BXV - Um bu bu bum da de

Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Under pressure - that burns a building down
Under Pressure - Queen (Google says their site may be harmful for your computer DUN DUN DUN, so I didn't link it)

What issues arose as you tested your lesson plans? Why did these issues arise? Can you ever fully anticipate every detail of the situation you will be working in? What role does planning play in a responsive teaching approach?

I feel that the issues that arose are mostly things that are out of my control, subjective reactions from the student. The objectives for my lesson were fairly general and not specific to timing and order, as long as the end of the 'class' or lesson the objective was covered, the lesson was successful. The issues didn't arise as much as they were just made aware while testing the lesson. Testing the lesson was pretty straightforward itself, adding a 5 year old student into the mix is what would make the lesson possibly 'bumpy'.

Thus, I truly don't think you can fully anticipate every detail of the situation that hasn't happened yet. There are so many questions that children ask, you couldn't possibly have all the answers with all the different contexts those questions could be asked in and answered in. Therefore, planning in a responsive teaching approach is a guideline. It's strict in the sense that there are things to be learned and accomplished. However, being a responsive teacher, there really isn't a 'spend ten minutes on this, then fifteen on that, then move on' because being responsive, a child will spend unpredictable amounts of time absorbing different kinds of information in different ways.

The pressure for such an objective, linear, and left-brained plans for lessons is detrimental when building a child's educational structure. Thus, I feel a responsive teaching method is much more positive and enriching. Plan for the big picture, and understand the details will develop on their own.