Planning lessons and courses

In this section you can find useful professional development resources – including articles, webinars, podcast episodes, research and teaching tips and tools – all to help you develop your skills and knowledge of Planning lessons and courses

What does 'Planning lessons and courses' involve?

This professional practice covers what a teacher needs to do before the lesson or course begins and is informed by Understanding my context and Understanding my learners. It includes: 

  • defining intended learning outcomes and course objectives that meet your learners' needs and take into account their diversity 
  • planning a broad outline for a sequence of lessons that links a lesson to those before and after it and includes the recycling of learning content
  • identifying, selecting and planning for the use of appropriate learning modalities to achieve the intended learning outcomes (e.g. synchronous, hybrid, virtual, in-class, homework, etc.)
  • selecting, developing and/or adapting appropriate activities, resources and learning materials (e.g. coursebook, digital resources, board work) that: 
    • engage your learners 
    • take into account their diversity 
    • achieve the intended teaching purposes, and, where appropriate, reflect real-world scenarios and global issues (e.g. climate change, poverty, migration)
  • planning for inclusive and differentiated learning (e.g. for different ability levels or early finishers)
  • planning for feedback and assessment
  • dividing lessons into coherent and linked stages with realistic estimates of timing
  • selecting and planning for various interaction patterns throughout the lesson (e.g. groupwork, pair work, individual work)
  • anticipating problems that may arise during the lesson and planning how to respond to these
  • planning classroom language (e.g. giving instructions, using language at an appropriate level for your learners, using multiple languages, translanguaging)
  • planning activities that help your learners to develop agency, autonomy and learning strategies
  • planning activities that help your learners develop their 21C skills / core skills
  • reflecting on the effectiveness of your planning. 
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Research and insight

Browse fascinating case studies, research papers, publications and books by researchers and ELT experts from around the world.

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