CHAPTER 6 Planning Lessons and Courses

Planning is a Thinking Skill PREDICTION ANTICIPATION ORGANIZING PLANNING SEQUENCING SIMPLIFYING

Important considerations for a lesson plan : Atmosphere The learners The aims The teaching point The tasks and teaching procedures The challenge Materials Classroom management

The Process of Learning

EXPOSURE Exposure is being in the presence of the target-language in any way, shape, or form. Eavesdropping on a conversation at an adjacent table is exposure. Watching a commercial in a foreign language is exposure.

EXPOSURE Authentic Restricted Exposure to language when it is being used fairly naturally. For example: reading magazines, listening to small talk, etc. Restricted Exposure to texts specifically designed to be accessible to learners and to draw attention to specific language points.

Krashen’s Input and Monitor Model of Language Acquisition

OUTPUT (Speaking and Writing) AUTHENTIC Using the full range of language Learners have at their disposal. For example, discussions, meetings, small talk in the café, writing a postcard, negotiations, chatting in class. RESTRICTED Requiring to use less than the full quantity of language learners know. Learners practice using language in ways that are controlled or deliberately simplified.

NOTICING Noticing is seeing or having one’s attention drawn to the meaning, form or use of language items. When a learner is reading a text, she/he stops and thinks “I’ve seen this structure before – I wonder why it has that ending...”

So…what’s your learning theory?

Sequencing Lesson Components Restricted Clarification Restricted exposure output Building bricks lesson procedure: We can build different lesson plans by putting the bricks together in various sequences

Breakdown of “building bricks” lesson procedure RESTRICTED EXPOSURE RESTRICTED OUTPUT TIME CLARIFICATION

Expanded Learning Diagram

Additional Blocks Activities that Activities that promote promote “memory” Activities that promote “noticing” Activities that promote “reflection” Activities that promote “preparation”

Alternatives to Present-Practice

Formal Lesson Planning: Why? Training in “planning-thinking”. Evidence to your tutors that you have thought about the lesson. A chance for trainers to understand your thinking and find out how to help you better if things go wrong in the actual lesson.

Formal Lesson Planning Formal plans contain 3 different sections: Background information about the class, the teacher, the materials and the overall aims of the lesson. Language analysis of items that will be worked on in class. A detailed chronological stage-by-stage description of the intended procedure for the lesson. In most formal plans the following are required: A clear statement of appropriate aims for the whole lesson. A clear list of stages in the lesson, with a description of activities, their aims and estimated timing. A list of specific target language items (or a statement about how and when they will be selected).

What to include in a lesson plan procedure The essential steps of each stage. Classroom management information, such as what sort of groupings you’ll use, who will talk, etc. Things that may be particular problems or hiccups (e.g. a note about making sure seating is in a particular position, the text of a particularly tricky instruction or a sketch of a difficult board diagram).

What should we avoid? Long prose descriptions. Detailed descriptions of routine actions. Shorthand notes that may be too cryptic. Word for word texts.

Lesson Aims and Focus material teaching activities point topic or context aims

The Main Aim of the Lesson The most important aim usually concerns intended student achievements : things that they will have learned, skills they will have improved and points they will have reached by the end of the lesson.

Procedure and Achievement Aims WHAT STUDENTS WILL DO DURING THE CLASS: To practice comparatives. To listen to course book recording 16.4 WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE: To ask and answer simple informal questions about a person’s life, likes and dislikes.

Same Material, Different Aims A piece of material can be used in many ways, in different activities, with quite different aims. Your decision as to what your aim is will determine the way in which you work with the material.

CHALLENGE Teaching means: finding out where the learning is and going there. It means asking: Where is the challenge?, not How can I avoid the difficult bits? A struggle on the part of the students means that learning is probably taking place.

Alternatives to Formal Planning: A Brief “Running Order”

Flowchart

Other alternatives: Dream through the lesson. Focus on the critical moments. Half-plan. Where’s the meat? Plan the critical teaching moments. Lesson images. The jungle path.

Planning a Course How can I plan a day, a week, a month, a term, a year? Two main considerations: What will I teach (what’s the syllabus?). How will the separate items be sequenced (what is the work plan or timetable?).

What to Teach To choose what to teach, it is important to value the reasons that directly respond to learner needs (e.g. “I think this will be useful for them”) over those that are only (primarily) following a pre-set list (e.g. “It’s the language featured in the next coursebook unit”).

The Syllabus A syllabus provides a long-term overview. It lists the contents of a course and puts the separate items in an order. Sometimes it may simply be the course book or a much more detailed requirement.

Characteristics of the Syllabus A syllabus can be mainly grammatical, functional or lexical. It may be based on skills work (speaking and listening). It may contain a mixture of work on systems and skills. Some syllabuses describe course content in terms of topics or tasks.

The Common European Framework (CEF) Describes possible course content; what SS need to do (not what they need to know). Organizes the content into a clearly defined level system. Provides a common basis for discussion and reform in language teaching, course design, testing and materials writing. Gives SS more chances so that their level and qualification in one country will be understood anywhere else.

Timetables and Work plans How will the teaching content be sequenced? In school management, timetables refer to the preparation of an overview master plan of which classes are with which teachers in which rooms at which time. For a teacher, timetabling refers to the day-to-day, week-to-week decisions about how to interpret a syllabus into a series of lessons. It can also be called a work plan or a scheme work.

A work plan may be more or less detailed: A skeleton work plan Lists only general headings or labels or a coursebook page numbers. Plans the overall shape of a week or course. Helps to ensure that there is a balance and variety in a course. A detailed work plan Specifies exactly what is to be done. Helps in your own planning. Keeps an accurate record of the course. Informs others what you are doing in class.

A Task-based Plan A Topic-based Plan Plans the days in terms of preparation for and undertaking of real-world tasks plus follow-on stages. It is thinking about language study in terms of things the learners might do in real life. It has a single theme that may help to give a sense of coherence to the work. This can help you find good ideas because you can focus your creative thinking onto a specific topic area.

Unrealistic Requirements Even though there is a fine balance between doing what you are required or expected to do and doing what you believe is appropriate, it is often possible to make teaching and learning surprising, interesting and exciting. The parabola ends up at the same point, but follows a much more interesting route.

Who owns English nowadays? What variety of English should I teach?

To determine what to teach is not simple; you need to be aware of: What your students need and expect; What you are realistically able to do; The impact your choices might have in the long term, personally, locally, nationally and globally. Your learners’ needs are probably of paramount concern.

The Impact of my Teaching The right methodology is the right methodology for a context. It isn’t a universal answer.

Designed as a companion for “Learning Teaching” Methodology II by S Designed as a companion for “Learning Teaching” Methodology II by S. Valdivia Office of Academic Research - ICPNA