LALP: Getting Started on My Lesson Plan

By Alex:

Often the most difficult challenge in developing a lesson or unit plan is knowing how to get started.  This is especially true where there is no existing curriculum or text to guide you.  Freedom can be paralyzing, but it also suggests myriad opportunities for creativity and the chance to put your personal stamp on your lessons.

One way to go about it is to ask yourself a number of key questions and to write down your tentative responses, freely without worrying too much if you are finding “the best” answer.  Then you review your answers to see what starting points for the lesson or unit are suggested.  The starting point of the lesson is key; it suggests the direction, the enthusiasm behind a potential lesson. (for example, I loved the fact that even young children could write a Haiku after a single lesson –having seen this at my children’s primary school — and what they gained in pride , self-esteem and interest in poetry.  I knew I could transfer this to other educational settings)

Questions:

  • Who are my students?  What are their backgrounds? life experience? family and work situations?
  • What do they need English (and US culture, possibly) for?
  • What are their strengths, weaknesses and gaps?
  • What learning and study skills do they need to develop or improve?
  • What are the concrete expectations of my institution in terms of student learning? Is there a program?  a curriculum? or several textbooks/readers?
  • What is the teaching/learning philosophy in place, if any?
  • What kinds of lessons do my colleagues teach?
  • What might be a a few linguistics and cultural topics of use and interest?
  • How long is my class?
  • What kind of variety do I wish to have?  How many different activities does that suggest?
  • What are few basic principles of my teaching philosophy that I would like to see manifested in my lesson?
  • What, then, are some starting points for a lesson?

What lesson format do I wish to choose?

  • Presentation, Practice, Use
  • Jigsaw
  • Task based
  • Vehicle/moves
  • Teach/test/teach
  • Other?