Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello I have just applied to an ESL type company in Japan and they are
requiring this:

"please prepare a 5 minute demonstration: applicant must
prepare (and submit) a 30 minute lesson plan, 5 minutes of
which will be presented. Other applicants will act as
students. The lesson should be for beginner, intermediate,
or advanced students of English"

"Objective: in an interactive and creative manner, teach a
lesson focusing on English conversation".

"Suggestions: Pattern practice excersizes, interactive role
plays, educational games/activities, etc.

We recommend that you conduct research on the internet or
at your local library for ideas and techniques".

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for me on especially the 30 minute
plan then please post a reply. I am extremely lost and confused about
this. What format should I make the plan in?

Thank you so much,
Jimmy

Hello Jimmy,
don't be put off by this sort of thing, it can seem a bit daunting the first time a school or company asks you to this, but at least you know in advance what they expect from you. I would sit down and decide which level to aim your "lesson" at (intermediate might be a good idea as this is an area with a very wide ability base, allowing you lots of flexibility) and then adapt one of your lesson plans from teacher training. In my experience, there isn't any one set standard for written plans but a good plan should be clear, easy to follow, state clearly what the objectives of the lesson are and say at the outset what assumptions you as a teacher have about the level/ability of your students. A nice way of putting this on paper I find is:
At the top of the page list the objectives, level/ability,etc., and the materials required for the lesson.
In the margin divide the lesson into its parts, along side you should state what you expect to achieve in this part, and then in the opposite margin you should give an indication of how long this is likely to last.
The lesson should probably be divided into 4 or 5 parts - just be sure that the times add up! I don't think 5 minutes more or less is anything to worry about.
Perhaps your demo 5 minutes should come from the middle of the lesson , after the introduction and warm up periods. This will allow you to use(or explain the use) of any props or realia you'd be using and you can get the "students" involved in some sort of activity - this will relieve the tension a little and take the heat off you too! It also helps in these situations, I have found, if you give your class something to do that gets them out of their seats, or at least makes them "do" something, without overdoing things! If you get them active ,you're on to a winner!
Good luck!

Hello Jimmy,
if you haven't already seen it, you should read the post from volga05 in the structure for conversation class thread in this forum. Good advice, seems that they know what they're about in Manchester - even if they can't play football