I. What does a lesson involve?
Lessons in different places may vary in topic, time, place, atmosphere, methodology and materials, but they are all, essentially, concerned with learning as the main objective, and involved the participation of learners and teacher, and are limited and pre-scheduled as regards with time, place and membership.
Aspects of the lesson:
· Transaction or series of transactions: the actual learning which takes place in the lesson. It involves topic, function, grammar, vocabulary, etc.
· Interaction: social relationships between learners, or between learners and teacher; a lesson is seen as something which involves relaxed, warm interaction that protects and promotes the confidence and the happiness of all participants.
· Goal-oriented effort: a lesson involves a clear, worthwhile objective.
· A satisfying and enjoyable experience: this experience may be based on aesthetic pleasure, fun, interest, challenge or entertainment; the main point is that participants should enjoy it and therefore be motivated to attend while it is going on.
· A role-based culture: all participants (teacher and students) know and accept in advance the demand that will be made on them, and their expected behavior.
II. Lesson preparation
Questions on lesson preparation:
1. How long before a specific lesson do you prepare it?
2. Do you write down lesson notes to guide you? Or do you rely on a lesson format provided by another teacher, the course book, or a Teacher’s Book?
3. If so, are these notes brief (single page or less) or long (more than one page)?
4. What do they consist of?
5. Do you note down your objectives?
6. Do you actually look at your notes during the lesson? If so, rarely? Occasionally? Frequently?
7. What do you do with your lesson notes after the lesson?
Task: Interview at least two language teachers who are experienced and (as afar as you can tell) conscientious and competent professionals. Ask them the same questions, stressing that what you want to know is what they actually do in daily practice, not what they think they ought to do!
III. Varying lesson components
Way of varying lesson:
1. Tempo: activities may be brisk and fast-moving (such as guessing games) or slow and reflective (such as reading and responding in writing).
2. Organization: the learners may work on their own at individualized tasks; or in pairs or groups; or as a full class in interaction with the teacher.
3. Mode and skill: activities may be based on the written or the spoken language; and within these, they may vary as to whether the learners are asked to produce (speak, write) or receive (listen, read).
4. Difficulty: activity as may be seen as easy and non- demanding; or difficult requiring concentration and effort.
5. Topic: both the language teaching point and the (non-linguistic topic) may change from one activity to another.
6. Mood: activities vary also in mood: light and fun-based versus serious and profound; happy versus sad; tense versus relaxed.
7. Stir-settle: some activates enliven and excite learners (such as controversional discussions, or activities that involve physical movement); others like dictations, have the effect of calming them down.
8. Active-passive: learners may be activated in a way that encourages their own initiative; or they may only be required to do as they are told.
Guidelines for ordering components of a lesson:
1. Put the harder task earlier;
2. Have quieter activities before lively ones;
3. Think about transitions;
4. Pull the class together at the beginning and at the end;
5. End on a positive note.
IV. Evaluating lesson effectiveness
Criteria for evaluating lesson effectiveness
· The learners were active all the time.
· The learners were attentive all the time.
· The learners enjoyed the lesson; were motivated.
· The class seemed to be learning the material well.
· The lesson went according to the plan.
· The language was communicatively throughout.
· The learners were engaging in the foreign language throughout.
V. Practical lesson management
1. Prepare more than you need: it is advisable to have an easily presented, light ‘reserve’ activity ready in case of extra time.
2. Similarly, note in advance which component(s) of the lesson you will sacrifice if you find yourself with too little time for everything.
3. Keep a watch or clock easily visible; make sure you are aware throughout how time is going relative to your programme. It is difficult to judge intuitively how time is going when you are busy, and the smooth running of your lesson depends to some extent on proper timing.
4. Do not leave the giving of homework to the last minute! At the end of the lesson, learners’ attention is at the low ebb, and you may run out of time before you finish explaining. Explain it earlier on, and then give a quick reminder at the end.
5. If you have papers to distribute and a large class, do not try to give every paper yourself to every student! Give a number of papers to people at different points in the class, ask them to take one and pass the rest on.
6. If you are doing group-work, give instructions and make sure these are understood before dividing into groups or even, if practicable, handing out materials; if you do it the other way round, students will be looking at each other and at the materials; and they are less likely to attend to what you have to say.
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