Module 4: How to give effective lessons

Question 1

What will effective lessons consist of?

Answer 1

• always have a clear goal.
• give praise.
• allow students to focus on their key areas as discussed in a needs analysis.
• can be personalized – tap into your learners’ hobbies, likes and preferences.
• keep a good pace.
• think about the learning style of your students.
• keep your learners engaged with a variety of activities.

Question 2

What can you use screen sharing for?

Answer 2

• showing a model.
• inserting examples from exam papers.
• looking at writing and error correction.
• for short reading tasks, it allows you to see exactly what the student understands and doesn’t understand.

Question 3

Things to keep in mind when using slides.

Answer 3

• Make the content engaging.
• Don’t add too much information on the slide.
• Use visuals to elicit information from the learners.
• Be clear and concise at all times.
• Keep them visually pleasing to the eye.

Question 4

What are some resources you can use for effective lesson planning?

Answer 4

BBC Learning Site
You can use their listening activities, articles, grammar, and vocabulary lessons.

BBC - Learning English at University
Some of the best lesson ideas/content. Great resource for preparing students for university life in an English-speaking country.

6-minute English activities
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english

https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/

Question 5

Lesson plan: 7 steps to keep learners engaged

Answer 5

1. Questions to prompt quieter or less confident learners - elicit information about the topic.
2. Share a word and ask learners what it is or what they think it is.
3. Listen to a podcast or audio.
4. Focus on new and unfamiliar words from a podcast or audio.
5. Download and share the transcript if needed.
6. Summarize - ask learners to recap what they’ve learned.
7. Homework: if they want it.

Question 6

What are some tips for using film clips in the online classroom?

Answer 6

• Choose a film genre that your student likes!
• Do not show long clips, even the most studious learners will tire.
• Trailers are good as they offer insight into a film as well as a short summary.
• Turn off the sound and only focus on the visuals at first for visual learners.
• Watch each trailer privately to make sure there is no bad language or offensive comments before you play it to a student.

Question 7

What can you do to be more effective at teaching?

Answer 7

• Set up an online folder (eg. Google Drive) and start to organize all your different teaching materials.
• Categorize your resources into levels and skills.
• Save everything! You can reuse lessons by simply adapting certain activities.
• Always look over your resources and lesson material after each class for improvements.
• Use a range of resources and don’t always use the same method.
• Always go back to the students’ original goals.
• Use each lesson as a valuable tool for gaining experience.
• Make a note of things that do not work with students and avoid them.