Information Literacy & Pedagogy Toolkit for Librarians

Creating lesson plans helps you, as the instructor, create a learner-centered classroom experience, incorporate meaningful assessment activities, and build a portfolio of teaching practices and accompanying documentation.

A good lesson plan has 3 major components:

1. Learning outcomes
2. Active learning exercises
3. Some kind of assessment activities

Liz McGlynn (Western New England University, formerly a graduate student at UNC Chapell Hill) has created a fantastic approach to information literacy lesson planning called Information Literacy by Design (ILbD). Based on the Understanding by Design framework created by Wiggins and McTighe, ILbD prioritizes student understanding, the ability to make meaning of big ideas and transfer learning. 

In ILbD learning is transparent and based on authentic classroom tasks and assessments. It embraces a backwards approach to lesson planning, encouraging you to begin with learning outcomes and then drafting learning activities that can accomplish them, with accompanying assessments for students to demonstrate learning.

McGlynn has created a very helpful Lesson Planning Template that can guide you through an intentional planning process

If ILbD doesn't do it for you, here's an alternative approach to lesson planning developed by assessment guru, Debra Gilchrist. 

1. What do you want your students to be able to do? (Learning Outcomes)
2. What do students need to know in order to do this well? (Curriculum)
3. What activity will facilitate the learning? (Pedagogy)
4. How will students demonstrate the learning? (Assessment)
5. How will I know the student has done well? (Criteria)

By answering each question, you'll create a lesson plan that is student-focused and incorporates meaningful learning and assessment activities.