TESL 0100 – Unit 6 – Reflections

 

TESL 0100 – Unit 6 – Reflections

I usually find lesson planning challenging. Especially the more unfamiliar I am with the topic. Trying to explain something to someone when you are only partially sure of the topic is difficult. At the same time, it also adds to, or allows for, personal growth as I try to understand the topic better to teach it. However, the more unfamiliar with the topic I am, the more difficult it is to judge the appropriate level of difficulty for teaching. Assessing the difficulty of a lesson plan is important so the learners can understand but not be bored by the content. I find that often textbooks and prescribed lessons are too simple for my audience. Or at least that is how I perceive the situation. On the other hand, developing my own lesson plans is time consuming and can still be the wrong level of difficulty for the students. I find that I can also fall into the problem of not planning through an entire course and instead focusing on lesson to lesson with no overall goal in mind. I have often added to and modified existing lessons in textbooks to what I perceive to be an appropriate level of difficulty. This brings up the issue of assessing the abilities of the students. I have never realized the importance of assessing the abilities of the students before and during the course teaching. I always believed that assessment occurred after the course was finished. This is a result of my own learning experiences in school and university. There will be more on assessment in another unit.