A lesson plan is a teacher's detailed notes on how she intends to conduct a particular class or lesson for each day. It is a vital component of a teaching job. Some schools have specific formats, which the teacher has to follow, while some leave it completely in the teacher's hands.

The need for a lesson plan is more in schools than colleges or universities. This is because teaching children requires more planning than teaching adults. However, they are not mandatory in all schools.

Components

A typical lesson plan has the following components:

Title of the lesson
Duration
Materials required
Objectives
Warming up procedure
Instructions for the whole lesson
Instructions for ending the lesson
Summarization
Evaluation
Homework or projects or assignments
Time for students' doubts and questions

This plan describes in detail the objectives of each lesson and instruction for carrying it out. It lists the required aids and methods for teaching. Activities are described in detail here as well as evaluation procedures. A proper lesson plan links each lesson with the previous one and ensures a smooth continuity for the students. Key points are summarized at the end of each class and assignments are handed out. All revision tasks are also found here.

Benefits

It not only helps the teacher to conduct a class effectively and efficiently but also lets her evaluate how each class went. Teachers note down the high and low points of each lesson and this helps them to improve future lessons. Moreover, once a lesson plan has been made for a whole year, it can be reused with minor adjustments. This saves the teachers a good deal of effort and time, which they can devote to other teaching tasks.

Lesson Planning in TESOL

TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. It is a course offered by the American TESOL Institute (ATI). The TESOL course covers both the TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and the TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) course.

This planning is an integral part of the TESOL course. There are 9 Phases or parts in the TESOL course, where Phase 5 is 'Lesson Planning'. This Phase is further divided in to 3 parts - Guidelines, Format and Samples. Phase 5 teaches trainee teachers everything about lesson planning. This Phase describes what it is, its importance and how to create good lesson plans.

After completing the TESOL course, a person becomes capable of planning lessons in an effective and efficient manner, which, in turn, helps him to teach effectively. Thus, the TEFL course enables one to become a proficient teacher.

The TEFL course from ATI is highly valued by several internationally reputed educational institutes. Thus, A TESOL certificate from ATI not only makes aspiring teachers eligible to teach across the globe but also increases their chances of getting a good English teaching job anywhere in the world.

TEFL India offers teacher training course, TEFL certification course and a range TESOL course that will help you to a rewarding get English teaching job in India and abroad: http://www.teflindia.in/iso-certification.php