Uncaging Potentials

It was Cher who told me: "You were just jaded by the online companies you've worked for, they caged your potentials and made you too lazy to think and innovate."

It might be a little exaggerated. An overstatement. But that's how I want to understand what she meant by her remark. I was shocked to hear from a total stranger that I haven't been thinking like a real teacher for a long time.

She did not leave me wondering what flaws I need to brush up on. If you are a teacher, you can benefit from this teaching to-do list:

* As what educators and books say, OBJECTIVES are the most important part of the lesson. Unfortunately, many teachers fail to identify their objectives before teaching. The material does not dictate the objectives, but the teacher's understanding of the important points in the text would determine the objectives. It is a tough decision-making activity. Online companies' lack of adequate English curriculum worsens the teacher's burden. ( I will not tackle this here, as my goal is to share my knowledge on how to make a lesson plan.)

* Secondly, if you are to teach, you must have TEACHING POINTS. Any general English lesson plan has at least one teaching point. But where do we really get this? You must be aware of MACRO and MICRO skills learners need to learn.MACRO SKILLS involve listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary and my professor added THINKING. As for the MICRO SKILLS, the sub-skills of the major ones previously stated. An effective teaching points include a skill focus and a harmonious integration of other skills at the same time.

* Now, you are ready to explore possible activities for motivation, lesson springboard, comprehension boosters and assessment/evaluation. Though you can adapt or design varied activities for your class, its crucial to remember that customizing your lesson to your client is a must. If you are using a textbook material, an online newspaper or any material with English contents, see to it that your student can relate to it. Based on the theory of Constructivism, if someone doesn't know anything about a subject, use scaffolds. You may either activate the student's prior knowledge about the topic, or divert the lesson in a form related to the learner's direct environment.

The mastery of the art of questioning remains the most sought-after ability of a teacher. Yet nowadays, the teachers' role has been changed from transmitters of knowledge to facilitators of learning. Modern and informed teachers must take this challenge to improve student's learning.