Teaching Lesson Planning

General principles for planning lessons Lessons should revolve around the learner’s goals—a learner can travel many different pathways to reach personal goals. Lesson planning involves working with the learner to identify which path works best and what steps need to be taken. A lesson plan is not carved in stone; it is a guide. Tutors need to remain flexible enough to change paths if the learner’s needs change or if the tutor finds something that works better. Be willing to take some side trips when special needs arise. Lessons should build on each other—build on what the learner already knows when introducing new material. Move from the simple to the more complex. Each lesson should include time for review and reinforcement—when you introduce a new concept, plan time in the next lesson to review and reinforce the learning with a variety of activities, such as games, puzzles, flash cards, computer software, and kinesthetic/tactile activities. Each lesson should integrate all four communication tools—the learner should use listening, speaking, reading, and writing in every lesson. The learner should learn something new in each lesson—learners need to feel that they are making progress and constantly building on what they know.