Соursе pаpеr оn developing lesson plans for el classes

Closings.
The closing phase of a lesson is also an important part of a lesson sequence. Ideally, it should leave the students feeling that they have successfully achieved a goal they set for themselves or that had been established for the lesson, and that the lesson was worthwhile and meaningful. Sometimes you and your students may have a different understanding of what you were trying to achieve in a lesson. At the end of a lesson, it is usually valuable to summarize what the lesson has tried to achieve, to reinforce the points of the lesson, to suggest follow-up work as appropriate, and to prepare students for what will follow. It is always important to praise the students for their effort and performance. During the closing stage, students may raise issues or problems that they would like to discuss or resolve; at this time, you may also encourage them to ask you for suggestions concerning how they can improve.
It is often useful to make students aware of the sequence or structure you have planned for a lesson. One way to achieve this is to write a brief lesson outline on the board before the lesson begins (preferably before the students come to class), listing the activities that the students will take part in and the purpose of each activity. This lets the students know what they will be expected to do during the lesson. It also gives students a sense that they are taking part in a lesson that has been well planned and organized. Another benefit of making sure everyone knows exactly how the lesson will play out is that late-coming students can be oriented to which part of the lesson has already been taught.

Task 7
Describe some effective ways of opening and closing a lesson.

7. Your lesson creates a motivation to learn and provides opportunities for success.
Some learners look forward to their language class. Others dread going to class because they anticipate being engaged in activities that are not enjoyable, that appear to have little purpose, or that leave them feeling frustrated and/ or embarrassed. As a teacher, you play a crucial role in developing a classroom atmosphere that encourages and motivates students in their learning. Perhaps you can recall the most inspiring language teachers you had as a student, and what made these teachers different and special. Among the qualities of exceptional language teachers are their enthusiasm for teaching, the high expectations they set for their learners, and the relationships they have with their students (Dornyei 2001). Enthusiasm can be communicated in many different ways. If your students sense that you are positive and enthusiastic about the textbook or other materials that you are using, for example, they are likely to share your enthusiasm. Expectations for student success can be achieved through praising students’ performance, by giving help to weaker students when needed, and by demonstrating the belief that one teacher expressed as “Every student in my class is a winner!” Establishing and exhibiting a warm, caring attitude toward students also contributes to building a positive class atmosphere. It has been shown that students who are treated as people and not just as numbers are generally more successful learners than those in classes where learners feel anonymous. It is important for teachers to learn their students’ names and show interest in them as individuals.
Teachers also have an important role in building good relationships among their students. This involves working toward a sense of cooperation – rather than competition – among students, using group census-building activities and avoiding activities that could lead to strong disagreement or tension.
It is also a good idea to engage the class in identifying acceptable norms of behavior and interaction – for example, establishing rules concerning punctuality and the use of cell phones, or determining the best way one group or pair member can support another who is having difficulty with a task. In addition, you can build in opportunities for success rather than failure by ensuring that tasks are at an appropriate level of difficulty and that every lesson contains some “take-away” value, something that helps students leave the class knowing that they have moved forward in their learning. “Take-away” value is achieved by reviewing your lesson plan in advance to assure that you have given sufficient time and attention to the most important aspects of the lesson. This could result in students’ growing sense of confidence in writing a paragraph, in using some appropriate expressions to communicate with friends and neighbors, in understanding a list of ten or more useful vocabulary items, and so on.
It is also important to work toward maintaining the motivational level of the class. You can do this by asking yourself questions like the following:
- Do I vary the way I teach my lessons?
- Do I include activities that are there primarily to maintain motivation (for example, songs and language games)?
- Can I find ways of making my tasks more interesting (for example, by presenting a reading text as a jigsaw reading)?
- Can I increase the personal value of my lesson to my learners (for example, by adapting an activity so that it centers on the students’ lives rather than on characters in the textbook)?
- Can I build in more opportunities for success in my lessons (for example, by choosing activities that challenge but do not frustrate learners)?

Task 8
Describe some ways in which you seek to develop a positive motivation toward language learning during your lessons.