Job Discussion Forums

[denise]

Are you guys/gals good at winging it? I don't mean in the sense of "ooooops, I had a few too many drinks last night and didn't get around to planning a lesson--I'll just have to think of something on the spot..." but in the sense of, "Oh, I have to sub in half an hour?" or "Oh, so the photocopier/overhead projector/whatever is broken," or "Oh, I thought that 12 students would show up, but looky here, we've only got three today. Whatever will I do?!?"

If things fall apart on the spot in the classroom, like an activity just isn't going well, I am fairly adaptable and can recover fairly quickly, but generally, "winging it" is not my style at all. I subbed a class tonight, and I had a few hours' notice and a lesson plan waiting for me, but still, a few minutes beforehand, I started getting jittery--I am normally Little Miss Let's Get All of the Week's Lessons Planned the Week Before. (Yes, I am highly neurotic!)

How about the rest of you? Are you wingers or planners?

d

[once again]

There have been many times that I cannot think of a lesson plan for a particular topic until it gets really urgent. Then somehow it just comes and normally works very well. I tend to find the more time I have to do something then the less creative I am. I always seem to be finishing things at the last minute..job applications etc.
I think the more that you teach the more that you forget in a way, and sometimes that urgency is needed to jog your memory about how to do something or come up with something new.

[johnslat]

Dear denise,
I used to like to be " overprepared ", having not only a " Plan B " just in case something went wrong, but even a Plan C and D. I didn't like " winging it " very much. But the longer I taught and the more experience I got, the less it bothered me. There days, winging it's no big thing - in fact now it seems more fun than going in with all those " plans " ( which I still do most of the time, not that they ever work out as they were supposed to, however ).
Regards,
John

[shmooj]

How many of us just wing it anyway even though we've slaved over a plan? That's often what happens to me. There are just too many variables in class to predict them all.

What I hardly ever ever do is wing the objectives. In any case, we've developed really tight syllabuses for stuff here so that isn't an option for me except for private students who can do what the heck they want.

Often they themselves haven't a clue. I'm convinced some of them sign up for a private class and give me no real motive for learning simply because they want to wing it with the teacher every week. It's liberating for them when they can wing the student role without worrying about the nasty teacher battering them into line for suggesting something off topic or seemingly irrelevant.

[dudette]

Hi, Denise:

Planner + Procrastinator = Winger

Does this make sense? I feel much better when I've done what Johnslat does, that is, make plans and back-up plans and back-up back-up plans, but do you know what? I find that a lot of times, the planned lessons don't go nearly as well as the "flying by the seat of my pants" lessons. I'm finding that I need to plan, in terms of short and long-range goals, but, within that framework I find that my best lessons are the ones spurred on by necessity. Mother of Invention, and all that...

Cheers!

[Gordon]

I also hate not having my whole lesson planned ahead (at least 5 mins anyway). However, the best ones are when I get sidetracked. Both the students and I have more fun.

[shmooj]

Hey... Dudette

watch the pronunciation closely here...

Winger + Procrastinator = majority of Sr. High students in English classes in Japan

[dduck]

Okay, I'll come clean. I wrote a plan for my demo lesson, since then I not written nor laid eyes on one. I get paid zilch for preparation.

If anyone follows the Dogme group, they probably know there's a difference from being prepared and planning for a lesson. I prepare for each lesson thoroughly but I don't plan it out, blow by blow. If I'm allowed to drag out the standard clich�, "I teach the students, not the plan."
<big (nervous) cheesy grin>

Iain

[dyak]

I�ve found intentionally winging it usually means a sub-standard lesson that is 10 times more tiring than the planning you would have done for it.

But then unintentionally winged (or is it wung?) lessons are nearly always a success� why?

It can be simulated by going into the lesson with all your plans ready but with the intention not to use them. Ahh� you can relax and �see where the lesson goes�, always knowing you have the plan to fall back on. I�ve been pleasantly surprised the few times I�ve done this as you often discover what�s really on the students� minds� either that or they just ask you (very) personal questions�

[Lynn]

My lessons are much better when I have prepared for them. Even if it is just a quick 15 minutes and a few notes. I used to be in the habit of just winging it, "hey we are using a textbook anyhow, what else is there to do?" Unfortunately, the students caught onto it and were very disappointed. Even my supervisor caught on and I was asked to show her my lesson plan.

So, now before I leave the house, I take a look at the lesson and circle the words I know the students will ask about and think how I will explain those words, including pictures from magazines or props or just an explanation. I do the reading ahead of time if it is an advanced class because there's nothing students hate more than to look up to see the teacher is also reading.

Maybe it because I'm in New York where everyone is aggressive, but students want their money's worth when they pay for English. They will call me out on the carpet if they think I'm slacking or they'll complain to managment.

Sounds terrible but the flip side is that they are very eager and serious about learning English. Therefore, much easier to teach. And when we finish a level (usually 10 weeks) we have a big party in the classroom and all my lesson planning pays off. Then I have to grade the exams...another story entirely.

[woza17]

Very good topic. Planning is good, but a good lesson usually takes on a life of its own.
I have just returned from Aussie with heaps of teaching material, games and books which I am adapting to the textbook. One great aspect about this job it allows us to be creative.
Cheers Carol

[denise]

[dyak]

Just wondering about levels... is it harder to 'wing it' at higher or lower levels?

[shmooj]

Definitely harder at lower levels.

At higher levels students have far more resources to just play along and take a break from the textbook or the rigourously structured lesson. In fact, some of my students seem intent on hijacking the class and nailing the plan dead sometimes...

First comment my private student made tonight in response to how are you was "I hope I'll cheer up." From then on the class took an entirely different course from the plan I had (admittedly) in my head not on paper. Good thing I didn't bother writing that down, I thought later.

[Jess_Laoshi]

Beginning students require a lot more hand-holding than more advanced students, which limits the amount of winging it one can do. My beginning students were always extremely hesitant to venture outside of the textbook, whereas my advanced students thought the textbook was worthless and would have preferred we toss it out the window (I tended to agree with them, it was a particularly horrible book in this case). My advanced students constantly tried to hijak the class and turn it into a discussion. They were interested in hearing me speak and picking up new vocabulary and grammar patters from what they heard. Beginning students don't have the skills yet to be able to do this. They need to be told what they are learning, whereas advanced students can pick out new concepts on their own, even if they need help in understanding when/how to use them.