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Message board > LESSON PLANS: I īd like your opinions....
LESSON PLANS: I īd like your opinions....
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Amandina
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Dear Mar
Imelda īs suggestions seems to me the best way to go. Training sessions might enlighten your teachers and show them how to make lessons more interesting. I sooo agree with you when you point out that boredom leads to problems with discipline.
I hope you īll find a way with your teachers.
Hugs
Amandina
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11 Sep 2010
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lshorton99
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I īll be honest, for the Delta we had to write incredibly detailed lesson plans covering every eventuality and it was a useful skill to learn. However, I find a lot of my best classes are the ones that are improvised, when I haven īt had time to prepare. I rarely write lesson plans anyway - I make half-year overviews so I know what � need to cover then usually just a couple of lines so I know the theme of the lesson. I also started team planning over the last few years where a few teachers who had the same levels would divide the planning up and then each teacher would plan a couple of lessons which the other teachers were free to use or adapt as they wanted. Those were a little more detailed but no where near what I had to do for the Delta or even the Celta! We īd just put a quick warmer, which book pages, extra activities and specific vocabulary - nothing too exciting.
If you have to teach for 6 hours a day, assuming 4 or 5 different levels, then spending a long time planning is counterproductive and can restrict you a lot in the classroom. I īm a big fan of Scott Thornbury and his Dogme approach and believe that even the idea of Dogme can be applied in lessons where you have specific content to teach - it īs all about adapting to your learners and what they need, which often can īt be planned! I try to go for a mix of styles in my classes, depending on the learners, the day and everyone īs mood (I guess you īd call it principled eclecticism - a certain amount of Delta-speak stays with you no matter how hard you try to repress!)
Another factor to consider is that everyone writes plans in a different way so mandating a standardised planning system can actually make some teachers worse rather than better.
For less experienced teachers, team planning, where possible is an excellent training tool, as is a teacher īs room where ideas are frequently shared. I think I learned more from sharing ideas with more experienced colleagues than I did from any of the seminars or training courses and I hope the new teachers I work with would say the same!
This is all only my experience, of course. I īve been lucky enough to work at places with ongoing training, professional development opportunities and fantastic colleagues - I know not everyone is as lucky!
Lindsey
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11 Sep 2010
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lizsantiago
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i am going to give you my two cents... i have taught for almost 12 years, and even though i do sit and plan my classes i dont have time to fill a paper saying all im going to do in a class. in my country we are required to write everything, objectives, materials, activities, page of book, page of teacher īs guide, homework, dates, the multiple intelligence we are using, standards, kind of assessment... well almost every breath we take, so when i was a coordinator i prepared a lesson plan where the teachers only have to write the objective and a check mark on all the other options. my suggestion... do something like that.. it will only take them 5 minutes to fill. i do it because we are forced to write it because as other said, with time and experienced you really dont need to write a plan adn to tell you the truth i hate it, as i new teacher i i did need it to write them but now its just a waste of time that i could use to prepare other thin i do need for the class. i have to tell you that sometimes i even write them after i have given the class. |
11 Sep 2010
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Mar0919
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Hi, Imelda and Lindsey. Thank you for your comments! and yes, Imelda, I agree with trainings being important. But.... here it goes again!!! At least here in my city and my school, teachers are very... well, I hate to say the word... mmm.... how can I say it???..... ŋnarrow-minded?.... that is...... you can īt make them stay one minute past their scheduled time. I have tried to organize training sessions, but in order for them to attend, it has to be done during their class time, while they are THERE. and this obviously is not authorized by the principal as it would require that classes during that time be suspended..... if the trainings are programmed in the afternoon for example, or weekend that is totally out of the question. Some teachers have other simultaneous jobs, so I can īt force them to come at any other hours... soooooooooooo you can see, I do spot the solution, or the way to help them and improve our work, but so many factors are against. And like I said, sadly I don īt have much choice when hiring is concerned. There are so few teachers available.
One of your questions, Imelda, why do they continue working for me... or for the institution, well, it īs a nice school, and even though it might not sound like it, I do go out of my way to make a nice working atmosphere for my team. I īm always there to support them, in any way I can, even against the principal herself, if I see the teacher īs are right about something, or are requesting something that is in my hand to provide it for them. So, I guess they must like me a little at least! LOL!!!!
Mar |
11 Sep 2010
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Maggie7
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Hi Mar0919
I read your post and it seemed to me like if I had written it myself. I face exactly the same problems you do. So I𠍿 on totally on your side. By the way, do you also live in Campeche? I wonder this because in this city we have a lack of good ESL teachers, even though there are two special schools for that.
I have two more questions for you: How long have you been teaching? When you plan your activities for your own classes, do you explain in such detail what you do? |
12 Sep 2010
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moravc
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Hello Mar,
Tell your teachers to join elsprintables... 
They will learn and download everything they need... There is a lot of ppt games, board games, conversation role cards, crosswords etc... all the fun stuff they need to make their lessons better and enjoyable...
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12 Sep 2010
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Mar0919
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Hi, Liz, Maggie and Moravc...
Liz: yes, I understand what you mean, and I do understand your point of view, but the teachers I have at the moment are quite new, so I feel they need to plan. But I do get your point! how about sending me an example of your format???? hehehehe!!!
Maggie, I teach in a small city in Guanajuato. I īve been teaching for more than 20 years, been coordinator at several schools, and yes, when I plan my own classes I actually do it in detail. when I ask for details from my teachers, this also helps me when they are absent, I can see what they are doing, where they are at, and continue the lesson, if I have to sub for them, or have someone else sub. this way, the kids are not affected by the absence.
when I have no clue as to what they are doing, I have to ask the kids, what page are you on with your teacher, what have you seen? sometimes I put an activity that I assume they have already covered, and find out the teacher had not taught that topic.
Moravc, I have already invited my teachers to join this wonderful site, but I guess they are just plain lazy!!!
Mar |
12 Sep 2010
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Maggie7
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I𠍿 going through all the situations you are, that𠏋 why I get your point. Personally, one thing I really hate is that principals at my school demand me good results, but they do nothing to help. I mean, they never talk to the ESL teachers when I hand in my report as a coordinator, this makes my work harder and frustrating. Sometimes I want to quit the coordination and only be a normal teacher, in that way I wouldn㦙 be so stressed all the time. |
12 Sep 2010
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naryana
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Hi Mar0919 , I am totally against lesson plans ....I agree with lizsantiago ....I consider lesson plans a waste of time...when i first started teaching , i used to WASTE my time preparing lessons....but now i don īt care less about preparing lessons ...they īre just paper work ...in fact my lessons are the best when they are improvised...I usually outline my lesson plan in a piece of paper in a very brief way ... I never cared about what the principla say,,,because i never do things which I don īt believe in ...I īd rather invest my time in making grammar posters for my st.s ...or anything that has to do with making my lesson interesting ..everything is planned in my head ....I know my st.s well ..and I know how to help them understand the lesson...thats all that matters to me...however, i believe that lesson-plans are essential ONLY for teachers with a few years experience...none of my st.s had ever complained about my lessons ...nor has my supervisors ...so why should I care about paperwork which eventually will be thrown in the wastebasket??? |
12 Sep 2010
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Mar0919
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Maggie, yes, I understand how you feel. I īve sometimes felt like throwing the towel too, but I stop to think, (not that I think I īm necessary) if everyone just goes their own way, and each is doing things in their own way, then the results we īd be getting with the students would be disastrous...
As things are now, we have several detected cases with certain students, then with no supervision, things would get out of hand much worse.
I do get some help from the principal, although not as much as I īd like... mostly it īs my responsibility to present good results in our department.
I guess I īll just have to keep insisting with teachers about attending training courses, if they don īt want or aren īt willing to attend at our school, they must do it on their own, but obviously I have to see something reflected in their classes.
Thanks to all who took the time to post, any more comments and suggestions are more than welcomed!
Mar |
12 Sep 2010
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