Job Discussion Forums

[Surrey100]

[Justin Trullinger]

Regrettably, my lesson plans are handwritten, which means that sometimes I have a little trouble reading them myself..for anybody else to try, forget it.

But here's a general idea of the information I think a lesson plan should have. (The format is pretty much up to you, now that your course is over.)

What you plan to do: this is the most important thing, obviously. I tend to list activities, numbered in the order they will probably take place, along the left hand side of the page. Include page numbers of any book activities, thus avoiding the embarassing "look in your book on page...long pause...89" moments. Be detailed. Especially in the beginning, include the directions you plan to give, and any examples you plan to use. (Otherwise, you may sometimes forget them in the moment.)

Include transitions: How do you plan to get from one activity to the next?

At least for now, include the length of time you expect activities to take. This is a good way to judge where your classes go to plan, and where they don't. If you plan an activity for 10 minutes, and find it takes 30, something is obviously out of whack. (your estimate, the activity for this level, the directions you gave, something)

Your goals. I know this is a little "TESOL course" sounding, but I insist that it really helps. The two questions are: What do you want students to learn in this activity? How will you determine whether they have? This part of the plan, in my opinion, is one of the chief difference between real teachers and dancing monkeys. If you have a real learning goal for each thing you do, if you try to evaluate the effectiveness of that activity based on that goal, and then you modify your future use of similar activities based on what you've learned, you are well on your way to becoming a teacher. If not, you should consider work in the circus.

So let's hear it guys, what should a lesson plan contain?

Justin