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ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY

ISLAMABAD

Name: Shaukat Hussain Afridi

Registration No:
Roll No:
Programme: PGD TEFL
Assignment / Subject: EFL in the Classroom-II (5662)
Submitted by: Shaukat Hussain Afridi
Submitted to:
Date: 30TH April------------
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Q.1. Define the term dramatization. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of dramatization technique? How role-play can be
used effectively in teaching speaking skills? Discuss it with
examples.

Ans: What is the dramatization method of teaching?

The dramatization teaching method refers to a collection of teaching tools that include
traditional drama techniques, such as improvisation, storytelling, role playing and games. A
lot of emphasis is placed on engaging students through interactive activities. Dramatic
teaching is integrated into many different types of curriculum.

There are many ways to use dramatization teaching methods in the classroom. Teachers can
use it to help students gain deeper insights into lessons, build on concepts and themes or as a
means to test student knowledge. These creative techniques often bring a bit of chaos into the
learning process, and teachers guide their students through this creative chaos while staying
within the framework of the curriculum.

Teachers may choose to use dramatic teaching methods, such as teacher in role, storytelling
or still images. In the teacher in role method, the teacher assumes a character role to guide
discussion on a topic. The teacher may use costuming or props to give the role more depth,
and the teacher answers questions from students while in character. With the storytelling
method, the teacher brings the subject matter to life through the use of stories. The stories
incorporate key information from the course and turn it into a compelling story that is told in
the teacher's own words. With the still images method, the teacher instructs students to form a
circle, and each student takes a turn at recreating a still image with their bodies that
represents a specific topic idea.

Drama games
Drama games, activities and exercises are often used to introduce students to drama. These
activities tend to be less intrusive and are highly participatory (e.g. Bang). There are several
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books that have been written on using drama games that can serve as excellent resources for
anyone wanting to incorporate drama games into their work. Games for Actors and Non-
Actors by Augusto Boal is perhaps the best known internationally and includes writings on
his life work as well as hundreds of games. There are also smaller books however, which
serve as excellent practical guides. For example, Drama Games by Bernie Warren is an
excellent pocket book for someone looking to try drama games for the first time.

Choral speaking

Choral dramatization involves students reading aloud by assigning parts to each group
member. Choral dramatization can use texts such as rhymes, poetry, and picture books.
Students can experiment with voice, sound gesture and movement (Swartz, 1995).

Tableaux

Tableaux involve students creating visual pictures with their bodies, emphasizing key details
and relationships (Wilheim, 2002). Tableaux are frozen scenes and usually involve at least
three levels. Students focus on a focal point, facial expressions, and body language. This
technique is useful for maturing participants' presentational skills as well as audience skills.

Improvisation

Improvisation is the practice of acting and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment
and in response to the stimulus of one‟s immediate environment; see Wikipedia:
Improvisation. Improvisation can be a great introduction to role playing. Students focus on
position, expression and creativity in their impromptu skits.

Role playing

Role playing allows students to play a character in a real or imaginary situation. One of the
simplest forms is where “the student plays himself faced with an imaginary situation.”
(Wilheim, 2002, p. 62) Other strategies have students playing real-life or imaginary
characters in a variety of contexts. Role play can be used throughout many areas of the
curriculum, especially history and language arts to support and strengthen understanding of
content. Below is a list of some common role-play strategies.

1. Reenactment: Students perform scenes from a historical time period or a scene in a

story. “An enactment may be cast in the past, the present, or the future, but always
happens in the „now of time‟” (Wilheim, 2002, p.8). This strategy encourages students
to interact with a text and challenges them to take on the perspective of a character.
2. Extended role play: Students may create the scene that takes place before or after a
story or scene. This strategy helps students to predict and theorize about cause and
effect.
3. Hotseat: Student is interviewed in character. By putting the character from a scene,
event or story on the “stand” students can further explore their understanding of the
content. Other students in the class prepare questions that explore the character and
their conflicts. Students are encouraged to write open-ended questions. Teachers may
wish to model hotseating first by acting as the character in the role. Also, the person
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in the hotseat may have a couple of students who act as their “brain.” They are there
to help answer questions if the person on the hotseat needs them. There are many
variations available for this strategy.
4. Teacher In Role: This strategy is key to involving teacher participation. This strategy
can take on many forms. The teacher may take on the role of a character or figure
from the event, scene or story. The primary objective of this strategy is to allow
students to ask questions and help discover answers to any unresolved issues. The
teacher may also choose to immerse themselves in the scene and take on a role while
interacting with other characters. The primary role in this situation is to further the
evolving drama.
5. Expert panel: Students themselves become an expert. In order to prepare for this role
students must determine what an expert in the area might know. This works well in
history or when focusing on broader issues/topics in literature. This strategy can
unfold by having students meet as a group of experts or by having students meet in
pairs in an interview situation.
6. Writing in role: A variation on the above strategies, students may also write in
character. Often they are asked to imagine themselves as a real or fictitious character
in a particular state or situation. Writing in role can take on many forms including a
journal, letter, monologue, or newspaper article. This is not meant to be a summary of
the story, but instead a further exploration of the character and their interaction with
events.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Drama in an EFL Classroom

The advantages of using drama/theatre in an EFL classroom can be summarized as follows:

1. It increases students‟ motivation, participation, confidence and fluency in the spoken

English as well as communication through the body language.
2. It extends the emotional range of expressions.
3. It develops creativity and spontaneity.
4. It provides opportunities for group and self-expression.
5. It promotes confidence, trust, cooperation and group cohesion.
6. It provides opportunities for group and self-expression.
7. It develops the students‟ performance skills.
8. It fosters verbal and non-verbal communication.
9. It feeds the speakers‟ need to exchange ideas and make decisions.
10.It maximizes students‟ use of English.
11.It ensures students‟ involvement and decision-making.
12.It stimulates authentic conversations that aim at developing conversational
competence among foreign language learners.
13.It serves as a fluency activity.

Disadvantages:
The use of drama in teaching learning situations might sometimes fail for the reasons below:
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1. Activities are artificial. The situations are sometimes and irrelevant to the learner‟s
need.
2. Activities are difficult to monitor both physically and verbally.
3. There is a fear among teachers that drama use may cause sort of uncontrolled fun
among learners.
4. It causes embarrassment and awkwardness, in some situations, especially among adult
learners.
5. It encourages incorrect forms of language as long as the teacher is not encouraged to
correct mistakes immediately so as not to discourage students.
6. Activities may not be suitable to all the class. The activities that succeeded with a
group of students may fail with another.
7. However, these problems could be solved if careful thought and planning are used in
the classroom. Teachers themselves must be convinced of the effective use of such
activities if they want to encourage their students to have a positives attitude towards
language learning in general and above all they must be willing to bring about some
change in the way they are working.

Q.2. What do you mean by the term games? How can games be used at
both elementary and intermediate levels of language learning? Design two
activities for both levels.

Ans: From 'Games for Language Learning'

'Language learning is hard work ... Effort is required at every moment and must be
maintained over a long period of time. Games help and encourage many learners to sustain
their interest and work.' 'Games also help the teacher to create contexts in which the language
is useful and meaningful. The learners want to take part and in order to do so must understand
what others are saying or have written, and they must speak or write in order to express their
own point of view or give information.' 'The need for meaningfulness in language learning
has been accepted for some years. A useful interpretation of 'meaningfulness' is that the
learners respond to the content in a definite way. If they are amused, angered, intrigued or
surprised the content is clearly meaningful to them. Thus the meaning of the language they
listen to, read, speak and write will be more vividly experienced and, therefore, better
remembered. If it is accepted that games can provide intense and meaningful practice of
language, then they must be regarded as central to a teacher's repertoire. They are thus not for
use solely on wet days and at the end of term!' (from Introduction, p. 1)

From 'Six Games for the EFL/ESL Classroom'

'Language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating. Constant effort is
required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language. Well-chosen games are
invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practise
language skills. Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the same time
challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts. They
also encourage and increase cooperation.' 'Games are highly motivating because they are
amusing and interesting. They can be used to give practice in all language skills and be used
to practice many types of communication.'
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From 'Creative Games for the Language Class'

'There is a common perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature, and
that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning. This is
a misconception. It is possible to learn a language as well as enjoy oneself at the same time.
One of the best ways of doing this is through games.'

'There are many advantages of using games in the classroom:

1. Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class.
2. They are motivating and challenging.
3. Learning a language requires a great deal of effort. Games help students to make
and sustain the effort of learning.
4. Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing, listening and
reading.
5. They encourage students to interact and communicate.
6. They create a meaningful context for language use.'

From 'The Use of Games For Vocabulary Presentation and Revision' Using Games

'Many experienced textbook and methodology manuals writers have argued that games are
not just time-filling activities but have a great educational value. W. R. Lee holds that most
language games make learners use the language instead of thinking about learning the correct
forms (1979:2). He also says that games should be treated as central not peripheral to the
foreign language teaching programme. A similar opinion is expressed by Richard-Amato,
who believes games to be fun but warns against overlooking their pedagogical value,
particularly in foreign language teaching. There are many advantages of using games.
"Games can lower anxiety, thus making the acquisition of input more likely" (Richard-Amato
1988:147). They are highly motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more
opportunity to express their opinions and feelings (Hansen 1994:118). They also enable
learners to acquire new experiences within a foreign language which are not always possible
during a typical lesson. Furthermore, to quote Richard-Amato, they, "add diversion to the
regular classroom activities," break the ice, "[but also] they are used to introduce new ideas"
(1988:147). In the easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students
remember things faster and better (Wierus and Wierus 1994:218). S. M. Silvers says many
teachers are enthusiastic about using games as "a teaching device," yet they often perceive
games as mere time-fillers, "a break from the monotony of drilling" or frivolous activities. He
also claims that many teachers often overlook the fact that in a relaxed atmosphere, real
learning takes place, and students use the language they have been exposed to and have
practised earlier (1982:29). Further support comes from Zdybiewska, who believes games to
be a good way of practising language, for they provide a model of what learners will use the
language for in real life in the future (1994:6).'

'Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for any of these reasons, they
should be used just because they help students see beauty in a foreign language and not just
problems that at times seem overwhelming.'

When to Use Games

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'Games are often used as short warm-up activities or when there is some time left at the end
of a lesson. Yet, as Lee observes, a game "should not be regarded as a marginal activity
filling in odd moments when the teacher and class have nothing better to do" (1979:3).
Games ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages. Rixon suggests that games be
used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen.'

'Games also lend themselves well to revision exercises helping learners recall material in a
pleasant, entertaining way. All authors referred to in this article agree that even if games
resulted only in noise and entertained students, they are still worth paying attention to and
implementing in the classroom since they motivate learners, promote communicative
competence, and generate fluency.'

From 'Learning Vocabulary Through Games'

'Games have been shown to have advantages and effectiveness in learning vocabulary in
various ways. First, games bring in relaxation and fun for students, thus help them learn and
retain new words more easily. Second, games usually involve friendly competition and they
keep learners interested. These create the motivation for learners of English to get involved
and participate actively in the learning activities. Third, vocabulary games bring real world
context into the classroom, and enhance students' use of English in a flexible, communicative
way.' 'Therefore, the role of games in teaching and learning vocabulary cannot be denied.
However, in order to achieve the most from vocabulary games, it is essential that suitable
games are chosen. Whenever a game is to be conducted, the number of students, proficiency
level, cultural context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings are factors that
should be taken into account.'

'In conclusion, learning vocabulary through games is one effective and interesting way that
can be applied in any classrooms. The results of this research suggest that games are used not
only for mere fun, but more importantly, for the useful practice and review of language
lessons, thus leading toward the goal of improving learners' communicative competence.'

From 'Using Games in an EFL Class for Children' Why Use Games in
Class Time?
1. Games are fun and children like to play them. Through games children experiment,
discover, and interact with their environment. (Lewis, 1999). Games add variation to a
lesson and increase motivation by providing a plausible incentive to use the target
language. For many children between four and twelve years old, especially the
youngest, language learning will not be the key motivational factor. Games can
provide this stimulus. (Lewis, 1999).
2. The game context makes the foreign language immediately useful to the children. It
brings the target language to life. (Lewis, 1999).
3. The game makes the reasons for speaking plausible even to reluctant children. (Lewis,
1999).
4. Through playing games, students can learn English the way children learn their
mother tongue without being aware they are studying; thus without stress, they can
learn a lot.
5. Even shy students can participate positively.
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How to Choose Games (Tyson, 2000)

1. A game must be more than just fun.

2. A game should involve "friendly" competition.
3. A game should keep all of the students involved and interested.
4. A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the
language itself.
5. A game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific language
material. 'In an effort to supplement lesson plans in the ESL classroom, teachers often
turn to games. The justification for using games in the classroom has been well
demonstrated as benefiting students in a variety of ways. These benefits range from
cognitive aspects of language learning to more co-operative group dynamics.'

General Benefits of Games Affective:

-Lowers affective filter
- encourages creative and spontaneous use of language
- promotes communicative competence
- motivates
- fun
Cognitive:
- reinforces
- reviews and extends
- focuses on grammar communicatively

Class Dynamics:

- student centered
- teacher acts only as facilitator
- builds class cohesion
- fosters whole class participation
- promotes healthy competition

Adaptability:
- easily adjusted for age, level, and interests
- utilizes all four skills
- requires minimum preparation after development

Q.3. Define the term Error Analysis. What are the main stages of
Error Analysis? Discuss with examples.

Ans: Error Analysis

This is a brief overview of error analysis for the reader to understand the main points.
Readers are encouraged to study more in-depth to gain a full appreciation of error
analysis. At the end are guiding questions for the educator to contemplate instruction
and error analysis.
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Error analysis has had a long history as far as second language learning is concerned.
Individuals have always been interested in why errors were made, but in the early years
before WWII there was not a drive for deep research. Also, with behaviorism coming to the
forefront, interest in error analysis began to wane as errors were seen as improperly formed
habits or interference from the native language. However, as contrastive analysis began to
crumble and the mentalist movement started gaining momentum, the emphasis transferred
from the grammatical structure of language to the underlying rules governing language. Error
analysis again emerged into scientific thought and fixated on two elements of the error
produced: 1. what was the error? 2. why was it made?
Stephen Pit Corder is credited with reviving the interest in error analysis with publishing
several articles and providing a basis for research. Corder created five procedures to
analyzing errors (Saville-Troike 2006):
1. Collect samples of learner language
Data is collected over a period of time and compared.
2. Identification of errors
What kind of errors are they? A difference is made between an error and mistake. An error is
where the language learner does not possess the knowledge of the correct usage. A mistake is
where the language learner possesses the knowledge, but has a lapse in memory. An example
of a mistake is when a learner, who knows the distinction between men and women and
pronouns, uses the pronoun „she‟ when referring to a man.
3.Description of errors
Once the mistakes are eliminated from the errors, what classification is the error? Is it
language level (structural- phonology, etc…), general linguistic (passive sentences, etc…) or
specific linguistic elements (nouns, articles, etc…)
4. Explanation of errors
Why was the error made?

 Interlingual (between two languages): the error could be interference from first
language to the second language
 Intralingual (within the language): the error could be developmental which shows a
gap in knowledge of the rule.

5. Evaluation of errors
How serious are the errors? Does it cause a lack of understanding?
These procedural steps would later spawn the interlanguage hypothesis by Larry Selinker,
which asserts the language learner will occupy a limbo state between the rules of the native
language and target language being learned. For now, interlanguage hypothesis will be left
alone as it is an extremely deep concept that warrants its own article and study.
Results
Error analysis was extremely helpful in progressing research to delve deeper into
understanding the errors language learners made. It has been a useful approach that has
generated a lot of research. However, it is not without its faults (Saville-Troike 2006). First,
how does one accurately classify errors? Some errors may be first language interference or an
overgeneralization of a second language rule. Second, as the second language learner
increases in level, the ability to avoid problematic structures becomes more common. Last,
errors alone can not provide details on what the learner actually knows.
How Not to Use
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 Error analysis is not a tool of judgment- it is a tool for helping. For example, a student
may look straight ahead and not answer a question requiring the past tense. This may
lead the educator to think the student is lower level and needs to be re-taught the past
tense, but in reality, the student may have recently been studying the present perfect
and the additional information has him unsure of how to respond

Q.4. Define the following terms briefly:

a) Diagnostic tests
b) Placement tests
c) Assessment tests
d) Progress tests

Ans:
1. Placement Tests.
The aim of a placement test is to help sort new students into teaching groups of
roughly the same level. As they are not related to any particular course taken these
tests often start simply and get more difficult to cater for a range of abilities. We want
to know their general standard rather than test specific language points and a variety
of test activities will give us better results than a single assessment. The subject matter
of any reading and listening texts, speaking and writing tasks is usually based on
common human experience – something everyone can relate to. An interview is
useful as we can gauge the students‟ spoken accuracy and fluency at the same time as
putting a face to a filing number.

There is research to show that just having students repeat a sentence provides a quick
and reasonably accurate marker of ability. Any sentence will do, as long as it‟s not too
short or easy. Try this; the opening sentence of Jane Austin‟s Pride and prejudice: It is
a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune,
must be in want of a wife. Or the beginning of Tolstoy‟s Anna Karenina: All happy
families resemble one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. How
about the first words of Alice in Wonderland; Alice was beginning to get very tired of
sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do. Lastly, Winnie-the-Pooh
starts: Here is Edward bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back
of his head, behind Christopher Robin. All you do is have students come in one by
one, say the sentence, tell the student to repeat and note the number of words the
student says before the repetition breaks down. With lower level students say just the
first part of the last two or say the sentence twice.

If you have twenty students to put in two groups, the ten who managed the greatest
number of words go into one class and the rest into another. I suggest this sentence
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repetition idea as a quick rough and ready way to allocate students to levels when
placement at the start of term has to be done rapidly. It also gives you the opportunity
to meet all the students.

2. Diagnostic Tests.
A diagnostic (also known as formative or progress) test lets you and the students
know how well they have learnt particular course elements and are typically done at
the end of course book units or recent classwork. The test content and question types
should be familiar to students and you should expect a high degree of success as they
know what‟s in the test. The results also show which areas need revising with the
class or individuals.

3. Achievement Tests.
Also called an attainment or summative test, an achievement test aims to measure
what has been learnt over a longer period of time than a diagnostic test. End of course
school tests, as well as externally set exams, show the standard reached and results
can be compared to other students. An achievement test doesn‟t relate to a particular
course book, but to the aims of the syllabus. International exams such as the
Cambridge ESOL suite are an example where the standard required to pass is
consistent year to year. A problem with these tests is that you cannot examine
everything in the course in a few hours, so you have to choose samples. There may be
one discrete item on the third conditional and none on other conditional forms. Does
the test assume that a student getting this item correct can also use the other forms?

4. Proficiency Tests.
Cambridge IELTS and the American TOEFL tests are proficiency tests in that they
aim to provide a snapshot of a candidate‟s ability to apply what they know. Such tests
have a future orientation and are often used by further education bodies, employers
and immigration authorities to determine acceptable standards for applicants. The
question asked is whether their English is good enough to cope with foreseen
demands and a way to try and assess this is by representative testing and purposive
testing. The former is concerned more with the quality of language. You might
assume that correctly filling in a cloze passage means the student grasps the structure
of the language. The latter focuses on effectiveness of communication. Can the
student write an appropriate letter or follow instructions.

These four test types overlap; there are elements of proficiency in the three other
types, but all have to be valid, reliable and practical. A marking scheme has to be
drawn up and results collated. We‟ll consider what to test, how to mark and what
constitutes a pass in another article.
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Q.5. Highlight eight key steps in execution of a good lesson plan in

the light of your text book course code 5662. Illustrate the
importance of lesson planning in language teaching.

Ans: Strategies for Effective Lesson Planning

A lesson plan is the instructor‟s road map of what students need to learn and how it will be
done effectively during the class time. Before you plan your lesson, you will first need to
identify the learning objectives for the class meeting. Then, you can design appropriate
learning activities and develop strategies to obtain feedback on student learning. A successful
lesson plan addresses and integrates these three key components:

 Objectives for student learning

 Teaching/learning activities
 Strategies to check student understanding

Specifying concrete objectives for student learning will help you determine the kinds of
teaching and learning activities you will use in class, while those activities will define how
you will check whether the learning objectives have been accomplished.

Steps for Preparing a Lesson Plan

Below are six steps to guide you when you create your first lesson plans. Each step is
accompanied by a set of questions meant to prompt reflection and aid you in designing your
teaching and learning activities.

(1) Outline learning objectives

The first step is to determine what you want students to learn and be able to do at the end of
class. To help you specify your objectives for student learning, answer the following
questions:

 What is the topic of the lesson?

 What do I want students to learn?
 What do I want them to understand and be able to do at the end of class?
 What do I want them to take away from this particular lesson?
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Once you outline the learning objectives for the class meeting, rank them in terms of their
importance. This step will prepare you for managing class time and accomplishing the more
important learning objectives in case you are pressed for time. Consider the following
questions:

 What are the most important concepts, ideas, or skills I want students to be able to
grasp and apply?
 Why are they important?
 If I ran out of time, which ones could not be omitted?
 And conversely, which ones could I skip if pressed for time?

(2) Develop the introduction

Now that you have your learning objectives in order of their importance, design the specific
activities you will use to get students to understand and apply what they have learned.
Because you will have a diverse body of students with different academic and personal
experiences, they may already be familiar with the topic. That is why you might start with a
question or activity to gauge students‟ knowledge of the subject or possibly, their
preconceived notions about it. For example, you can take a simple poll: “How many of you
have heard of X? Raise your hand if you have.” You can also gather background information
from your students prior to class by sending students an electronic survey or asking them to
write comments on index cards. This additional information can help shape your introduction,
learning activities, etc. When you have an idea of the students‟ familiarity with the topic, you
will also have a sense of what to focus on.

Develop a creative introduction to the topic to stimulate interest and encourage thinking. You
can use a variety of approaches to engage students (e.g., personal anecdote, historical event,
thought-provoking dilemma, real-world example, short video clip, practical application,
probing question, etc.). Consider the following questions when planning your introduction:

 How will I check whether students know anything about the topic or have any
preconceived notions about it?
 What are some commonly held ideas (or possibly misconceptions) about this topic
that students might be familiar with or might espouse?
 What will I do to introduce the topic?

(3) Plan the specific learning activities (the main body of the lesson)

Prepare several different ways of explaining the material (real-life examples, analogies,
visuals, etc.) to catch the attention of more students and appeal to different learning styles. As
you plan your examples and activities, estimate how much time you will spend on each.
Build in time for extended explanation or discussion, but also be prepared to move on quickly
to different applications or problems, and to identify strategies that check for understanding.
These questions would help you design the learning activities you will use:

 What will I do to explain the topic?

 What will I do to illustrate the topic in a different way?
 How can I engage students in the topic?
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 What are some relevant real-life examples, analogies, or situations that can help
students understand the topic?
 What will students need to do to help them understand the topic better?

(4) Plan to check for understanding

Now that you have explained the topic and illustrated it with different examples, you need to
check for student understanding – how will you know that students are learning? Think about
specific questions you can ask students in order to check for understanding, write them down,
and then paraphrase them so that you are prepared to ask the questions in different ways. Try
to predict the answers your questions will generate. Decide on whether you want students to
respond orally or in writing.

 What questions will I ask students to check for understanding?

 What will I have students do to demonstrate that they are following?
 Going back to my list of learning objectives, what activity can I have students do to
check whether each of those has been accomplished?

An important strategy that will also help you with time management is to anticipate students‟
questions. When planning your lesson, decide what kinds of questions will be productive for
discussion and what questions might sidetrack the class. Think about and decide on the
balance between covering content (accomplishing your learning objectives) and ensuring that
students understand.

(5) Develop a conclusion and a preview

Go over the material covered in class by summarizing the main points of the lesson. You can
do this in a number of ways: you can state the main points yourself (“Today we talked
about…”), you can ask a student to help you summarize them, or you can even ask all
students to write down on a piece of paper what they think were the main points of the lesson.
You can review the students‟ answers to gauge their understanding of the topic and then
explain anything unclear the following class. Conclude the lesson not only by summarizing
the main points, but also by previewing the next lesson. How does the topic relate to the one
that‟s coming? This preview will spur students‟ interest and help them connect the different
ideas within a larger context.

(6) Create a realistic timeline

GSIs know how easy it is to run out of time and not cover all of the many points they had
planned to cover. A list of ten learning objectives is not realistic, so narrow down your list to
the two or three key concepts, ideas, or skills you want students to learn. Instructors also
agree that they often need to adjust their lesson plan during class depending on what the
students need. Your list of prioritized learning objectives will help you make decisions on the
spot and adjust your lesson plan as needed. Having additional examples or alternative
activities will also allow you to be flexible. A realistic timeline will reflect your flexibility
and readiness to adapt to the specific classroom environment. Here are some strategies for
creating a realistic timeline:
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 Estimate how much time each of the activities will take, then plan some extra time for
each
 When you prepare your lesson plan, next to each activity indicate how much time you
expect it will take
 Plan a few minutes at the end of class to answer any remaining questions and to sum
up key points
 Plan an extra activity or discussion question in case you have time left
 Be flexible – be ready to adjust your lesson plan to students‟ needs and focus on what
seems to be more productive rather than sticking to your original plan

Presenting the Lesson Plan

Letting your students know what they will be learning and doing in class will help keep them
more engaged and on track. You can share your lesson plan by writing a brief agenda on the
board or telling students explicitly what they will be learning and doing in class. You can
outline on the board or on a handout the learning objectives for the class. Providing a
meaningful organization of the class time can help students not only remember better, but
also follow your presentation and understand the rationale behind in-class activities. Having a
clearly visible agenda (e.g., on the board) will also help you and students stay on track.

Reflecting on Your Lesson Plan

A lesson plan may not work as well as you had expected due to a number of extraneous
circumstances. You should not get discouraged – it happens to even the most experienced
teachers! Take a few minutes after each class to reflect on what worked well and why, and
what you could have done differently. Identifying successful and less successful organization
of class time and activities would make it easier to adjust to the contingencies of the
classroom. For additional feedback on planning and managing class time, you can use the
following resources: student feedback, peer observation, viewing a videotape of your
teaching, and consultation with a staff member at CRLT.