Lesson Planning for TEFL Teachers: The Ultimate Guide

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Karina's students

Is it late at night and you feel at your wits’ end? Are you tired of coming up with new ideas for all your lessons?  Here are a few tips to find ways of providing your students with useful activities that will cater for their needs and interests; and best of all, they do not need over planning. Sometimes, online resources can make it extremely easy for teachers to plan a lesson, but it`s always a good idea to keep in mind that our internet connection may not work. Read on and you`ll find a few ideas on how to plan easily, making the most of online resources and students’ preferences, and how to get going even if the computer deserts us.

If you work within the frame of an institution where syllabi have to be followed and deadlines have to be met, then you will find fun ways to fit all the required content in your lessons skipping boring activities from textbooks in this guide.

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Tools of the Trade: Top 5 Tools for TEFL Teachers

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by Monika Salita
@monikasalita

Top 5 Tools for TEFL Teachers

By Feen (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Before I headed off to the south of France to teach high school English, I read and read as much as I could to know what to pack and bring with me. Not just tee-shirts and sandals, but teaching materials too.

You may not be completely certain of what your teaching environment may look like, but hopefully this list of teaching tools will help you to prepare or think about a few key items to bring, in advance.

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Essential Equipment for an English Lesson

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By Katie Baxter
Guest blogger from onlinetefl.com

Essential Equipment for an English Lesson

By Hannes Grobe (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

So you’re going to spend a year abroad teaching English? Full of enthusiasm, you pack your bags with tons of books, resources, teabags, so that by the time you’ve finished packing, you’re three times over the maximum luggage weight allowance.

Or perhaps you’re a travelling teacher who has decided to backpack around the world, and you need a rucksack that you can carry. With limited space in your rucksack, do you actually need all of those heavy books to teach English? Remember, the only really essential item is you!

If you are lucky enough to teach in a state of the art language school, where they have everything from satellite TV, video cameras, DVD players and an interactive whiteboard, then fantastic! But even if you are teaching in a small impoverished village, with little in the way of resources, don’t panic. Here are a variety of suggestions of essential equipment to help you prepare for your time in the classroom.

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Tefl Lesson Plans – Games For Language Learning

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Games for Language LearningHaving trouble with your TEFL lesson plans? Short on ideas for icebreakers, fillers and fun activities for students?

I recommend the textbook Games for Language Learning by Andrew Wright and David Betteridge. It is packed full of icebreakers and games that will help put that extra sparkle into your classes. Not only are the activities fun and engaging for the students, but the book is very logically set out which is very useful for the teacher.

There is an initial chapter on icebreakers and warmers, then the text carries on by diving the games by chapter depending on the type of skills you want to focus on in your lesson. These being: Speaking, Listening, Writing, Reading, Vocabulary and Spelling, and Grammar. That way, not only can you bring in some fun activities into the classroom but you can do it in a really targeted way depending on which areas you feel your students need most help.

There is also a chapter at the end which gives you some ideas for solo activities, great for 1-1 classes.

This text is really broad in its appeal as the games can be tailored and modified depending on the level of your students and the structure of your lesson plan. It really is an essential book to add to your TEFL teaching resource library.

See for yourself: Games for Language Learning

Best TEFL Book for lesson ideas and activities – 700 Classroom Activities

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700 Classroom ActivitiesIf your looking for some great classroom activities then 700 Classroom Activities is a great TEFL book to get started and the best TEFL book for lesson ideas and activities.

The activities are separated into four sections making it easy to use:

  1. Conversation
  2. Functions
  3. Grammar
  4. Vocabulary

The activities are easily adapted into different learner levels and needs.

This is a book which does exactly what it says on the cover. It provides a huge instant repertoire of teaching ideas – including both classroom classics that all TEFL teachers come to know and love and fresh, new activities at a range of levels from elementary to upper intermediate.

The clear organization of the book makes it easy to cross refer and supplement your course book or syllabus. All the activities have been classroom-tested – and none of them require photocopying.

For more information on the book or to buy it click on: 700 Classroom Activities