How to Get Ready for Unforeseen Circumstances in The Classroom?
There can be a lot of difficulties a teacher might face in the future lesson. You might have to manage a class without any help or you might have students from different nationalities, ages, interests or so on. I believe, however, that most of the problems you might have would be solved if you planned the lessons carefully in advance. There are some reasons to support my idea.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eri S.
What’s your lesson goal?
First, you can find what you should exactly do in a lesson as a part of a whole course by planning the lesson in advance. Otherwise, you go forward with your lesson aimlessly and you might lose sight of the final goal of the lesson. It is important to understand what the goal of the lesson is and what the students should learn in the lesson. Also, there are so many things teachers have to keep in mind in the lesson, so writing and organizing a plan before the lesson is necessary for every teacher.
Also Read: The Importance of Diagnostic Tests in an ESL Classroom
You can manage your class anyways
Second, even if you run into a something unanticipated problem in a classroom, you could control the class smoothly. This is because you may think up many alternative plans in case something happens in the classroom. For example, if the worksheet you prepare will be too difficult for the student, you can substitute other activities for the worksheet. Also, you can use your previous activities if you record your lesson plans.
Also Read: Do TEFL teachers need a second language?
Know your students
Finally, as there would be many different types of students in a classroom, a teacher should deal with their students depending on the student’s personalities. For example, the difference between right and wrong manners in the classroom is not easily defined because religion and culture play a significant role in these beliefs. Therefore it is not easy to teach students the right answer but, even so, I think it is very important to try. The second example is that the student’s English pronunciation is sometimes completely different from their own country’s pronunciation and it takes some time for learners to get used to the phonetics of real English. Let’s say, comparing Japanese to English, Japanese has as few as 5 vowels and 15 consonants. On the other hand, English has as many as 12 sounds of vowels and 24 consonants. Teachers should know this difference and how to pronounce English accurately. Japanese teachers know the difficulties Japanese students often encounter in learning English and this means that they can give relevant advice to students. It is hard for Japanese people to differentiate between “R” and “L”. It is also difficult for Japanese students to understand and master the use of the tenses, the articles, and the singular and plural forms. It is difficult to teach these things to Japanese students unless teachers plan the lesson well in advance.
Also Read: How can an instructor effectively use games with adult EFL students?
Are you ready to teach ESL classes?
As I mentioned, for the aforesaid three reasons, I think it is very important to plan a lesson in advance. I know, however, there are some people who think it’s not a good idea to plan a lesson in advance because it can be a more teacher-centered lesson. Even so, I strongly believe that a well-planned lesson helps students to learn English more effectively and also it could be an asset for the teacher.
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