Creating a lesson plan aims to make lessons so effective that they will facilitate adult learners learning and increase their effectiveness. What does the ideal plan have to include? How should it be prepared? Read this article to find the answers to these questions!
A tailor-made plan
The ideal ESL Lesson Plans should be tailored to the particular group of students: their needs, skills and goals. They should include an element of challenge but at the same time they should not overwhelm the students with either too much material or too much intensity. A lot depends on the person or the group because everyone has their own preferences. Knowing them, you can tailor the material to the students expectations.
Division into parts
Generic ESL Lesson Plans are not good plans because it is the details and the division into different parts that often contribute to success. Writing down the objectives and the ways to achieve them can be called a concrete plan. The modules: writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary and grammar should also be written out in detail and should include information about the time to be spent on each part. There should be a clear distinction between the theoretical issues and the practical part, and its purpose should be indicated, e.g. the introduction of a new issue or its consolidation.
Various topics
Even related topics can be presented in different ways and different topics can be chosen so that they can be used in many ways. Diversity should be evident in many aspects of lesson planning, from vocabulary to grammar. Even using a single thematic module, e.g. new technologies, many different topics and issues can be discussed that is conducive to mastering new concepts and grammatical structures.
Attractive materials included in the plan
However, the thematic scope and diversity of modules is not yet the way to create the perfect ESL Lesson Plans. Unfortunately, nowadays more and more students pay attention to the aesthetics of the materials, especially during online lessons. The materials should be visually appealing and colourful, e.g. graphics, memes and charts are a must-have plan for every online lesson! A great way to add variety is to use multiple formats: graphics, videos and extracts from the press or newspaper. The best idea is to use authentic materials that will familiarise adult students with the native speakers accent but also allow them to practise their listening comprehension skills properly. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that they are up-to-date and concern national or world news.
