The group answer for each question (individual work)

Activity

1. Review the course material Unit 2 and answer the following questions about a lesson planning.

a. How important do you think a lesson plan is to a successful lesson?

Farrell (2002) stresses the importance of lesson planning for English language teachers, “The success with which a teacher conducts a lesson is often thought to depend on the effectiveness with which the lesson was planned” (p.30).

I consider a lesson plan is a successful lesson because it is the plan a teacher establishes in order to fulfill some objectives in this case, educative goals with the use of different academic and didactic resources. It is so important, I can say it is the route to achieve the yearly and term planning in a success way.

Farrell, T. S. C. (2002). Lesson Planning  In Methodology in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667190.006

What features do you think a lesson plan should include? 

A lesson plan should always start from principles or objectives, with which it is the focus or log toward what you want to achieve the teacher with his students, should then continue with a work plan, where each pattern to be developed must be analyzed and programmed, you should consider the pros and cons for each activity.

By these criteria, the teacher must be very rigorous in this organization and should carry another tool that starts from the weaknesses and threats that these are converted into opportunities and strengths and positive results are expected.

The teacher should include a measurement of time in each of the activities and at the end of this lesson plan should finalize with an evaluation to measure and qualify its objectives previously proposed.

Judith L. Shrum and Eileen W. Glisan. Boston, MA: Heinle &. Heinle, 1994. Pp. viii + 360. ESL instructors often must choose between theory and technique.

b. Do you think it is a good idea to strictly follow a lesson plan? Why?

The objective of lesson plan is to follow a path to do a good lesson and achieve the purposes, but I think is not strictly to follow it, because the context of the group or time is not enough for doing all proposed, I mean, sometimes can happen situations that limit the entire lesson and it’s necessary to do some stages or reduce the time of them to cover the activity. Situation like school activities or trouble with students behaviors or troubles with resources, example; there’s not light into others. But face the difficulties to take a good lesson is important to know what is the plan.

c. Some people think that lesson plans severely restrict teachers’ creativity. Do you agree? Explain your answer. 

We totally disagree because when a lesson plan is in construction, the teachers must be creative at the moment of thinking and looking for the material need to teach a topic. I consider the teachers can become more creative when they are planning classes frequently because they become experts on learning styles and learning strategies, so they can apply the correct tools for each case and level.