks that await you.

To get started:

Create an outline of all the tasks that must be completed in the lesson.
Focus your lesson activities and explanations of the tasks in digestible chunks related to the learning outcomes for your lesson.
Provide students with opportunities to seek clarification and ask questions about the directions for each activity, and let them have enough time to discover, discuss, and learn.

Covering too much information during a lesson is overwhelming for students.

Focusing on learning outcomes and designing activities and formative assessments to meet the learning outcomes ensures your students will retain the information following the lesson.

Plan for Lesson Delivery

Deliver the lesson with passion and energy.

Teachers who maintain a professional attitude and present themselves as experts in the field are more likely to inspire their students.

Furthermore, a teacher who is passionate about their subject matter is more likely to engage their learners, which leads to greater student involvement and better results.

When students are engaged, they’re actively involved in the lesson and are more likely to retain information.

Encourage student engagement in your classroom. One way to promote student engagement is by delivering lessons to engage emotionally.

Emotionally Engage Students

There are multiple ways to engage students in the classroom, including creating emotionally engaging lessons, using responsive teaching methods, and providing students with exciting learning strategies.

To create emotionally engaging lessons, it’s essential to know your students.

It helps if you know what they enjoy and are interested in and then incorporate those interests into classroom activities.

For example, if your students like sports, relate topics to sports or ask students to write about their favorite teams using specific vocabulary.

Students who are appropriately engaged in the teaching process benefit from the shared and collaborative learning that occurs when they’re involved in the learning process.

Check-In with Students

Take some time to check in with students periodically throughout the lesson to gauge their understanding and engagement with the lesson activities.

One of the best ways to increase student engagement is to encourage continuous student involvement in the learning process.

Dialogue, the back-and-forth conversation between a teacher and a student or a group of students, is crucial to teaching because it enhances critical thinking and allows students to learn from each other.

In addition, dialogue is a great way to check in with your students during the lesson to check for understanding and interest in the explored topic.

Students may be bored, distracted, or simply not paying attention when they are not engaged.
Students need to be involved in the classroom to learn.
When students are not engaged, they may not listen to the lesson and not retain information.

Summary

Lesson delivery using The SIOP model challenges teachers to think creatively about how they will engage students during a lesson.

Creating highly engaging lessons, activities, and formative assessments helps ensure learning outcomes are met, and students acquire the academic knowledge they need.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

Suzanne