What kind of planning has priority at this time of the school year

Question: What kind of planning has priority at this time of the school year?

Answer: The time is right for “Macro-Lesson Planning”, especially for those teachers who have just been informed about which class they are to teach and who, at the moment, are getting to know their new learners. As teachers learn about the different personalities who will be participating in and contributing to this year’s class journey, it is time to delve into a deeper understanding of the objectives of the course syllabi and the material to be presented and practiced.

USEFUL MACRO-LESSON PLANNING TIPS:

1) If you haven’t already done so, go through a calendar of the academic year 2011-2012 and count the exact number of class meetings you are to have.

2) Take a close look at the course book you are to teach and find out where the half-way mark is. Gauge the pace of your lessons by penciling in on your calendar which lessons/units you would like to do on which days. Calculate how you might reach the half-way mark in the book by the Christmas holidays. In this way, you plan to give learners needed time for revision and extra projects and school events in 2012, especially after the Easter holidays.

[NB If you are being asked to use additional/supplementary materials, you may need to negotiate the manner and frequency of their use with your directors.]

3) Consult your teacher’s guide and/or your directors, to help you decide when your progress tests and final exams will take place. Also, plan which projects and/or events your learners will participate in and when they need to be finished. Once those dates are set, work backwards to set up ‘stepping-stones’ to guarantee learners’ success and satisfaction. For example, if you want an end-of-the-year show in which your learners will perform, you must arrange a rehearsal schedule from now. Let’s say you want young learners to make their own Christmas greeting cards: plan for one lesson in early November where they will write the messages (to be turned in, corrected by you and returned to them to be re-copied), plan for a second lesson in late November where they will cut out and decorate their cards and, finally, plan for an early December lesson where they will copy their message on the card and decorate it.

4) Use the Year Planner below to record the tentative plans you make re. Tests, events and projects. This will make communication with colleagues and parents easier.

YEAR PLANNER FOR HOLIDAY EVENTS, PROJECTS AND PROGRESS/DIAGNOSTIC TESTS

SEPTEMBER DECEMBER MARCH Progress 4
     
OCTOBER Christmas  
  JANUARY APRIL Easter
Progress 1 ‘mid-term’ Progress 3  
    Progress 5
NOVEMBER FEBRUARY MAY
     
Progress 2
  ‘Final’ Progress 6

 

A final thought on PLANNING VS. SPONTANEITY:

“A planned journey is an oxymoron.” says William Bridges. Viewing each lesson as a ‘journey’ over the unchartered seas of EFL, a teacher may opt for spontaneity over planning.

Practical considerations -- such as, maintaining an English-speaking atmosphere in class, challenging Ss with doable tasks, sticking to aims and objectives appropriate for one’s particular learners and creating situations in which Ss work collaboratively-- do require planning.

Spontaneity is never disregarded; the teacher with a plan can opt to follow that plan or take the lead for her learners, if what they ask for is more appropriate at that moment. Would you agree that once a teacher has taken the time and thoughtfulness to write out a lesson plan, she will be in a better position to improvise with spontaneity to an effective end ?

As rapport is established and develops as the student-teacher and student-student relationships grow during the passing of the school year, the teacher balances considerations of her learners’ interests and the required syllabus material. The process of planning enhances a teacher’s creativity and imagination: thoughtfulness makes a teacher a good planner and inspiration provides moments of spontaneity.

espa