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Lesson Plans: Any Ways to Cut Down on the B.S. Nitty-Gritty?
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bj80



Joined: 31 Mar 2017
Posts: 63

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:41 am    Post subject: Lesson Plans: Any Ways to Cut Down on the B.S. Nitty-Gritty? Reply with quote

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for always providing advice.

For me, my weakest link is lesson plans.

I hate that it can take as much as 3 hours to prep for a one hour class.

I just hate doing it, procrastinate, and then hold it off more.

Does anyone have any websites, plans, templates, etc. to cut down on lesson plans but still make them good?

I know on CELTA we spend 8 hours doing a simple 20 minute lesson plan. Any other way to make things less agonizing?

I know this is a weak link for many. I'd appreciate any answers that were helpful, rather than critical.

Thanks again for always helping with good insights.
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Marinx



Joined: 15 Jul 2017
Posts: 86
Location: Guangdong

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm learning to create a lesson plan right now. I had thought that what takes 8+ hours to do now will take less and less time the more I need to make.

I find it helpful to frame it in my mind kind of like an essay, because you follow a similar format in its creation. Get organized and it will be so much simpler for you, I think.

And, not even being snarky, google is your best friend! There are tons of ideas out there. Remember to cite everything.
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suphanburi



Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 2:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lesson plans are the bane of all new to teaching teachers.
The process becomes easier and faster as you get going and gain experience.
The lesson plans you created for your CELTA course have no place in the real world. They are a training exercise.

In the real world, where you are teaching 20-30 classes of 15-50 kids per class per week it is not sustainable.

In the real world your lesson plan is for YOU, not your instructor.
KISS... 1-2 pages in length. Notes to keep yourself on task and target.
A clear, observable objective followed by a short sequence of tasks and activities.

If your objective is observable (students will be able to show, demonstrate, write, do something) rather than un-observable (students will learn x,y,z) then your assessment is ongoing throughout the class.

    Objective
    Warmup
    Modeling (teaching phase) - keep it short. They learn by doing, not by listening to you.
    practice
    activity
    activity
    closure


1 or 2 pages. You do NOT need some lengthy tome or scripted form that is 6-10 pages long.
Lesson planning should take less than 1 hour per class hour. Prep on the other hand may be as short as 10 minutes and as long as many hours depending on the complexity of the tasks and requirement to create materials (rather than re-use materials from previous classes).

.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 3:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
In the real world, where you are teaching 20-30 classes of 15-50 kids per class per week it is not sustainable.


Just noting for general readers, the above is not a description of all (or even the majority) of EFL class types in many regions of the world. Probably accurate for China.
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HLJHLJ



Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 4:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd add a couple of things to Suphanburi's list. I have an additional scaffolded version of the first activity, in case they are struggling, and an optional extension activity, in case they finish too early. I also still have a section on anticipated problems because it forces me to think it through. The whole thing is about 1/2 page. However, I don't usually need to write out details of the activities since they are rarely new.

If you aren't already doing it, start keeping documentation for all your activities so you have a bank you can draw on. You can cut and paste the details into your lesson plan if you need to.

It won't be long before you are repeating lessons and can start reusing lesson plans, tweaked for the specific class.
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suphanburi



Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

spiral78 wrote:
Quote:
In the real world, where you are teaching 20-30 classes of 15-50 kids per class per week it is not sustainable.


Just noting for general readers, the above is not a description of all (or even the majority) of EFL class types in many regions of the world. Probably accurate for China.


While 30 classes of 50 kids is not normal for most EFL teachers (in the private sector) the other end of the scale, 20-30 classes of 15 kids is pretty common in many places (especially if the employer has sponsored your visa).

Large classes (30-45 students) are the norm if you take an EFL teacher position in a public school, especially in Asia (and not just China).

It is seldom that you will get full time work load of less than 20 classes. There is a wide variation in class sizes however.

.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

CELTA ,like most Teacher Training, is part of a weird world more related to Science Fiction than to the harsh reality of classroom survival.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
20-30 classes of 15 kids is pretty common in many places (especially if the employer has sponsored your visa).


To expand on my earlier post, for the information of general readers, across most of the European continent and in most Anglophone countries, public/state school kid classes are almost exclusively taught by qualified locals.

Most of the European newbie TEFL work is with adult businesspeople. There are some kiddie classes around, but they are by no means a common part of a TEFLers' workday.

I'm sure suhanburi is quite correct for Asia, but it's important to indicate what regions one's speaking for so as not to mislead the newcomers.

And I can't speak for Latin America, by the way.
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suphanburi



Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

spiral78 wrote:
Quote:
20-30 classes of 15 kids is pretty common in many places (especially if the employer has sponsored your visa).


To expand on my earlier post, for the information of general readers, across most of the European continent and in most Anglophone countries, public/state school kid classes are almost exclusively taught by qualified locals.

Most of the European newbie TEFL work is with adult businesspeople. There are some kiddie classes around, but they are by no means a common part of a TEFLers' workday.

I'm sure suhanburi is quite correct for Asia, but it's important to indicate what regions one's speaking for so as not to mislead the newcomers.

And I can't speak for Latin America, by the way.


And also let's be clear that unless you are European or from the UK the EU is not an option for you so that will leave Central/South America or Asia for the majority of TEFL teachers.
IF you are up for it the middle east is an option but they are pretty picky when it comes to credentialed teachers even for entry level EFL jobs.

The job market size is another factor. 100,000+ (foreign) TEFL teachers are employed each year in Asia; a number that I am certain significantly exceeds the total number of non EU EFL teachers in Europe (even counting the illegals working on tourist visas).

In spite of Spiral's insistence in reference to the European EFL job market being a consideration that same European market due to its limitations and exclusions of Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans (80% of NES teachers globally) is largely a non issue in this discussion.

If you are from one of the 5 NES countries who are not EU members then you can expect 20-30 classes of 15-50 kids per class each week and if money or a visa that legitimately allows work is an issue then you are likely to be working in Asia.

.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

bj80 wrote:
For me, my weakest link is lesson plans.

I hate that it can take as much as 3 hours to prep for a one hour class.

I just hate doing it, procrastinate, and then hold it off more.

Does anyone have any websites, plans, templates, etc. to cut down on lesson plans but still make them good?

I know on CELTA we spend 8 hours doing a simple 20 minute lesson plan. Any other way to make things less agonizing?

MOD EDIT

You really need to follow up on all the advice you've been getting (including via your previous username ebooktrial0001) about pursuing professional development and researching the Net for information. For example, you were given tips about lesson planning barely two weeks ago in your thread "What Makes a Great ESL Teacher" Article Reference.

The CELTA and equivalent qualifications are entry level; serious EFL teachers are expected to progress and improve their teaching beyond what these certs offer. In addition to bumping up your qualifications, participate in in-service workshops as well as attend national, regional, and/or international TESOL conferences. Also see MOOCs for professional development & more for low-cost courses.

Just an observation... You've been teaching in China for at least a couple of years yet you never participate in discussions on either of the China forums nor do you solicit ideas/advice from your peers on those boards. Confused
,


Last edited by nomad soul on Sat Dec 16, 2017 5:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
And also let's be clear that unless you are European or from the UK the EU is not an option for you so that will leave Central/South America or Asia for the majority of TEFL teachers.


The numbers of TEFL teachers from the UK is considerable, I can assure you. Further, my mention of the types of classes taught by TEFL teachers in Europe applies to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and other countries in which non-EU citizens CAN (and do) legally teach in fairly large numbers.
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In the heat of the moment



Joined: 22 May 2015
Posts: 393
Location: Italy

PostPosted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

scot47 wrote:
CELTA ,like most Teacher Training, is part of a weird world more related to Science Fiction than to the harsh reality of classroom survival.


Bahahaha! So true! An intensive four-week course hardly prepares you for a class of reluctant, apprehensive young people with confidence issues and learning difficulties or even disabilities. What's the point of crafting a CELTA-appropriate lesson plan when your students aren't going to react to it well? The only point I see is you can save that 'perfect' lesson plan when your next observation or job interview comes around.

I've saved all of my lesson plans, PPTs, handouts etc I can in various places (HDD, another HDD, thumb drive, work PC, in the cloud) and some I've used dozens of times with different age groups and abilities. A plan/Materials you've made for an elementary class can be used for beginners and pre-intermediates with a few tweaks, the same goes for varying age groups. I've used PPTs for middle eastern soldiers that I made originally for Korean middle school kids. Just as in Saudi/Kuwait, in Korea not all of the classes enjoyed them or they didn't react as well as I'd hoped. Sometimes a class just has an off day - or you do - that coming after spending 8 hours writing a plan must be very dispiriting.
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wildgrace



Joined: 17 Nov 2010
Posts: 55

PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 4:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I pay to access sites with the planning done or has activities I can use. Then I tweak them for my use.

https://esllibrary.com/
https://www.linguahouse.com/ (note, takes a while to load)
http://www.esl-lounge.com/
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Sun Dec 24, 2017 7:13 am    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Meanwhile in the real world 22 years in, I haven't written a detailed lesson plan for ages.

A skeleton outline is all you need at most.

I write materials with the objectives embedded. These lesson plans serve very little purpose to anyone save the 'evidence gatherers'. If you are using coursebooks, the plan is in the teacher's book. Total waste of time reproducing that.
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currentaffairs



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828

PostPosted: Sun Dec 24, 2017 7:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with dragonpiwo. Experienced teachers don't need to waste time on detailed lesson plans if they are organised. I like the idea of embedding the objectives in the material. You can also write the lesson objectives up on the board before each lesson which brings a bit more focus to proceedings..
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