From Benevolent Dictator to Playful Guide When most of us begin our teaching careers, we do so armed with a carefully typed lesson plan, a sharpened pencil, and the determination to keep everything under control. We stand at the front of the room, eyes on every student, commanding attention. We are, in those early days, playing the role of the Benevolent Dictator: We are kind, well-meaning, and absolutely in charge. We want the students to learn, but we also want them to behave, to sit still, to listen, to follow the plan. And that plan becomes our lifeline. Without it, we feel exposed. Each moment is choreographed in advance, each question rehearsed, each answer anticipated. The lesson is something we “deliver,” like a parcel. The students are expected to unwrap it neatly and politely. And if they don’t? We tighten our grip, raise our voice, cling harder to the script. Survival, not joy, becomes the measure of success. But teaching is not a delivery service. It is a conversation, a dance, an exploration. And with time, as we grow in experience, something begins to shift. We realise that the plan is not the lesson, it is only a map. The real lesson is created in the room, between us and the students, moment by moment. This is the teacher’s journey: from rigidity to flexibility, from control to curiosity, from fear to playfulness. We discover that a lesson doesn’t collapse when we let go of the script. In fact, it often improves. The students bring ideas, questions, energy, and humour
meet them where they are, the classroom becomes alive. With practice, we learn to read the room. We notice the restless shuffle that says it’s time for the students to stand up and move around. We catch the puzzled looks that signal a need to slow down. We invite laughter, movement, discussion, silence. We experiment. Sometimes it works beautifully. Sometimes it fails. But even in failure, there is learning for the students, and especially for us. The Benevolent Dictator gives way to the Playful Guide. Still a leader, still responsible, but more relaxed, more responsive, more human. We stop asking, “Did I get through the lesson?” and start asking, “Did the students get through to the learning?” This book is a companion for that journey. It offers structures, variations, and a wealth of possibilities, not so that you follow them rigidly, but so you can adapt, combine, and invent. You will find 27 lesson structures, hundreds of variations, and the encouragement to try them all in your own way. You don’t need seven hundred lesson plans. You need the confidence to design the right one, right now, for these students, in this moment. That is what experience brings. That is what playfulness makes possible. And that is the spirit of this book.
Martin Richards has taught for three decades. He has been a part-time teacher working in a variety of educational contexts. He also trained as a Life Coach and applied those skills in teaching situations.
I’m a little confused. I chat with the students, look around at what’s on the walls, move the chairs and tables a bit, clean the whiteboard maybe. Then I find a place to stand, strike a pose, take a deep breath and start the best lesson of the day. What I am in fact doing, in those few moments before I start the lesson, is gathering the information I need in order to make a choice about how to start the lesson. The information-gathering is a continuous process and I will make several such choices during the lesson. For the novice teacher, the scale of choices of what to do during the lesson can be overwhelming. The volume of available information from the students risks drowning out anyone's resolve to hold the best lesson of the day. Indeed, in the early years of an educator's professional life, getting through the lesson alive is an achievement in itself.” Martin Richards BSc PGCE CPCC Teacher, Trainer, Coach
For new teachers, Lesson Plans must be submitted to your Mentor, Head of Department, Leadership Team etc. They need to see that you have thought about the lesson and have a plan. They probably know what actually happens during the lesson is influenced by the students. They want to avoid you becoming overwhelmed by them. What to do with these Lesson Plans Initially, run lessons based on different lesson plans. Observe and reflect on what works for you and your students. It’s a process of trial and error. Feedback Your own reflections are as important as those from your students. Ask them for feedback. Ask your Mentor for feedback too. Need help planning lessons? So how may I help? How can I bring my three decades of teaching and training to the service of novice teachers? What about some shortcuts? What if you had, on a single sheet of paper, twenty seven lesson plans? And what if, on the back of that sheet of paper, you had more than 700 ways of varying the lessons so that you don’t get lost, and your students don’t get bored. Would that be interesting? I thought so! Let me introduce you to the power of combinations.
Combinations are a powerful way to pack lots of flexibility into a limited space. Here, I will share over seven hundred ways of planning a lesson. First of all, here's 27 different lesson structures, just to get us started. I assume that the lesson can be split into three movements. For each movement I will suggest three options. MOVEMENT 1. Presentation What and Why? OPTIONS Write on the board Show film or pictures Ask open-ended questions 2. Learning How? Answer questions Discuss in groups Follow instructions 3. Using: What if? Reflect and report Write a text Solve a puzzle Combining the Options With just three options for each of the three movements, you can make 27 different lesson plans, about the number of lessons you have each week.
MOVEMENT 1 (What and Why?) Presenting: Finding the mind / body space where this new information or skill will be best placed for use. Why do this? So the students know how much they already know, what they can already do and what more there is to learn today. This movement gives them valid reasons for learning this new stuff. MOVEMENT 2 (How?) Learning: Designing ways of adding and remembering the information and/or practicing and adopting the skills. How to do this? Exploring, experimenting, testing and experiencing in a blend of emotional and logical ways, so that students remember it tomorrow, next week and next year. MOVEMENT 3 (What if?) Using: Checking that we have practiced well enough to be able to use it today. What to do? Guide the students in using the knowledge and skills straight away so that it begins to be integrated with what they already know and can do, and what they want to know and do next:
Suggestions for Options I offer three suggestions for each movement. I encourage you to write down others that work for you and your students. MOVEMENT 1. Presenting ● ● ● ● Write on the board Show film or pictures Ask open-ended questions … MOVEMENT 2. Learning ● ● ● ● Answer questions Discuss in groups Follow instructions … MOVEMENT 3. Using ● ● ● ● Reflect and report Write a text Solve a puzzle …
Fleepit Digital © 2021