A C T I V I T I E S A N D L E A R N E R’ S P R OF I L EE L E M E NT S O F A LE SS ON P LA N

L E A R N E R S ’ P R O F I L E SLE SS ON S A S PA RT O F A S E R I E S O F L E SS O NS

M A I N A I MMATE R I A L A N D R E S O U R C E S

S E Q U E NC E O F S TA G E S

LESSON PLANNING

DEVELOPING A LEARNING STYLES

WHAT IS A LEARNER’S PROFILE?WHAT IS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT?WHAT IS LEARNER CENTERED EDUCATION

?REFLECTIONACTIVITYPREFERRED LEARNINGSOURCES OF LEARNER PROFILE DATAUSE OF LEARNER PROFILE DATA TO DESIG

N INSTRUCTIONSECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

USE OF LEARNER PROFILE DATA TO DESIGN INSTRUCTION

ONCE THE LEARNERS’ LEARNING STYLES ARE KNOWN, IT IS EASY TO DESIGN INSTRUCTION THAT ACCOMMODATES THEIR DIFFERENT LEARNING NEEDS. DEPENDS ON THE LEARNING STYLES.

TO CATER FOR THE TWO CATEGORIES OF LEARNERS, AN INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER MAY NEED TO USE THE BALANCED TRAINING DESIGN METHOD WHICH WOULD PROVIDE A BALANCE OF TEXT, PICTURES AND DIAGRAMS.

TYPE OF DATALITERACY LEVELAGE GROUPSKILLSREASONS FOR STUDYINGHOME SITUATIONPRIOR KNOWLEDGE

WHAT IS LEARNER’S PROFILE?

LEARNER’S PROFILE IS BASICALLY IS A COLLECTION OF DATA ABOUT THE WAY YOUR STUDENTS LEARN AND HOW THEY WORK.

WHAT IS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT?

A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IS WHERE THE LEARNING TAKES PLACE. HOW THE LEARNING TAKES PLACE AND THE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT.

LEARNING CENTERED EDUCATION

IT IS A LEARNING PHILOSOPHY THAT PUTS THE LEARNER IN THE CENTER OF THE LEARNING PROCESS AND NOT THE TEACHER. LEARNING NEEDS ARE GIVEN PRIORITY OVER THE TEACHER’S PREFERENCES.

REFLECTION

AS AN EDUCATOR, TRY TO THINK OF THE STUDENTS IN YOUR FACE TO FACE CLASSROOM. THINK OF THEM IN TERMS OF THEIR REALITY, JOT DOWN SOME “SENSITIVE” POINTS THAT YOU ALWAYS THINK YOU NEED TO AVOID.

HOW WOULD YOU PREPARE YOUR CLASSES AROUND THAT TOPIC SO IT WOULD BE CONTROVERSIAL BUT NOT OFFENSIVE?

ACTIVITY

YOU ARE PLANNING A CLASS FOR ADULTS IN AN UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT, WHAT INFORMATION WOULD YOU NEED TO COLLECT?

PREFERRED LEARNING

LEARNERS MAINLY PREFER TO LEARN IN WAYS THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER LEARNERS OF THE SAME CLASS. IT IS BELIEVED THAT MORE THAN 3/5 OF A PERSON’S LEARNING STYLE IS BIOLOGICALLY IMPOSED. BUT THIS CAN BE IMPROVED WHEN INSTRUCTIONS ACCOMMODATES THE LEARNER’S NEEDS.

SOURCES OFLEARNER PROFILE DATADIRECT OBSERVATIONPERSONAL SURVEYSSELF ASSESSMENTSASK COLLEGUESMAIL THE STUDENTS

ELEMENTS OF A LESSON PLAN

WHAT IS LESSON PLANNING?It is the art of combining a number of different

elements into a coherent whole so that a lesson has an identity which students can recognize, work within, and react to, whatevere the metaphor the teachers use to visualize and create that identity.

But plans that help the teacher identify aims and anticipate problems, are proposal for action rather than scripts that must be followed strictly.

ELEMENTS OF A LESSON PLAN

PRE-PLANNINGTHE FOUR ELEMENTSTHE DIAGRAMTHE PLANMAKING A PLANTHE FORMAL PLAN

PRE-PLANNING

Before we start to make a lesson plan we need to consider a number of crucial factors such as the language level of our students (Ss), their educational and cultural backround, their levels of motivation, and their different learning styles.

We also need the content and the organization of the syllabus we are working with.

THE FOUR ELEMENTS

AC TIVITIESSKILLSLANGUAGECONTENT

ACTIVITIES

It is vital to consider what students will be doing in the classroom, grouping, and interaction patterns.

Our first planning thought should center around what kind of activity would be best for a particular group of students at a particular time in the lesson.

The best lesson offers a variety of activities within a class period. Interaction patterns should be changed through the proccess of the class.

SKILLS

We need to decide what language to introduce and have the students learn, practice, research, or use.

One of the dangers of planning is that where language is the main focus it is first and the only planning decision that teachers make. We tend to do whatever makes us feel comfortable, language is one area that we need to consider when planning lessons.

CONTENT

Lesson planners have to select content which has a good chance of provoking interest and involvement. Since they know their students personally they are well placed to select appropriate content.

Content in some extent dependends on a coursebook. We can predict, with some accuracy, which topics will work and which will not.

The most interesting content can be made bland if the activities and tasks that go with it are unimaginative and subjects that are not especially fascinating can be used extremely successfully if the good planner takes time to think about how students can best work with them.

THE PLAN

The way that teachers plan lessons depends upon the circumstances in which the lesson is to take place and on the teacher’s experience.

Teachers may do all the (vague) pre-planning in their head and make actual decisions about what to include as they go to the classroom.

Those with experience can get away with it some of the time because they have a number of familiar routines they can get rely on.

THE PLAN

Another scenario is when a teacher follows a coursebook.

Letting the book writer or writers, in effect, do the planning for them.

Another issue when using a coursebook planning is:

The use of the activityIt is more complex than what it seems.

THE PLAN

At the other end is the kind of lesson plan described by one writer as the “jungle path”:

No real planStart with an opening question.End up asking the students No idea where it will end.Mario Rinvolucruni- basing treatment upon

accurate diagnosis.

THE PLAN

An experienced teacher may well get away with this and run effective lessons without making a plan at all.

WHAT PROBLEM DO YOU SEE IN THIS APPROACH?

EVEN WITH EXPERIENCED TEACHERS.

THE PLAN

AimlessNot correctly sequencedImprovizing while teachingNothing useful or meaningfull will be

achieved

Some students might enjoy a jungle path but the majority will benifit both linguistically and psychologically from a well prepared and thought out class.

THE PLAN

FROMAL PLANSTeachers write this type of plan, detailed,

when they are going to be observed or because they are required.

The vast majority of lesson plans probably is between these two extremes.

Teachers write notes on a notebook.

THE DIAGRAM

JUNGLE PATH VAGUE FORMAL

COURSEBOOK

PLANNING NOTES

THE PLAN

WHY PLAN?

The actual form a plan takes has less important than the real thought that has gone into it.

A lesson plan is the principle of what we hope our students will archiev in the class.

MAKING THE PLAN

The following example of making a plan exemplifies how a teacher might proceed from the pre-planning to a final plan.

Pre-planning backroundPre-planning decisionsThe plan

PRE-PLANNING BACKGROUND

Profile of the classLevel: IntermediateNumber of Ss: 31Age: 18-31Resources: Board and ProjectorContent: transport and different travelling evironment.Grammar: Should Have and Should The students need “waking up” at the beginning of a lesson. They are quite prepared for creative activities. The next grammar item on the syllabus is SHOULD HAVE

DONE. The students have not worked on reading lately and need to

work more on oral fluency.

PRE-PLANNING DECISIONS

Using the background information the teacher takes the following decisions:

The lesson should include an oral fluency activity.

The lesson should include the introduction of SHOULD HAVE DONE

It would be nice to have some reading in the lesson.

The lesson should continue with the transpport theme.

THE PLAN

The teacher made the decision for the students to read a text about the space station and will work his lesson around it.

This could be done: An oral fluency activity in which students have to decide about five

personal possessions they would take into space and compare in groups.

Reading for prediction and for gist Create an ending Introduce SHOULD HAVE Ask eachother about what they did or did not do, and what they should not

and should have done. A space job interview (role play)

ADDITIONAL POSSIBILITIES

Interview an Astronaut years later to find out what happened to her/him.

Students write an article about the interviewA short extract about a video on future space

explorationStudents discuss the three things they would

miss the most from earth.

FORMAL PLAN

A formal plan should include most of all of the following: Class description Timetable fit Lesson aims Sudsidiary aims Personal aims Assumptions Anticipated language problems Possible solutions Teaching aids Procedures Timning Interaction patterns Homework

CLASS DESCRIPTION AND TIMETABLE FIT

TIMETABLE FIT

MAIN AIM

ACTIVITIES, AIDS, INTERACTION, PROCEDURE AND TIMING

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

SEQUENCING LESSONS

As a lesson plan, a sequence of lessons needs to be well thought but very flexible to changes.

Before and DuringShort and long term goalThematic StrandsLanguage Planning Activity Balanced

USING THE PLANS

Action and ReactionMagic MomentsSensible DiversionUnforseen ProblemsPlans as reacords and research tools

RESOURCES AND MATERIALS

WHAT RESOURCES DO WE AS TEACHER HAVE?MARKERSBOARDINTERACTIVE BOARDPCPROJECTOR (O/H OR LCD)INTERNETRSSBLOGSREADERSORGINAL MATERIALSMAGAZINE