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Summative Task: Lesson Planning A well planned and designed lesson plan can be a great tool for the professional English teacher. Especially for beginning teachers, a lesson plan can be an invaluable aid in keeping the class on course, and in making sure the intended learning objectives are fulfilled. Some critics of lesson planning contend that lesson plans keep the lesson too rigid and too teacher centered. The teacher, they say, needs flexibility during class-time in order to deal with unexpected problems and/or dis-interested students. These criticisms are valid, if not slightly overstated. Over time, most experienced teachers adopt a compromise approach; they will make simplified lesson plans, while at the same time allowing for ad-hoc changes during class-time. Writing Lesson Plans The act of writing a lesson plan has a few very important functions. Firstly, it can aid in planning; they force the teacher to think thru the entire teaching exercise in the time allotted. It provides a clear statement of what the teacher plans to achieve for that particular lesson. Secondly, it acts as a working document. This helps keep the teacher on target in all aspects of the lesson plan, i.e. time intervals, topics covered, study activities. Thirdly and lastly, it acts as a record of what was accomplished. This comes in handy when it comes time to write the next lesson plan for the next upcoming class lesson. A written record can also come in handy in case a sudden change of teacher is required. The new teacher can scan past lesson plans to see what has been covered and taught. The Contents Of A Lesson Plan The main principles of a good lesson plan include: keeping it simple; avoiding over-scripting the lesson; noting the time allotted for each exercise and teaching phase; selecting a good balance of skills learning. There are twelve essential contents to a lesson plan. They are as follows: • Learner objectives = This is what you want the students to be able to do effectively at the end of the class • Language point = This shows the theme around which your lesson is based • Teaching aids = This includes the materials that will be used to teach the objectives. For example, worksheets, Cassettes, newspapers, flashcards • Procedure = This includes the activities which will be used to teach the objectives • Timing = This states the amount of time that will be spent on each activity or teaching phase • Personal aims = This includes things the teacher wants to improve upon within his/her own teaching • Anticipated problems = This includes potential learning problems the students might have • Phase = This includes the study phase. For example, if you are using the ESA method, there are three phases of teaching: Engage, Study, Activate • Interaction = This includes the interaction that will occur between the students and the teacher • Class level = This includes the current English speaking level of the students • Number of students = This includes the number of students that will be in the classroom • Date/Time = This should be recorded for record keeping purposes Conclusion As a teacher gains more experience, he/she may no longer need to write such a detailed lesson plan. Most experienced teachers settle into a template which works for them. Part of this experience gaining can be achieved via lesson plan monitoring. The good teacher will want to continually improve his/her teaching methods and abilities. One effective way of doing this is to document the things that went well and the things that did not go so well. The teacher can then make needed adjustments.
