A lesson plan is a ‘blue print’ for action. A lesson plan refers to a written document, consists of learning objectives, learning activities, instructional materials, resources and evaluation of the teaching and learning (Lesson planning resource guide, 2008). A lesson plan means, ‘ the teacher’s preparation of a particular teaching item to guide his pupils towards achieving a determined objective of language skill within a short class period’ (Bhattarai, 1986) and ‘ the art of mixing techniques, activities and materials in such a way that an ideal balance is created for the class’ (Harmer, 1991). There are a number of factors such as the time duration, the nature of the topic, the objectives of the lesson, the level of the students and the availability of teaching materials that should be considered while planning the lesson. The three basic steps in making a lesson plan are: aim of the lesson, what language to highlight and strategy of the teacher. The most experienced teachers don’t mention what they have to do in the class vividly. The needs of detailed lesson plan are the clear framework of reference for the task of planning, and to consider aspects of planning especially for inexperienced ones (Harmer, 2001). The lesson plan helps the teacher to decide ‘what’ and ‘ how’ for the preparation of lesson explicitly and exactly (Doff, 1988). The teachers should plan, teach and assess the effectiveness of the lessons ( Stephens & Crawley, 1994). According to Woodward (2001) the importance of lesson plan can be pointed as: a) to reduce the uncertainties and panic among the teacher and students, b) to boost confidence in students, c) to understand the need of the research, d) to marshal materials beforehand for the organisation of time and activity, e) to share the lessons with the students, f) to get things started and to prompt memory, and to answer student questions, g) to balance the mixture of different kinds of materials, content and interaction and h) to develop a personal style. A good lesson plan helps the English teachers in the different ways: a) preparation of the lesson, b) guidelines to the teacher, c) decision on what to teach, whom to teach, when to teach, why to teach and how to teach, d) access to the effectiveness of lessons, e) coordination between leaning and the courses, f) student achievement , g) tackling the disruptive behaviour of the students, h) making teaching more enjoyable and rewarding, i) a balanced of activities, j) a balance of interaction, k) good record of what actually occurs in the classroom, l) allocation of time for the necessary components of teaching and learning activities, m) connection between the preceding and following lessons to each other and n) design of various types of tests. There are internal and external reasons for planning the lessons. Teachers plan for internal reasons in order to feel more confident, to learn the subject matter better, to enable lessons to run smoothly, and to anticipate problems before they happen. Teachers may also plan for some external reasons such as, in order to satisfy the expectations of the principal or supervisor (Farrell, 2002). The teacher can think about the essential aspects of a lesson( eg contents, goals, activities, sequencing and timing) and can map out the security and systematicity of the lesson. The components of lesson plan are: a) introductory part, b) objectives, c) teaching materials, d) teaching learning activities, e) evaluation and f) homework. Introductory part, which is known as head part includes the lesson plan number, subject, unit, teaching item, time, grade, date etc and prepares other components of the lesson. Objectives are the learning outcomes and they should be specific, measurable, attainable, reliable and time bounded. Action verbs are used to mention objectives for acquiring knowledge ( e.g. to list, to describe, to tell etc), enhancing cognitive skills (e.g. to compare, to classify, to evaluate etc), developing psychomotor skills ( e.g. to demonstrate, to apply, to draw etc), strengthening problem-finding and solving capabilities ( to clarify, to determine, to change etc) and changing attitude, values, beliefs and feelings (e.g. to question, to justify, to express etc). Teaching materials involve daily used materials such as board, chalk, marker, duster as well as occasionally used materials such as maps, charts, pictures, flash cards, cut outs , matchstick figures etc. Teaching materials should be able to: a) to explore new knowledge through setting connections with their previous knowledge, b) to figure out their opinions before they achieve the new information, c) to arouse curiosity, d) to support multiple opinions and courage students to declare their opinions, e) to provide associations with real life experiences through examples and f) to support learner autonomy. Teaching learning activities are related to the objectives of the lessons. The activity that is suitable for one student may not be ideal for another student. A number of different techniques such as sub-steps, warming –up or revision, presentation and practice provide variety to the lesson (Harmer, 1991). Students are evaluated to find out the desired objectives have been achieved or not. Because of reinforcement of earlier presented materials, opportunities to raise questions of usage and style, monitoring individual student comprehension and learning and closure to the lesson evaluation is so useful and essential. Homework is given to the students at the end of the lesson , relating to the classroom activities to do individually, in pairs or in groups as extensive activity.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 03:10:15 +0000
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