The Importance Of A TEFL Lesson Plan

So, you’ve passed The TEFL Academy TEFL course and you’re on way to your first job. One of the things you will need to get used to a TEFL lesson plan.  This blog identifies some key tips for lesson planning.

What is a TEFL lesson plan?

A TEFL lesson plan outlines the day’s lesson. It is usually written down in advance. It helps you to time your lessons correctly, focus your aims and anticipate problems.

What should be included in a TEFL lesson plan?

You need to write down your aims for that particular class. What area of grammar are you going to cover and how you will go about it. For example, if you decide that the lesson will cover the future continuous, you could include:

• Explanation on the whiteboard
• Talking about holiday plans for the summer
• Ask what students are doing now then get them to tell you what they ‘will be doing’ at some point in the future
• Practice with a class partner
• An exercise on paper such as a gap fill or writing an email
• Pinpoint any problems that come up and repeat the explanation

You can also use games and puzzles to keep your students interested. If it’s a new class, you might want to include an ice-breaker at the beginning of the lesson.

Should I always stick to the TEFL lesson plan?

No. That’s the one thing you’ll soon learn as you get more experienced. If, for example, you start to teach a class and they get very animated about what they are going to do for their holidays. Let them carry on talking. It gives your students confidence. It will also help them to perfect their pronunciation. It’s a good opportunity to walk around the class and listen to your students. Just make sure they are sticking to English!