Teacher Takeaways: Practical

ideas for classroom teaching

A British Council series of online events in partnership with the China English
Teacher Professional Teachers Association (ETA)

16th September to 14th October 2021

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Teacher Takeaways:
Practical ideas for classroom teaching
Reviewing lesson objectives, structure & task design to
help plan varied and effective lessons
Fraser Bewick
September 28th 2021

English for Education Systems (EES)

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Welcome to Teacher Takeaways

Session #2
Reviewing lesson objectives, structure &
task design to help plan varied and
effective lessons
Housekeeping:
- No microphones or video
- Please leave comments in the chat and
questions in the Q and A box.
- We will try and leave 10 – 15 minutes at
the end to cover questions

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In this short session,

❑ We will consider how teachers might promote student autonomy through lesson
structures and activities.

❑ We will highlight different lesson task types and their purpose

❑ We will introduce key questions and points to consider at the planning stage

❑ We will analyse examples of the SMART technique for writing lesson objectives or
outcomes

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3 words that help us assess our ideas and materials

Adapt, Adopt, Reject

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What’s the missing word?

These lesson
PPP Presentation, Practice, Production
models are
Increasingly…
STUDENT- Test, Teach, Test
TTT
CENTRED

TBL Task Based Learning

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Models: PPP, TTT, TBL
Look at the models below. Which do you think is which? Why?

Where does the teacher teach the language?

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Considering the lesson progression

Lesson Type Possible later stages

Teach Controlled Controlled Freer

PPP (Present) Practice Practice Practice

Test Teach Test 2 Freer

TTT (Analyse) Practice

Task Report & Teach Controlled Freer

TBL feedback (Analyse) Practice Practice
/ revise

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Test? – It’s a party. Mingle and use the strips to tell others about yourself.

I / go / France

I / work / office/ 2020

I / go / park/ Saturday

My friends / see / Manchester United / play / Old Trafford

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Breaking down the stages
Text-based
PPP Test-teach-Test Task Based Learning
language lesson
Lead in (and pre-
Lead in Lead in Lead in (and pre-teach) teach)

Test 1 based on Initial reading

Language focus / Task (generally) based on
teacher’s choice comprehension
Teach based on teacher’s choice
task(s)
T’s choice Language
focus/Teach based Language focus –
Feedback on main task I.e., discovery task
on Test 1 scope
Controlled Controlled Practice
Practice Task(s) Test (s) 2/ Controlled Language focus/Teach
Practice based on Ss’ needs Task(s)

Freer Practice Freer Practice Task/ Freer Practice Task

Freer Practice Task
Task Repeat task

Lead in + context building

Explicit Language focus (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, functions)

Receptive activity or skills focus (reading, listening)

Productive activity or skills focus (speaking, writing)

Testing what Ss already know to establish needs (also controlled practice)

 Teach - MPF(a) – Teaching of content

What does
MPF(a) stand Meaning What are the key points related to meaning and use that
need to be taught?
for?
Pronunciation What aspects of pronunciation need to be
covered, including those that go beyond the level of only
the word E.g., suprasegmental features / connected
speech?
Form What aspects of form, spelling, collocation, etc
might be relevant and help expand students’ use?
Appropriacy When is it appropriate to use the language? What is the
register?

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 When you teach a child something you
take away forever his chance of
discovering it for himself.

Jean Piaget

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The purpose of our activities & questions
Activity purpose
Teach?
(Guide/Check/feedback)
Develop
How do we what
Practice/review? execute this? thinking
What questions skills?
do we use to set
up the task?
Are Ss
What must Ss do exploring
Test?
to answer them? deeper
Are Ss motivated? learning?

Present?
Familiar scenes

Cause Effect

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MPF or MFP – Teaching & Learning of content in more interesting ways
Freyer model – teach?
Ideally, in the student’s’ own words Key points about the word
Definition Characteristics
A reptilian animal with a hard shell Can pull in its head and legs
on its back that often lives Can live a long time
in or around water. It is cold blooded

turtle
Examples What is it not?
Sea turtle
Snapping turtle Tortoise
Lizard

Examples of the word in use Similar words, but not the same!

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Typhoon – motivate through choice and chance

Now your turn

Give teams / students

10 points each
 Practice or test?

Set task – E.g., Ss must ask/answer a review question;

Ss must use key language in a sentence, etc. This can
be based on ‘first to answer’ or an established order.

Successful Ss get a choice (but the result is down to

chance so not only the strongest Ss will win)

Count up the scores to see who the winner is!

Skill / chance / fun / competition - Losers can win!

 Giving students autonomy can be motivating
1

4
5

6
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Adapting towards autonomy

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Example: Teaching for Success, British Council
 Some words to remember

Choice

Reflection Planning

Developing
Autonomy

Feedback Latitude

Rehearsal

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Teacher Takeaways:
Practical ideas for classroom teaching
Let’s bring this together at the planning stage

English for Education Systems (EES)

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The silent truth….

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Ordering our lesson through steps
• What steps might you consider at the Consider how to round up
planning stage?
• How many relate to tasks/activities?
Consider how to help Ss
process key language
• Consider…..
Consider how to
encourage collaboration

Consider how to engage

students Build your lesson
step-by-step
Consider how to start And consider how
students can develop
thinking skills!!
Consider purpose & key
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points of the lesson 23
 Arranging the steps in order and asking ourselves simple questions
STEP 1 What is the PURPOSE of the lesson?

STEP 2 What TITLE/IMAGE best captures the content and creates interest?

STEP 3 What are the KEY IDEAS or CONCEPTS to get across?

STEP 4 How do I create an engaging START?

9 key STEP 5 What VISUALS or QUESTIONS will help to clarify concepts and main ideas?
planning
STEP 6 How do I INVOLVE the STUDENTS to keep attention high?
questions
STEP 7 What TASKS do I need to plan and what is their purpose?

STEP 8 How do I encourage PROCESSING of LESSON CONTENT?

STEP 9 What would make for an appropriate ENDING to the lesson?

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Where does the learning often take place?
Warmer/Lead in Feedback & Interaction

What common feedback methods might be used?

Presentation

❑ Peer feedback
❑ Teacher feedback
Practice
❑ Hot feedback Vs. cold feedback Plan your PPT feedback…

❑ Delayed feedback PPT

❑ Think, pair, share
Production
…

Teach
Peer Peer
Closing lesson er

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What might be in your plan?
Lesson objectives:
Timing Interaction Stage elements
S-S/Ss-Ss/ Stage objective
T-Ss-T …
Set up Introduce
content /
Task Set up
Feedback activity
Thinking skills focus?

Task Cycle
Deliver
Sum up /
content /
Feedback
Do
on activity
activity
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Common Acronyms – Can you make it across?
Review?
Test?
Teach?

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Objectives and outcomes
Why do we have them?

- (Pre) To help ensure the teacher has considered what they are going to teach
- (Post) To provide a point of reflection and checking for the teacher to ensure key
learning points have been covered
- To help ensure the curriculum content or guidelines are being followed
- To help ensure the intended lesson is meaningful, logical and achievable for the
learners
- To provide a record for the teacher of what has been taught

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 Objectives and Outcomes

When writing objectives or outcomes the teacher should be clear on the purpose of their lesson.
To help focus the lesson consider:

1. Identify 1 -2 Primary objectives/outcomes – sometimes called hard objectives

2. Add any other objectives/outcomes as secondary (optional) – sometimes called soft objectives
3. Consider personal aims
4. Follow the S.M.A.R.T. method

S – Specific – i.e., include mention of the context and specific vocabulary you might wish to teach.
M – Measurable – i.e., make sure what you want to teach is something you can check at the end of the
lesson. E.g. To practice, develop etc NOT “To know” [state verbs]
A – Achievable – Can you actually do what you plan to in the time you have?
R – Relevant – Is your lesson content and focus relevant and useful to your students? How?
T – Time-bound – Give yourself a clear time frame to complete your objectives.
E.g., “By the end of this lesson Ss will have…”
Objective or outcome (in English)
Objective (an aspiration)
In this lesson I plan to …. (personal aim)
In …………… students will + v (learn how to identify and pronounce 3 different –ed
sounds in past simple regular verbs)
In …………… students will be able to …… (identify and pronounce 3 different –ed sounds
in past simple regular verbs)

Outcome (an expected result)

By the end of the lesson, I will have + past participle (personal aim)
By the end of ………….., ……….. will have been completed
By the end of ……………, students will have + past participle
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Not such good examples…

• Students will learn about transport words

• Ss will know the past simple
• Ss will read a text quickly
• Ss will talk in English about their weekend
• Students will listen to a song
• Ss will learn the present perfect tense

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Examples – you choose your form

By the end of the lesson, students will have been introduced to and practiced using
the following key words (in the context of …): XXXXXX, XXXXXX, XXXXXXX, XXXXXXX, XXXXXX.

By the end of the lesson, students will have read and analysed a XXXXXX text through use of
gist, scanning and detailed reading techniques.

OR

By the end of the lesson, students will have developed gist, scanning or detailed reading
techniques through analysis of the XXXX text.

Within this lesson, students will learn about key MPF(a) aspects of the regular past simple tense
and practice using this in short sentences with common regular forms .e.g., walked, talked, smiled,
mended, …

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Let’s try
Write an example of an outcome or objective based on your own lessons.
Share in the chatbox…

www.britishcouncil.org Great, and now to round up our session! 33

In this short session,

❑ Did we/I consider how teachers might promote student autonomy through lesson
structures and activities?

❑ Did we/I highlight different lesson task types and their purpose?

❑ Did we/I introduce key questions and points to consider at the planning stage?

❑ Did we/I analyse examples of the SMART technique for writing lesson objectives or
outcomes?

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Other videos…

How to write effective classroom materials …

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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Thank you!

Any questions?

Also, find out more about the next

events (and register) through the QR
code: Teaching Listening (October
12th)

Certificates, recordings and

downloads will also be made available
here within 7 days!
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