Class Notes by Camila Roldán

Class 22th May, 2014

1) Why is planning important? What sort of planning do people produce?

All teachers prepare their classes, but in different ways. The plan gives you confidence. Sometimes described as a map to follow. Not always we will follow it exactly as it was made. It will have to be flexible. It will help the teacher but it will also help the learners.

When you become skilled, you are able to plan two or three classes together.

Lesson planning is the art of combining different elements into a coherent whole so that a lesson has an identity that students may recognize, work within and react to. Plans help teacher identify aims and anticipate potential problems. They are proposals for action in the form of detailed documents or hastily scribbled notes that do not need to be followed slavishly.

Pre-planning

Consider crucial factors about the students: What is their educational and cultural background? Levels of motivation (schools in the center: parents are interested in the process of learning

of their children) Different learning styles Organization of the syllabus or curriculum Exam requirements if present. (How are you going to assess them?)

Planning

Activities: aids, materials, types of interaction, timing (more or less 10 min per activity), and balance in the type of activities chosen. (Different activities)Skills: which skills and sub-skills do the students need to practice?Language: new vocabulary, structures, functions.Content: within which topics will the new language be embedded?

Teacher's KOL of the students/syllabus(pyramid)ACTIVITIES

-Language type-Language skills/ Subject and content

-Practical realities / THE PLAN

The PLANNING Continuum Jungle Path → Vague (corridor plan/follow the coursebook exactly) Formal Plan (planning notes) Intercultural Awareness → often doesn't appear in the books

THE PLANEssential elements:

1) Class description: Nº of students, behaviour2) Timetable fit.3) Lesson aims.

Class Notes by Camila Roldán

4) Activities: aids, types of interaction, procedure, timing5) Anticipated problems6) Additional possibilities7) (*) Show variety of examples)

Planning a sequence of lessons

Before, during and after the lesson. Short and long-term goals. (Every three months and at the end of the year) Thematic strands or topic-based work. (New stuff teached is related to previous topics) Language planning: recycling, revising. (Maybe learn similar topics but on another

perspective or on more depth) Activity balance.

Using lesson plans

Flexibility Magic moments. Sensible diversion. (Use it to go back to the English class) Unforseen problems. Plans as records and research tools.