Hi everybody,
So far I think you have done an incredible job. I am very happy with the quality of the interaction we delivered in Forum 1. I feel blessed and lucky to have the chance to learn so much from you.
Here is our second forum which deals with what Jeremy Harmer calls the planning paradox (read pages 364-367 of the TEFL book if you want more information). Here is a short list of pros and cons of lesson planning. Read them and post your opinion about the need of having a lesson plan for every single class we teach based on the ideas mentioned. Is it necessary? Explain your opinion keeping in mind the information on the planning continuum we checked in class.
Take care!
Here is our second forum which deals with what Jeremy Harmer calls the planning paradox (read pages 364-367 of the TEFL book if you want more information). Here is a short list of pros and cons of lesson planning. Read them and post your opinion about the need of having a lesson plan for every single class we teach based on the ideas mentioned. Is it necessary? Explain your opinion keeping in mind the information on the planning continuum we checked in class.
Take care!
Some advantages and disadvantages of lesson planning - HIMANSHU MALLICK
Advantages of Lesson Planning
1. It inspires the teacher to improve the further lessons.
2. It helps the teacher in evaluating his teaching.
3. It develops self confidence in the teacher.
4. Proper care is taken into consideration and you can make adjustments keeeping in mind the level and previous knowledge of students.
5. The teaching matter is organized in a time-frame.
6. It inspires the teacher to ask proper and important questions.
7. It provides guidance to the teacher as to what and how he should teach.
8. It helps in creating the interest of students towards the lesson.
9. It stimulates the teacher to think in an organized manner.
10. It helps the teacher to understand the objectives properly and look for appropriate ways of reaching them.
Limitations of Lesson-Planning
1. In new or odd situations teacher feels himself/herself helpless.
2. Sometimes simple matters become complicated.
3. More time is required to plan a lesson.
4. Teacher can not work/teach independently.
5. There is lack of flexibility in lesson-planning.
6. The teaching process becomes more difficult.
After working on the previous forum and reading all my partners’ opinions there’s no doubt that a lesson plan is a great tool when trying to teach English. Some people think they can plan classes for a week, a month, a semester or even a year, but they forget how unpredictable a class can be. So, why so much planning if things can easily change, what if your activities don’t work out with the group of students you have, what if you don’t get the results you’re looking for, let’s say you’re not wasting time because you’re actually learning from your mistakes but why not planning just one class, teaching it and then take a look at the outcome to know what to do next?
ReplyDeleteNobody said it’s going to be easy to sit down before or after class to do the planning. It requires a lot of effort and commitment. And, we cannot discredit the skillful teacher who can go for a “jungle path lesson”. But from my personal point of view I do think planning before each class has some great benefits.
First, if you planned your class you’re going to feel confident because you know what you’re doing. You know the steps you’re going to follow and you also know what you’re looking for (objective).
Second, if you have the register of your classes you won’t forget what you have covered and taught. Then, planning activities and assignments is going to be easier because you know what you’re students are able to do.
Third, when you do the planning on a daily basis you have the chance to analyze the results, reflect on them and make some changes or add something new to improve what you’re doing.
Fourth, if you really took the time to plan your class you will take into account how changeable a class can be so you’ll have some extra tasks in case something happens, and again you’ll be confident because you have a plan B, C or even D.
Reaping the benefits from a lesson plan involves investing some or a lot of time in it depending on your teaching experience. Sometimes you may feel like you’re running out of ideas or energy to have a productive class, then it would be a good idea to talk with your colleagues and share some ideas to refresh your teaching strategies.
Hi Meliza, I agree with you in all the benefits you mentioned and especially in your fourth point, when you talk about how confident a teacher feels having planned his/her class. since I think lesson planning is a vital component of the teaching learning process. Proper classroom planning will keep the teacher organized and on track while teaching, thus allowing to teach more, help students reach objectives more easily and manage less. The better prepared the teacher is, the more likely he/she will able to handle any unexpected situation happens in a classroom.
DeleteHey Melo,
DeleteI really liked your first and second benefits of having a leson plan. I totally agree with you, because I think teachers need to give students a great impression about themselves and their work, they need to show students confidence about what they are teaching them. Also, a lesson plan makes you feel organized and responsible of what you're doing and avoids improvisation, waste of time and other negative things.
Good Job! I really enjoyed reading your comment :)
Hello Meliza,
DeleteCongratulations on your clear and concise post. I am with you about the fact that classes may be unpredictable and a second option should always be available if the original plan is not working. I also agree on planning on a daily basis in order to implement variations in our class strategies to achieve better results.
At first lesson planning may be time consuming, but once we learn to "save" activities for later on use, it becomes an easier step to take.
Hi Meliza,
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your post because I think you were able to see different perspectives. I agree with you on all of the benefits planning a lesson has but at the same time I know by experience that teachers who are able to teach a class with little planning are skillful individuals. I have always prefer planning as much as I can just because many of the advantages you and your partners mentioned make you understand that there is no other way that contributes more to your students´ learning processes.
Thanks for sharing
Meliza, I know I am responding this kind of late, but I like your take on lesson planning. I agree with two things you have said. One, it is not easy. Two, you can make changes when you observe and read what you have done as time passes by.
DeleteAfter reading all pros and cons, I really don’t think those cons are too strong and I still think that lesson plans are necessary; I just can’t imagine myself teaching without one…I think they are like road maps that could take you anywhere you want to…and in different ways.
ReplyDeleteFor me, there are many values in lesson planning , I can keep a record that provides of where my class has been, what we did along the way, and what they enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) what we worked in and what we didn’t. They give me a place to reflect on lessons. However, I also found that sometimes I don’t follow exactly the plans I have prepared; there are many paths one can take. The ideal plan would be in the form of a flowchart, but it would just be too time-consuming and too scientific. I guess a lot depends on the class. You need to know your class well. What works for one might not work for another. I still plan, of course!!!!, and I think that planning begins right after (or during) a lesson! Many of my future plans start during class, when I notice students getting excited about a topic that has popped up, or when I notice a problem that we have found in class.
A structured lesson plan can actually make the learning process faster, we just need to make sure to include 4 skills, or trying to include as many intelligences or learning channels as possible. We definitely need to plan for every single class because today´s students are well informed and we can´t just spend time parroting the textual material from given sources. Planning will make you think of your teaching in a systematic way before you enter the classroom.
I agree with you on the wide range of things a plan covers. You have mentioned many aspects that I had not even thought about, that a plan could cover and that we implicitly specify when we take the time to analyze and organize our teaching through a formal plan. Yes, future planning begins while we are in class when we can see students' reactions and needs. We also consider skills and learning styles when we select the class dynamics to implement. And, planning definitely helps to structure a class. Now, I can see both sides of the coin. I remember that during my first days as a teacher I didin't use formal plans and I know for sure that when planning became part of my teaching practice, the results of my classes were much much better and I started gaining confidence as a teacher.
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DeleteHey, Maria! I also agree with you when you say that you don't always do exactly what you had planned. That is totally right! Sometimes we plan something and the students' attitude was not the one we were waiting for, or sometimes when you are in a convenio, there could be an event or celebration you didn't know about and then your class becomes shorter, and that's when you need to make changes, be creative and do not panic! ;)
DeleteI guess I must be careful or I'll get addicted to this dicussion forum.
DeleteI couldn't agree more with you Mary. Lesson plans have a lot of advantages, but most of all they provide the a great source for reflection on the suitability of class activities. It has also happened to me that sometimes I feel I am over emphasizing on planning or some other times I have had to ignore what I had planned to implement a different action in class but, as you're posting here, I keep on planning. That makes me feel more confident while teaching.
Hi Maria!
DeleteI totally agree with you that sometimes you do not follow the lesson plan as you previously designed it. In fact, I totally believe, that part of our duty as teachers is to be aware and prepare that during the class, there could be unexpected things that may change the flow of what we
prepared in advance. I also strongly believe that when you prepare your lessons, you have a powerful tool in your hands and there are limitless things you can do with it; since recycling activites and keeping a record of your teaching, to redesigning and adapting the ones that need to be change in order to make them suitable for the aoutcome your looking for.
Lesson planning as any other issue has its pros and cons. However, as a teacher I can see more advantages than real disadvantages. While, if I plan my lessons, I can:
ReplyDelete• foresee things going in my class and be prepared.
• have an important tool to help me measure the results of my teaching.
• be formally orientated when guiding my students through the process of learning.
• show professionalism and respect for my students and the teaching practice.
• be ready to take my students through the different aspects they need to reinforce.
• manage time properly and efficiently and distribute time in terms of my students’ needs and the institution requirements.
• make sure that I cover all the contents of the textbook unit and some others as well.
• reflect on my teaching practice in order to ensure continuous improvement to enrich my classes.
I can also understand that as any other tool a plan is just that … “a plan”. Teachers need to understand that plans cannot turn into straight jackets that will limit teaching. Any plan has to be adaptable to the ongoing situations of a class such as the “Magical Moments”, mentioned in chapter 21, or any other unexpected situation that arises. As a teacher, we have to be able to understand and recognize that something that has been planned is not going as well as we thought when planning, and that if it needs to be modified on the spot, we’d better do so. On the other hand, spending hours of planning lessons, activities, assessment, practice, quizzes, resources, gives us the ability to sometimes improvise or parachute in a class where we didn’t have the chance to plan or we had to change the whole plan because of any external factor. Yes, it is always better if we have a plan. Is it necessary? Perhaps not, but is it useful and effective? It is.
Hi Piedad,
DeleteThanks for such a nice post. You mentioned a great point that I like to give you my opinion about. "On the other hand, spending hours of planning lessons, activities, assessment, practice, quizzes, resources, gives us the ability to sometimes improvise or parachute in a class where we didn’t have the chance to plan or we had to change the whole plan because of any external factor. "
I see this idea as one of the advantages of writing a lesson plans which has not been mentioned before. Teachers who plan their lessons have this advantage over teachers who do not write lesson plans and just think of activities or make a list of things to do in class. Practice makes perfect and those teachers who are able to adapt writing lesson plans in their daily routines are indeed better prepared to deal with classes in many different ways.
Thanks a lot
As usual, I love your comment. I totally agree with you when you say that it is always better to have a plan. No matter how stressfull it might be, it is always effective and useful. It is the main resource we have as teachers. You mention the point about reflection on our teaching practice and let me tell you this one of the key advantages of planning. I can perfectly remember how awful my first planning was and also the result of that first class because I still keep that planner. Looking back, I can say I have improved a lot!!
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DeletePiedad, really like your take on lesson planning. Two things I loved were that one, you can measure your own results. Two, we can reflect on our teaching practices. This last element really shows us who we are and where we are heading to if we are heading somewhere.
DeleteThe teaching process is an amazing road where we can have wonderful experiences and learn each day to improve it. That’s why, as teachers, we need to be organized and focused on the goal we want to achieve and what we expect our students to get or achieve as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the list of advantages and disadvantages of having a lesson plan by Himanshu Mallick, I found very interesting the fact that he mentioned more advantages than disadvantages. This made me ask myself: Why should I avoid doing something that makes my work better and easier?
A lesson plan is the resource a teacher has to improve his work every day, it’s the tool to be organized, responsible and committed to what he does, not only with himself as a teacher, but also with his students and his work. This tool, this resource, this strategy, gives teachers the opportunity to follow a sequence in the teaching-learning process; it provides clear and complete details about what teachers need to do in a class or several classes; it also helps teachers to improve every day, and more.
I think I could continue expressing all the positive thoughts and opinions I have about having a lesson plan because I strongly agree with the fact of having one. The lack of a lesson plan makes myself feel completely lost and I think I’d give my students a bad impression (improvising, wasting time, useless, etc).
Finally, thinking at least about a disadvantage of having a lesson plan, I could say “the time”. The teaching work never ends, so sometimes we sacrifice our free time to prepare our lessons, but I think it’s worthy when we enjoy putting it into practice and feeling proud of ourselves to provide students a good class.
Rosana E.
The point you just brought up about the time we invest on tailoring a lesson plan was also the disadvantage I saw. Yes, I can not deny all the benefits of a lesson plan but sometimes it makes our job so mechanical and it slaves us. that´s why I said recycling, reusing and restructuring might be one way to make this burden feel a little bit lighter.
DeleteHi Rosana,
DeleteI found your comment very honest and easy to understand. I feel very much like you about lesson planning. The disadvantage you mentioned is something that many teachers use as an excuse but at the end of the day I see planning is more an investment of time that would help you do a better job.
I also think Edward has a point when it says that reusing the lesson plans with adaptations can be a strategy to reduce the amount of time we spend planning.
Thanks
Lesson planning deals with different aspects which shape the way we teach as well as the way our students see our teaching. Planning a lesson talks a lot about us as professionals. I personally believe that when a teacher does not prepare class, s/he is not improvising but inventing things on the go. Improvising means making or fabricating out of what is conveniently on hand (in this case a lesson plan). Planning allows us to change things depending on different factors such as the mood of our students, available resources, behavior problems, location, and the like. One aspect of lesson planning, which is very important to mention, is the fact that it works as a “cloud” where I can save all my activities and then go back to them whenever I need them. If I don´t have a lesson plan, I will probably do great activities and eventually forget about them. Once I have saved the activities on that “cloud”, I can reflect if they were effective, meaningful and level appropriate or purposeless, meaningless or unlikeable.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I also have to say that lesson planning is time consuming. Sitting down and thinking of all the steps I have to follow to succeed in class as well as the alternative plans kill a lot of our neurons. Lesson plan is a necessary evil. The only thing I would do to change this bittersweet feeling about it is recycle, modify or embellish it depending on my class´ need.
Edward Mario
Edward, I really like the way you think.
Deletealthought lesson planning is time-consuming, it would be a good idea to recycle, modify and adjust to the students' needs and interests all those highly effective, productive activities we have delivered in class and have the chance to reuse them over and over again successfuly with other classes. .
Congrats on another great post Dr. Mario.
DeleteI agree five hundred percent with you on the fact that lesson planning works a “cloud” where teachers can save all their activities and then go back to them whenever they need them. I would say a committed teacher takes into account what Ss have previously done and that helps him/her set appropriate class objectives.
Hi Edward,
DeleteYour concept of "the cloud" is a very nice one. I normally use many of my previous lesson plans to collect activities I have done and I might use again with different topics or levels. Lesson plans allow teachers to have a "memory", one that we can use to make further classes even better than the ones we have taught before and that is something that is priceless.
Thanks a lot
I love the word "cloud" Edward. This is so true if we are organized indeed. I agree with the idea that being organized requires a great deal of effort, but it is at the same time burdersome but necessary.
DeleteAfter analyzing all the benefits and drawbacks of lesson planning, there is no doubt that it is a vital component of the teaching-learning process since having a lesson plan will keep teachers organized and on track while teaching, thus allowing them to teach more, help students reach objectives more easily and manage less. Besides, it is possible to affirm that the better prepared the teacher is, the more likely she/he will be able to handle whatever unexpectedly happens in the lesson.
ReplyDeleteSo, based on my own experience as a teacher, I would like to share some personal ideas of why lesson plans are very important on the teaching process. For instance; a lesson plan:
• Helps teachers to be clear about what they want to teach and to be more confident when delivering the lesson.
• Helps teachers to be ready to cope with whatever happens in the classroom because when teaching it is possible to face unpredictable situations.
• Is a proof that the teacher has taken a considerable amount of effort in his/her teaching.
• Makes students realize that the teacher cares for their learning and makes them appreciate their teacher’s work as a model of well-organized work to imitate.
Nevertheless, we need to take into account that lesson plans only express your intentions, they can be considered as projects, which need to be implemented in a real classroom with real students. Many things may happen which you had not anticipated; therefore, in the end you need to adapt your plans in order to respond to your students´ actual needs and interests. Finally, I want to share with you Jim Scrivener’s words: “Prepare thoroughly. But in class, teach the learners not the plan”.
Octavio Consuegra S.
Hi Octavio,
DeleteThanks for sharing your ideas. I loved that final line in your post. It is really inspiring. I agree with your view on the importance of lesson planning and keeping in mind the benefits you mentioned I think we are pretty much in the same boat.
I guess it is our duty to make other teachers understand this importance and help them to include lesson planning as a routine in their professional practice which will at the end impact the quality of the classes they teach.
Take care
The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious.
ReplyDeleteMarcus Aurelius
There may be thousands of reasons on why it is advisable or not to keep a lesson plan for every class we teach, but as far as I am concerned, every class deserves a lesson plan as it involves the most important target: students.
I would like to point out some of my beliefs upon the advantages of keeping a written lesson plan for every class we teach.
1. Organization provides a clear vision of your teaching tasks, so you’ll know exactly where you take your students from and where you’re leading them.
2. Nowadays, students hold a lot more knowledge skills and they know when the person in charge is improvising.
3. Organization conveys respect. If students feel their teacher is interested in their learning, they will be more interested in learning as well.
4. Teachers who keep lesson plans have better resources to design appropriate class objectives and evaluation.
5. Lesson plans allow teachers establish a supportive social climate I the classroom that make students be more likely to be receptive to learning.
Of course nothing guarantees the success of a class. A lesson plan is a great beginning, but there is a job in the development of the class that needs to be done and this is why the human factor plays the most important role.
Ave Juan Pachecus,
DeleteThere was a line in your comment that really hit me. "every class deserves a lesson plan" I think the power in this short phrase really reflects the way professional teachers should feel about lesson planning. Keeping in mind all of the benefits lesson planning has, there is no doubt in me it is the most professional and responsible way of treating our classes.
I want to thank you for your reflection and I will for sure use that phrase (of course giving you credit) next time I am talking about lesson planning with any of my trainees.
Have a lovely day.
Juan Pacheco, I loved the the phrase: "A supportive social climate". I believe that results in the assessment assess will indicate whether our lesson plan was successful or not. I loved the idea that our lesson plan needs to offer or create or instill a supportive social climate.
DeleteREAD IT AT YOUR OWN RISK
ReplyDelete(needed to call attention to such a long diatribe. After all it is a paradox)
In my more than twenty-five years as a language teacher, I have been through the whole spectrum of lesson planning: from having no real idea of what I was going to teach to designing such elaborate lesson plans that I knew I would probably not be able to complete in practice but were just great to impress supervisors; from having the coursebook define my lesson plan to writing post-it notes attached to the textbook as cheat sheets and probably others not mentioned in textbooks, like borrowing coworkers’ lesson plans hoping they would work for my class ( never actually done it but still posible). In other words, I can easily say “been there, done that” about both sides of the lesson planning paradox. And I am just voicing what is probably the thought of many an experienced language teacher.
Being both a teacher and a teacher trainer has put in the position of resenting having to submit a lesson plan on a weekly basis to telling teachers that they must submit lesson plans as part of their teaching responsibilities.
My position of being for planning lessons lies in the fact that everything that is carefully planned yields better results than going into the battlefield unprepared (“Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory”. Cervantes). When we take the time to go through the syllabus, analize the unit content and thoroughly think about how we are going to help our students achieve learning goals through interactive, student-centered activities, we are showing both the institution that gave us a vote of confidence by hiring us and our students the respect that they deserve. And the best way to ensure we do not leave anything out is by writing a lesson plan.
I personally think that teachers have many options to choose from: ready-made forms, standard lesson plans, custom-made lesson plans, etc. The result at the end is the same: having a documented lesson gives you the opportunity to refer back to previously covered content and reflect on your own teaching and be able to modify, adapt, reteach, reassess, be flexible. It is also a great tool to bring to teacher-parent conferences to show concerned parents what was covered, how their child’s progress and performance was assessed, or even to cover your back in case there are complaints.
The day I was “forced” to submit a weekly lesson plan every Monday morning was a blessing in disguise: I was able to deliver more productive, interesting lessons to my almost four hundred PreK-3 to 8th-grade students and I became such a pro that I ended up submitting short but practical lesson plans on Friday afternoons before leaving for the weekend.
Talk about preparedness, preparedness, preparedness.
Hi Lidia,
DeleteI took the risk and I survived to tell my story. The first paragraph of your post made me think about my own development as a teacher. I think it is good for teachers to walk the path of lesson planning the way you have walked it. Once you have gone through different stages in your professional life you are able to see back and give things the value they have.
Your post made me think about the way we sometimes demand all teachers, novice and expert, to comply with some requirements they might not be ready to deal with depending on the level they are in terms of growing professionally and it is our task to help them improve everyday.
Thanks
I loved the idea that a lesson plan allows me to modify,adapt, reteach, reassess, and be flexible. This is key to lesson planning. We should take things with a grain of salt instead of jumping into the ocean just to see what happens. Thank you Lydia.
DeleteTo plan or not to plan? that is the question!!
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the topic of this forum, the only answer that came to my mind was: For sure!!! You have to plan!!! there is no way I am entering classroom without preparing my lesson first. However, I decided to read the chapter about the lesson planning paradox and the list posted here again, in case I was missing something.
After reading them and analyzing the pros and cons of lesson planning, I am more convinced that there are more benefits rather than disadvantages; in fact, I would call them challenges instead of drawbacks since they are the opportunity to test yourself how well prepare you are to teach a topic, to deal with unexpected things during the class process and to improvise without losing the focus of your class.
Lesson planning is a sign of professionalism,respect for your students, and respect for your knowledge. If a "jungle path" or a "corridor" teacher can improvise a class just with the things s/he gets during the process itself, imagine what you can do with all the ideas or activities that you previously prepare?
When I prepare my lessons, there are endless benefits:
- It helps me to keep a record of my teaching.
-It shows the students I care, therefore, they will trust in me, so they will be more confident to partipate in class and to get the most of it.
- It provides a map for further trips (lessons) so, you can know which path to take in order to achieve the objective you are teaching for.
- It is a tool you can play with, you can explore, create, adapt your own teaching techniques according to your students needs.
- It is definitely, a vital part of the teaching process as it maks the route you need to follow in order to accomplish a positive outcome with your students.
Lesson planning is not a straightjacket, it is not mandatory to follow by heart everything you prepare beforehand. You are free to make changes during the development of it, take different ways, ,redesign an activity or even change a whole task if it means your students are going to get the best of it. And that is the best part of lesson planning!!!
CREATE, DESIGN, ADAPT, CHANGE!!!
Well said Brenda. I agree when you say it`s not a straightjacket. I`ve been there. I`ve had to make changes during the development because students responses and points of view vary and sometimes ends up in a succesful class because they see things from a different perspective.
DeleteHi Brenda,
DeleteYou were able to describe different perspectives of the ways teachers could approach lesson planning. I am all for lesson planning and that is why I feel your ideas could give a teacher different alternatives.
For some teachers lesson planning is an evil but I do think it can be an angel. A lesson plan can be a teacher's best friend, always there guiding us and helping us and our students to reach our objectives.
Way to go Brenda.
Having a planned lesson is always going to be better. I mean, not all planned lessons have excellent results and not all unplanned lessons become a nightmare, but I consider that if you teach good lessons without planning them, you will be better at teaching with a guide.
ReplyDeleteHere I post some of the advantages lesson plans have:
First of all, lesson plans help you keep a structure: if you have activities assigned to every moment in a class it is very difficult to lose control of it even when you have disruptive students, taking into account that those are the first who notice when there is not an arranged set of tasks.
Secondly, lesson planning lets you track progress and problems; by doing this, you can know if students are not learning a topic and if a different strategy should be should be implemented.
I also agree with the point ten of the list of advantages Mr. Mallick offers: writing a lesson plan helps you understand the goals proposed and makes you go over the activities to check if they benefit the objectives you and your class have.
Last but not least, an advantage of lesson planning is the amount of records you get after doing it frequently, the opportunity it gives you to share with other teachers and compare what works for each one.
As some of my partners have mentioned, the only disadvantage lesson planning has can be the time consumed when writing it, but I think it is something temporary once you do it on a daily basis you get used to it and helps you be organized. “Remember practice makes perfect” or at least teaches you.
Hello, Lilibeth. I agree with your second advantage for lesson planning. Plans are a great source for action plans. What didn’t turn out just as we expected give us a lot of opportunities to revise how we implement those activities the next time. Also, I never thought about planning and its connection to maintaining discipline in the classroom, but it seems to me that they are definitely linked. Thanks for this new perspective!
DeleteHI Lilibeth,
DeleteThe second advantage you mentioned is what I would call a "gold mine" for teachers. Written lesson plans when used as sources of information are indeed a great way of helping your students improve because they give you a chance to tailor your classes keeping in mind the development of the whole process.
Besides that, we can take a look at the things we have done and we can change or modify things so they work better. So teachers can find lots of things if they take some time to peruse previous plans and depart from the knowledge they gather.
Great post.
Dear Lili,
DeleteI love your opinion, especially, the idea that a lesson plan helps you keep a structure not to lose control. Also you mention the notion of tracking down students' progress. These two elements, to me, are important because we can not go to a class without a compass and without medicine for the academic ills of students. Thank you for sharing.
Something that really caught my eye about this post was the title for the pages that contained the issue we are addressing now—“The Planning Paradox”. So, for this post I would like to break this problem into two main questions to consider.
ReplyDelete1. Why is planning paradoxical?
So, what is a paradox? And, why can planning a lesson end up being paradoxical? We can understand paradoxes as illogical outcomes that shock our common sense, given a previous happening or idea that is apparently sound and logical. These paradoxes are present in every aspect of our lives. In terms of teaching and planning, and planning being paradoxical, a few words were striking for me in Harmer’s account for this problem, especially the ideas of “mental structure” and “closing off avenues of possible evolution and development”.
These concepts give a me hint that when (and if) we plan a lesson, it is because we consider pedagogy as one of the applied sciences, and lesson planning is like a procedural canon that we accept across the board in our teaching communities. So, for me the paradox is that even if we carefully plan a lesson, we may end up missing those “flesh-and-blood”, “here-and-now” learners. This basically means that what we do in terms of planning doesn’t necessarily foster learning in the ways we predict. These pages from our book got me to think that trying to stringently control and predict what happens throughout a lesson, may hinder the most valuable asset of the learning process-meaningfulness.
2. What’s my take on the “planning continuum”?
I think that the linear and mechanistic paradigm to approach planning doesn’t mean that emotions, spontaneity and even chaos can’t be a part of our learning experience. Recently, one colleague told me that it is important to plan and to be organized in teaching because it shows just how much you like this profession, and how committed you are. But she said, too, that among her worst lessons were some that she had planned carefully and intently, and among some of her best lessons were a couple for which she was totally unprepared. Honestly, I’ve been there before, too.
So, my position on planning is that is impossible to replicate continuously any of the teaching profiles in the continuum (like the “jungle teacher”), because if we do, our classes and our learners will suffer in the end. I think that a healthy attitude would be devising “open” plans. I’m thinking of plans that are not canned, plans in which the closure is just the following question: what’s next for me (as an instructor), and what is next for my learners so these plans are not something to just control and predict, but something to bring a meaningful experience to the class?
HI Miguel,
DeleteWhat a nice post. I want to thank you and all of your partners for taking this activity so seriously. I am getting lots of great ideas and learning a lot from your comments. I loved the way you approached the discussion by answering the two questions.
Your conclusion is a very valuable one. Taking planning beyond the fact of making a collection of well-presented activities linked in a perfect sequence. Planning as a tool to undergo the way to professional growth. Looking at teaching as a craft, as an art that can not be perfect but which is always a work in progress.
The idea of using lesson planning as point of departure to improve the way we deliver our classes would for sure help us find the right path in the middle of the paradox.
Thanks a million.
With organization comes empowerment. Lynda Peterson
ReplyDeleteI cannot be more convinced that a well-organized and planned class gives us the opportunity to become better teachers day after day. Through all these years of experience, I have noticed a lot of benefits off planning ahead. Although the activities we prepare for a single class sometimes do not have the effect we expected, that does not mean we did a bad job. It means that we have the chance to revise how we can implement them to have better results next time.
I think that having a plan gives you the power to keep your students interested in what they are aimed to learn and willing to acquire all the knowledge you have for them. You will also be able to organize, adapt, vary the activities depending of the different kind of students you have. Sometimes we have to create two different lesson plans for the same level but because of the type of students we deliver the class to.
Even though planning takes time, it`s a great tool to use. Not only because it will make you feel confident but because it will help you achieve your goals in the class. You know what you are doing and where you want to go, the contents we that have to be covered and of course, managing the time appropriately. In my last post, one of the elements I would include when planning was new vocabulary because it is very important to know new words, expressions so when students ask you questions about it, you will be able to help them and in this way they can also see your professionalism and that you respect and take care of their learning process. And not only new vocabulary, you can also include extra activities. Of course, because you never know, and you have a backup plan or two or three. Just in case.
Gina ;)
I couldn´t agree more with you Gina. Having a lesson plan doesn`t mean that the class has to be perfect, but it helps a lot to know what didn´t work in order to have better results next time. And that´s one of the many advantages of planning a lesson.
DeleteI totally agree with you gina! planning takes time but it is worth the effort. Can you imagine a level 11-B class at 6:30 PM without a lesson plan?
DeleteAfter reading all the comments you guys have made, it is a challenge for me to write something about planning without repeating your words. So, as I always do, I am going to explain my point of view based on my own teaching experience. Harmer’s Book gave me also some clues to develop my ideas.
ReplyDeleteHaving analyzed the chapter about lesson Planning I have come up with a new concept of planning: our proposal of action in order to have dynamic environments in the classroom in which students react with each other and also with the language and the teacher. This “proposal” is essential, important, and vital because it gives us the chance to:
1. Prepare our plan of what is expected to happen in our lesson. Beginning with the objectives, which must be specific and directed towards an outcome that can be measured.
2. Recycle activities from previous classes to/ from other colleagues, supervisors, trainers, etc.
3. Organize timing. It is advisable to know how and when one activity leads into another, as well as when one stage has finished and another is about to begin.
4. Plan strategies, materials, resources and everything we need to deliver an excellent class. It does not mean everything is going to work out but at least we have a good support to follow.
5. Outdo our teaching practice. The more we plan, the more effective we are.
6. Show our professionalism and respect for our students. As teachers we are “open letters”. Our students can read and infer that we make a big effort in our teaching.
7. Anticipate potential problems in the class and predict potential obstacles. When listing anticipated problems, it is a good idea to think ahead to possible solutions we might adopt.
8. Lead the whole process from the very beginning of the period to the end in order to keep record of what our students need and want. We are able to reflect on what the students need to practice or reinforce a little bit more.
In this simple way, my P.R.O.P.O.S.A.L of action is this one!!!. ( The first letter of every point was supposed to be bigger but the edition did not give the chance to post it as I had planned).
Feel free to take advantage of it!!
Hi Jennifer,
Deleteyour analysis was on the spot and your interpretation even more so. I would have done the same, but then I would just be plagiarizing what you had said. I like what you said about teachers being open letters to our students and I do agree with that. It certainly does show proffesionalism if we plan our classes and inevitably shows respect to our students, as it demontrates that we actually care about thier learning process.
Nice one Jenny!
Wow Jen!! Your PROPOSAL is fantastic. I think it is a good way to remind us the importance of lesson planning. I strongly agree with point seven, here we can think of the possible issues that can come up during the class time and offer plans A,B, C etc. to solve them.
DeleteI believe that having a lesson plan is necessary for every class that we teach as it will help us keep in mind the class objective(s). It will also enable us to follow on from the previous class and will thus direct us to our next class. As human beings, we are prone to forgetting, the lesson plan offers valuable guidance to the teacher and acts as a reminder of what needs to be done in class and the route that needs to be taken. However, there arises situations in the classroom where the teacher may sway from the plan by incorporating a different activity or doing something different depending on how the class unfolds.
ReplyDeleteLesson planning may be time-consuming, yet it pays-off in different ways in the end. Such ways being that it helps the teacher stay organized. The teacher may use this lesson plan for future classes, therefore saving future time in the process. Putting your ideas down on to paper and then putting it into action will inevitably help the teaching process as it stimulates thought. It also allows you to go over your plans and improve them with experience.
So, is lesson planning necessary? Definitely! The advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages. In my opinion, not lesson planning is really just a sign of either being extremely confident in improvising, or it is just laziness in not doing so! Controversial! What do you guys think?
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ReplyDeleteThe planning paradox is a pandora's box that Harmer (2010) delves into in great detail. By the same token, all teachers in this wonderful forum have shared their opinions wisely.
ReplyDeleteAs time has progressed and as responsibilities suffocate our lives as teachers, we are left with a quandary: should we or should we not prepare our classes?
Harmer (2007) suggests that we should do it (have a written lesson plan) bearing in mind "magic moments" (p.366) In these junctures we find precious situations to show our students that we respect them and care for them. My critique to this is that sometimes students' comments may derail our lessons from a planned objective. Yet, we could answer: "can we talk about this after class?" In this second moment, we also show that we care for our students' needs and we do annihilate our lesson plan.
Keeping the above into account I consider that a lesson plan can help me first have a perspective of what my students need, based on needs assessment surveys provided at the beginning of the course. Second, a lesson plan will help me focus on a sequence rather than spending time beating around the bushes teaching disconnected events.
A third detail that is worth mentioning is unforeseen problems. A good plan will help me come out of the woods and come out successfully if I have a plan B instead of only having a fixed plan A. For example, When I teach vocabulary I bring my computer projector and my computer as well. I depend on the internet, but our Internet Providers are at times unreliable. If I can not show my students an activity online, I then use plan B. I pull out copies from my bag and keep the class going.
A fourth element that is part of the nuts and bolts of my lesson plan is that a well-kept lesson plan can help me keep a good record and can serve as evidence for action research (Harmer, 2010). For example, observing that some students do well in grammar in class makes me very happy. Yet, 30% struggle to catch up with the rest of the class. A well kept record of my lesson plans will help me see what I am not doing with those students and why I am failing to serve them properly.
In conclusion, lesson planning will help me have a future perspective. it will also keep me focused. It will help me diagnose unforeseen problems and the cherry on the cake is that lesson planning can help us when we conduct action research. I thus wrap my opinions up by saying that planning a lesson beforehand has more benefits than drawbacks.
After reading the list of advantages and disadvantages of having a lesson plan, I still consider that planning a lesson is the best thing a teacher can do before teaching a class. I think taking the time to organize your classes and having a lesson plan help you optimize teaching and learning process in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI don´t agree with the fact that if you plan a lesson, the teaching process becomes more difficult. For me it is the opposite, planning a lesson leads you to succeed in making your students to achieve the goals of your class.
As we all have stated, planning a lesson allows you to help your students reach objectives more easily, it also helps you to be clear about what you want to teach, and be ready for dealing with whatever unexpected situation that happens in your class.
So, for me it is very important and necessary to have a lesson plan for every single class we teach, because somehow we as teachers can have everything under control even though sometimes things don´t go as planned.
Hello Ruth,
DeleteI also think lesson plans are important and we all need to have one. No matter what we use, in my opinion, it doesn't have to be a beautiful format, it could be a notebook where you organize the sequence of your class. It should reflect your professionalism when preparing a class. Moreover, students can see a logical pattern to the lesson even if there are three separate activities.
In my opinion lesson planning isn’t really a paradox. I mean, the author points out some very relevant facts about lesson planning contrasted with “Jungle path teaching” but if I reduce the context to the classes we teach at the Colombo and after some time of teaching the same levels repeatedly I can tell that I don’t need a written lesson plan for the level one or the level two and at the same time I can’t imagine myself teaching a level eleven class without having at least an organized list of activities.
ReplyDeleteHowever,There are some aspects that make me think lesson planning is, if not better, at least more convenient than just letting things “flow” in the classroom:
1. A lesson plan gives a unique opportunity to structure my class in a logical way.
2. A written lesson plan gives me more control of the time and a clear view of the objectives.
3. More experienced students can see when a lesson has (or hasn’t) been planned; that can influence in the way they see you as a professional and thus affect your credibility.
4. A lesson plan is useful to write down vocabulary lists, questions students might ask, having plan-B activities etc. and all these little things just can improve your lesson.
In conclusion, every teacher can decide the need of a lesson plan based on his or her very personal experience but going to a classroom you don’t know well to teach something you are not very familiar with… and not having a written guide to help yourself…seems to me like an “anything goes” scenario where everything can happen. Well in those cases you need a lot of inspiration…and a lesson plan, of course.
We all as teachers need to do some planning on our classes as a way to guide and focus our efforts to teach students. It is important to know where we are going, that is, to define the learning goals students need to achieve and plan how students are going to reach those goals. When planning our classes, we perfectly know what kind of activities to include in order to succeed in the learning process, and that can be done through different resources such as; exercises, readings, cards, role plays etc.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned before, a good lesson plan can anticipate problems and thus, we can plan ahead how to avoid or handle them. We have a clear view of what exactly is it that we are going to do when we get in the class. Probably we've all had the experience of studying for an exam and feel we really know the content required for it, but until we are not really asked to apply all the concepts in the test, we're not really aware of having understood the material. When somebody explains someone certain content, that person needs to understand the material in advanced, that’s why lesson plans are important, to prepare ourselves for the class.
Planning also allows us anticipate equipment, tools, aids and other supporting material. All efforts to organize a class help us save time as well. As we write a lesson plan, at least in the paper, we keep exactly what we need. Once in class, this plan works as a guiding tool and the fact that the classes are planned, gives a sense of confidence to the teacher as well as to the students because it shows that the teacher has devoted time to thinking about the class and the best way to make it work.
I really think they are useful, and whatever the lesson plan looks like, we should not just think of them as set of instructions to be followed but rather an action plan for what the learning outcomes for the lesson should be. It shouldn’t be a straitjacket because we all need to be flexible enough with unforeseen events.
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading several posts, scanning others but going through all of them, I've decided to speak my mind about my colleagues' input in one general post.The wording may have been different, but the content is pretty much the same, they all agree that lesson planning plays a key role in the organization and effectiveness of a class. They are also aware that a lesson plan does not guarantee a successful or interesting class, but it does help an effective teacher to deliver his or her class with the purpose of getting students to reach their learning goals.
ReplyDeleteThey may not be willing to write lesson plans all the time, but they can definitely design killer ones. They have gone beyond the main ingredients that make a good lesson plan and come up with ingenious ideas to tackle unforeseen situations whenever they arise in a classroom.
Of all the times I have observed this elite group of teachers, I have rarely asked to see their lesson plans, but I can easily say, based on these comments and class observations, that not only do they talk the talk, but they also walk the walk!. They deliver in the classroom! Hats off to all of them!
I am interesting this guidence website for educational Building and Fucntional of mindmapping or Brainstroming of our minds
ReplyDelete