A private tutoring session with either a paid or unpaid “student customer” should be based on a well-planned outline with ideas for creativity, exercises for progress, and time for enjoyment and fulfillment by both teacher and student.
Everyone, teacher or not, can aid a student, whether the lesson answers the learning problems or helps with some studying issues. Even off-the-cuff teaching will work well, especially if given by experienced teachers. However, if private tutoring is the profession of an individual, a lesson plan keeps the study period on target and will produce the results that help the student improve and also want to come back for more lessons.
Lesson Plan Breakdown for ESL Lessons
Divide the time period into the following, or similar, segments:
Segment One: Have a personalized chat with the student, asking questions about their health, what they have been doing lately, and speaking about news/craft/movie/interest that the student is keen to talk about. This sharing shows the student that you are sincerely interested in his or her person.
Segment Two: Warm up. Using a picture, photo, short article, object, puzzle, cartoon or other visual, open the lesson with conversation that helps the student become more communicative. A particular grammar focus or new vocabulary can be introduced at this point too.
Segment Three: The main part of the lesson is the focus on the material; the reason that the student is there with the tutor. Textbooks or material that the student is using either at school or only in the special tutoring class, should be explained, worked on, expanded, developed, practiced and advanced.
The student should feel that there is improvement and that he or she progressively understands much more. One would hope to see some “aha moments” resulting in correct answers and use of new structures in conversation. If the student only wants a conversation class, this segment should contain a springboard for verbal skills development, for example, an article or listening prompt, or dialog role-play text.
Segment Four: Homework. Setting a small, interesting assignment for students will encourage them to practice some of what has been worked on and will enable them to share their story/findings/research with you at the next lesson.
The Importance of a Text Book in ESL Improvement
While many students may only request to have a conversation session, the use of a textbook not only helps teachers prepare a focused lesson so that they can feel they are advancing the student, but will also be able to show the students visually that the material from the book has been covered.
Lessons in which there is just unfocused, unplanned, “blah, blah, blah” time will wilt after a few weeks. Paying students will soon realize that they don’t have to pay in order to share their views with a tutor. Even if the student says, “I just want to talk,” it is essential that the teacher explain that they can talk, just as the student wants, but that specific new vocabulary and grammar structures will be introduced and explained on the way.
Quality Lessons are Essential for ESL Success
Learners need to be able to show that they feel improvement; that they can say, “Yes, in my classes I have covered these texts, this book, these structures, this vocabulary” even though they may have only wanted free conversation classes, and particularly if they do want structured learning.
Students don’t have to feel that the lesson is broken into segments. The experienced teacher will move smoothly from one section to the next, making the student feel at ease and successful in ESL absorption, learning and advancement.
Lucille Lever - Creative teaching ideas can be incorporated into any kind of lesson. As a teacher of ESL and creative drama for more than 30 years, in a ...
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