Teach English in JiA'ergAlesaihan Zhen - Alashan Meng — Alxa

Lesson Planning: why is it important for a teacher to plan a lesson? Lesson Planning is of paramount importance when we talk about teaching and learning systems. However, it will be of paramount importance to first of all define what a lesson plan is all about before diving into the topic of discussion. A lesson plan in general terms can be defined as a detailed step by step guide that carefully outlines the teacher’s objectives for what the students will learn during the lesson and how they will go about learning it. A lesson plan is often referred to as a teachers working document. Over the years, different scholars have come out with different descriptions as to how a lesson plan should be structured and its importance. However, it is very important to plan a lesson so as to enhance a teacher’s flexibility to be able to meet up with the needs of the students. We cannot directly answer the question as to why it is important for a teacher to plan a lesson without first of all examining how a lesson is been planned. Lesson plans have no specific format and could be formal or informal but however the teacher needs to try as much as possible to keep it clear and simple and also pay attention to the structure, and also ensure that each activity is allocated time and directed towards achieving the lesson objectives. Therefore a teacher when planning a lesson should take into consideration the lesson objective. A teacher needs to know and clearly state the lesson objective and goal and it should be clear and able to meet the needs of the students. Consideration should also be given to timing. The teacher should carefully allocate time to each activity at each stage of the lesson and also make provision for time for ‘teacher to students’ interaction and ‘students to students’ interaction especially at the lesson’s interaction phase. The teacher should also consider looking at the necessary materials to be used during the lesson. The teacher needs to make a list of all the required materials to be used during the lesson. The teacher should also check to ensure that all the materials needed are available and in good state and this include checking the sitting arrangements, checking the blackboard to see if it’s clean, checking CDs, videos, computers and everything that the teacher is going to use during his lesson. Anticipated problems generally faced by the students and teachers should also be considered in lesson planning. More so, consideration should be given to the procedure or method the teacher would use to achieve the objectives of the lesson and generally it is always good to start with greetings and warm up so as to motivate the students and get them ready for the lesson. Date, time, number of students and class level, teachers and observers names, are also very vital components of a lesson plan. Finally, students evaluation should be given due consideration when planning lessons. A lesson plan should consider students evaluation through the use of tests, worksheets, oral interviews, dialogues etc to know the level and the ability that the class has with regards to the topic. Now looking at why is it important for a teacher to plan a lesson, we can say without doubt that lesson planning helps a teacher in maintaining a standard teaching pattern and does not let the class or the teacher deviate from it. This helps the teacher to stay focused and flexible as there will be a sense of control and direction while teaching and even if the students get confused or derail from the topic, the teacher will be able to guide them effectively as he will be versed with the subject matter. A lesson plan is also important as it helps a teacher to overcome nervousness and insecurity and arms him with confidence to face and handle his class. Also, a teacher is considered as a role model to the students as he plays a vital role in the growth and development of each student. Planning lessons ahead of time serves as a good example and inspiration to students and the confidence with which the teacher delivers the lesson will make the students to realize how important it is to plan ahead of time and will obviously adopt this habit for other disciplines in their lives. In addition, it is also important for a teacher to always plan lessons as it equips the teacher with opportunities to get out of the box and think out new ways in making his lessons more interesting and effective. Furthermore, it is very important for a teacher to plan lessons ahead of time as it helps both the teacher and students to be organized. Research has showed that an organized teacher is able to deliver a lesson successfully within a given time frame. Organization also helps to save time. Moreover, planning a lesson helps a teacher keep record of work done; materials used which in turn could be of help to another teacher. The importance of lesson planning cannot be over lauded without mentioning the fact that it helps the teacher to determine the level of acquired skills for each and every student which in turn helps the teacher to know how to handle weak students or problems faced by the students in the lesson. To conclude, it will be worthwhile to mention that the driving force behind lesson planning is the motivation for the teacher and hunger to learn more by students. This is what keeps a teacher going. It will be credible to state that a lesson planned ahead of time is beneficial to both the teacher and students and enhance appropriate management of time and resources.