Job Discussion Forums

[denise]

I have just come out of a successfully-winged lesson, albeit an unintentionally-successfully-winged lesson.

There I was, all set to start the tape for my TOEFL class, when, what's this?!?!? The WRONG tape?!?!? Whaddaya mean, the next exercise is on a whole 'nother tape?!?!? I noticed at the beginning of the lesson, and I could have politely excused myself, run upstairs to my office, and grabbed the next one, as I had to do once before, but NOOOOO, as punishment for my idiocy/failure to check on such a simple thing, I made myself wing it.

The non-tape activity that should have taken half the class lasted for the entire lesson, and I think I even pulled it off without looking like I was trying to draaaaaaaag it out--we spent a bit more time analyzing the questions, and I made each student write two sample questions instead of one.

Underneath my over-planning exterior, it would seem that I am (at times, at least) a grade-A airhead/flake.

Oh well. No harm done. They got more practice this way anyway. From now on, though, I will CHECK to make sure that I have the right tape!!!!!!!

And I agree that it is far easier to wing it with advanced students than beginning, for the same reasons listed by the other posters.

d

[Dr.J]

Less planning --> More planning

Small class --> Big class
Nice class --> Rowdy class
Familiar class --> New class
Experienced teacher --> New teacher
Old lessons/old activities --> New lesson/new activities
good mood --> bad mood

[once again]

I guess I would like here to ask for a definition of "winging" it. My definition would be to go into a class with no idea of how to teach a particular point and then make it up as you go along. I guess as a new teacher it is perfectly possible to go into a lesson with no idea of how to teach a point and then just making it up as you go along. But as a teacher with a lot of experience, is it possible to really wing it? Surely then it is a case of drawing on your own personal resources to fit the task at hand. More of using previously tried techniques and methods and appying them? Any other definitions?

[denise]

onceagain--

Good point. Definitions, definitions. I think both of your cases--the newbie not having a plan and the experienced teacher not having one (or having one and having it disintegrate before his/her own eyes) count. The question is, which teacher is more likely to wing it successfully? I'd say the more experienced one, for the reasons that you mention, but I'm sure many a new teacher is quick-witted enough to cover his/her a$$.

d

[naturegirl321]

Oh, yeah. I'm getting VERY good at it. Whoops, there's no electricity, no one knows why, but we won't have it until tomorrow. So no copies, no casette tapes, because there aren't any batteries, no print outs.
There's nothing like being thrown in the deep in to learn how to swim.

[Capergirl]

Sooner or later, it's bound to happen. The other day I had a CALL lesson all prepared and the computers crashed (virus in the server). I had to come up with an impromptu lesson on the spot. It turned out to be a really good class. "Winging it" doesn't really phase me these days. In Korea, I had to wing it a lot. I definitely think it is much easier to do an off-the-cuff lesson with adult learners at the intermediate or advanced levels than children and/or beginners. No doubt about it.

[Gordon]

I haven't had a detailed lesson plan in years, but everyone has to when they start. I see winging it as more unplanned, but improvisation is a plan in the back of your head where you can direct that particular class based on their responses/moods.
I found the more rigid and closely planned a class is, the more difficult it is to adapt to unforseen events. It's like you are dependant upon that plan and aren't being flexible to external factors. None of us teaches in a vacuum and no two classes are the same (thank goodness or we'd all go nuts).

[some waygug-in]

Lesson plans??????? On my first job in Korea, I was teaching "conversation classes". My usual lesson plan would be a short article (of an appropriate subject and level) that I thought would stimulate some sort of conversation. I usually added 10 - 20 questions about the article. We were using "Interchange" so part of the lesson was always centered around the book, and then part of the lesson was usually just elaborating, free discussion.

No matter how much I planned, nothing would ever follow a set order.

Students would come late, or have some other topic they wanted to discuss, so a lot of time my "plan" was abandoned.

The school director pulled me aside one day and told me that I had to write out specific lesson plans (accounting for every minute of class)
If the classes would have been more grammar oriented, I would have seen the need for that, but conversation classes are supposed to be sort of free flowing, aren't they?

I ended up getting in trouble for not writing out the lesson plans. In retrospect, I should have written out some phoney plans to please the boss, and then just kept doing what I was doing.


But c'est la vie.
Cheers

[7969]

i don't paln either. i review the material i have for a particular class the night before and that's it. it may be something i found on the internet or just something i copied from a magazine, or cd dialogues. i don't bother making drawn out lesson plans whose effectiveness is very limited anyway. best just to go in, have an objective or aim for the day and have fun with it.

[nomadder]

I like to plan lessons(but not other things) but be open to the"anything can happen" idea. A blank lesson plan would scare me for some reason. Winging it is no prob as I always have games or convo ideas in the back of my mind to fill the gaps.