Imagine starting a journey but with no idea where you are going. You are the driver of a bus full of students and although

you know you have to drive them for a particular period of time, without your map you have no idea where you want to go

or how to get there. It may still be an interesting journey but it would be very easy to get lost and your passengers would

not be very happy!

Without some kind of planning, a lesson could be just as chaotic and could leave the students with no clear idea of what

they were doing or why. This kind of uncertainty is not good for effective learning or class discipline.

One of the most important reasons to plan is that the teacher needs to identify his or her aims for the lesson. Teachers

need to know what it is they hope to achieve in the class, what it is they want the students to be able to do at the end of

the lesson that they couldn’t do before.

Here are some more reasons why it is essential to plan:

students can tell. They also know if you are not prepared. Planning is a way to help gain the respect of

your students.

teaching material or course book may be, it is unlikely that it was prepared for your particular students.

Planning gives you the opportunity to tailor your material and teaching to your class.

teachers to consider these points and ensure they are included in the lesson.

with them. By thoroughly researching the target language and being prepared for difficult questions, for

example, the teacher can feel confident in the classroom.

If you imagine the

lesson is like a journe y,

then the lesson plan is

like a map

Action Plan

for

Teachers

a guide to teaching English

by

BBC World Service broadcasts radio programmes for learners and teachers of English. Many programmes include

explanations in the learner’s own language. The programmes are graded to suit all levels of learner and cover a variety of

topics, such as English for business, current affairs, science, literature, music and English teaching.

Many of the radio programmes are accompanied by printed material, including free information sheets and booklets. These

support materials are based on the content of the radio programmes and also contain additional background information