Flexibility
However well you plan you never actually know exactly what’s going to happen in a class until it happens! Exercises may
take longer or shorter than anticipated, the students may be more or less interested in a topic than you imagined,
something unexpected may happen during the lesson. In these cases if the teacher sticks rigidly to their plan the careful
preparation may actually have a negative effect. Imagine our journey again. If the road ahead becomes bloc ked, it’s no good
trying to car ry on, you have to find a different route.
Careful planning is very important but teachers need to be able to adapt their plan during the lesson to suit the circumstances.
This is something that becomes easier with experience, but in the planning stage it is often a good idea to consider
extra optional or alternative exercises. Then, if your material runs short or you think the class might not respond well to a
particular activity, you have something to fall back on.
Similarly, teachers need to be aware of what is happening in and around the class. Students may raise interesting points
and discussions could provide unexpected opportunities for language work and practice. The teacher needs to be flexible
enough to be able to leave the plan if such opportunities arise.
However well you plan you never actually know exactly what’s going to happen in a class until it happens! Exercises may
take longer or shorter than anticipated, the students may be more or less interested in a topic than you imagined,
something unexpected may happen during the lesson. In these cases if the teacher sticks rigidly to their plan the careful
preparation may actually have a negative effect. Imagine our journey again. If the road ahead becomes bloc ked, it’s no good
trying to car ry on, you have to find a different route.
Careful planning is very important but teachers need to be able to adapt their plan during the lesson to suit the circumstances.
This is something that becomes easier with experience, but in the planning stage it is often a good idea to consider
extra optional or alternative exercises. Then, if your material runs short or you think the class might not respond well to a
particular activity, you have something to fall back on.
Similarly, teachers need to be aware of what is happening in and around the class. Students may raise interesting points
and discussions could provide unexpected opportunities for language work and practice. The teacher needs to be flexible
enough to be able to leave the plan if such opportunities arise.
Summary
• ESA Engage, Study Activate. Plan to have all these stages in each lesson.
• Aims Establish clear and realistic aims for your lesson.
• Variety Try to use a variety of techniques, materials and activities to keep your students
interested in the subject.
• Flexibility When you have a clear plan it’s easier to be confident in adapting it if what happens
in the class is not what you expected or an unplanned opportunity arises.
We are now going to put the above points into practice. For our imagined lesson we’ll take the topic of the use of the
prepositions ‘for’ and ‘since’ with the present perfect aspect. We’ll consider the following topics:
• Aims and concepts
• Contexts and marker sentences
• Starting a lesson
• Presenting new language
• Controlled practice
• Freer (less controlled) practice
• Finishing the lesson
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