Alternative lesson planning

Alternative lesson planning

1. Reasons

   • Lack of time
   • The methodology cannot be characterised
   • It might restrict freedom to respond
   • The lesson content/aim will emerge during the class
   • Your priority is to create an specific armosphere
   • You want to experiment

2. The "jungle path"

   • The teacher has no real idea what they are going to do befores the lesson starts and where the lesson is created moment by moment with the teacher and the learners working with what is happening in the room.
   • A succession of jungle path lessons suggest to the students a degree of carelessness on the part of the unprepared teacher.

3. Some others

   • The teacher allow the coursebook to do the planning for them
     • Teachers take in a lesson or unit and teach it exactly as it is offered in the book.
   • The teacher scribble a few notes down in folders or notebooks.
     • These might consist of the name of an activity or some language.
   • Corridor planning
     • Teachers do some kind of planning in their head as they walk towards the class.
   • "Door into and door out" lesson
     • Written plans act as a useful record of what we hoped to achieve, and where we amend these records to say what actually happened.

4. A brief " running order"

   • Notes of specific language points or materials that will be used.
   • It is something you can do five minutes before going into class.

5. Flow chart

   • Write your procedure notes in sketch boxes.
   • Show a variety of different possible running orders and routes through the stages by drawing lines.

6. Dream through the lesson

   • Don't write anything. Imagine your way through the lesson. See where each route leads.

7. Focus on the "critical earning moments"

   • Decide on a number of specific key things you hope learners will gain from the class.
     • For each, decide what the "critical learning moment" will probably be.
       • Which thing they do that is likely to make the most significant impact on their success and why.

8. Half-plan

   • Plan how your class will do skills work. Don't plan any language system work.

9. Get to where the learning is going on

   • List the main "teaching points" for your lesson and the challenges in each. Focus 95% of your planning on paying attention to this challenge.