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Is lesson planning really important? Teaching a lesson is not only about what lesson a teacher will teach. In most operations, managers always plan ahead in order to meet a certain goal or target. Imagine building a house without a definite plan. You know what to build but there is no knowing how to build it properly since there is no plan. Teaching can be the same. It requires keen and detailed directions in order for a teacher to know how to effectively shape the students. First, what is a lesson plan? A lesson plan is a detailed step-by-step guide that determines a teacher's objectives for what the students will accomplish during the course of the lesson, and how they will learn it. It is an organized structure that provides answers to significant questions. Creating a lesson plan involves setting goals, developing activities, and preparing materials related to the lessons. All the lessons in this TEFL course can be applied in one lesson plan. On the other hand, having a lesson plan will not only help students be properly guided but it is also smart way for a teacher to develop one's self. The more prepared a teacher is, the more confidence and motivation one will obtain. A lesson plan does not have to be complicated. The simpler, the better. However, a lesson plan is not specifically a script but a balanced structure of how a lesson should flow considering possible problems and questions from the learners, how to handle those problems with the help of correct teaching aids and resources. Applying the Engage, Study, Activate method in a lesson plan can make it easier for a teacher to manage a class. During the lesson planning period, a teacher should consider the learners' objectives, language point, teaching aids, possible problems that the students will encounter from the lesson, appropriate activities, what teaching method should be used, the timing, interaction among students, the class level, number of students, and their interests. A good teacher will want to measure the effectiveness of his or her lessons. But, how would one make a great lesson plan? One way is to make a specific, complete, and thorough list of vocabulary related to the topic. Another one is to research and understand the topic. Come up with lots of examples. Think the lessons through your head. Keep an eye on the clock. Each part of a lesson has to be deal realistically with time. Be ready for the Study phase by preparing more worksheets, gap-fills, and other study activities and materials that will help students perform better during the Activate phase of a lesson. Make sure that your resources are adequate. Lastly, plan an effective homework. As a new teacher, Lesson Planning is my favorite part because it requires me to use all that I have: my knowledge, my skills, my talents, my creativity, my sensitivity to the students, my sincerity in carrying out the lesson successfully with the students, my determination to help them learn the simplest yet best way, and my desire to be an effective teacher. It is like drafting everything in advance. Every lesson is as important as each step when walking on stairs. In my analogy, it would not be bad to call a lesson plan as the backbone of a good teacher. Like the backbone, it enables one to stand upright.
