Abstract:

This paper aims to present and discuss a model for lesson planning on the basis of findings from the psychology of learning. This “Viennese model of lesson planning” has proved to be particularly effective for planning lessons that are mainly intended to enable learners to develop factual and contextual knowledge as well as the necessary skills to use this knowledge to independently complete tasks and solve problems. There is empirical evidence for its effectiveness for planning lessons in a wide range of business subjects like business studies, accounting and economics. Recent findings form research in the field of the psychology of learning allow to further develop and refine the model. First, the paper explores three fundamental questions that precede all lesson planning. Since the model for lesson planning focuses on teaching that intends to convey knowledge and foster understanding and problem-solving skills, the paper then deals with the relevant findings of learning psychology that, with regard to learning objectives, primarily focus on the information processing theory approach of cognitive learning psychology. In a final step, we will infer from these considerations essential didactic elements for lesson planning as well as a basic structure for planning and illustrate them with a specific example of lesson planning for an economics class on the topic of inflation.

Keywords:

Lesson planning, planning scheme, psychology of learning, cognitive psychology, learning objectives.