Task Description

Select one of the published lesson plans provided for the assignment  from TESOL sites (e.g., OneStopEnglish or TESOL.org). Identify a socio-cultural context for TESOL and critique the suitability of the lesson for meeting the needs of a particular group of learners in that context. Consider the objectives, content, materials, organization, and any other pertinent elements of the lesson. If appropriate, suggest modifications for the socio-cultural context you have identified. Support your evaluation of the suitability of the lesson, and any modification, using relevant literature. Ensure you describe the learners, their needs, and the context as part of the critique.

 

Weight: 40%

Length: 2,000 words

 

Criteria & Marking:

1. Demonstrated understanding of issues related to lesson design (10)
2. Analysis and discussion of the lesson in terms of the selected sociocultural context (15)
3. Relevant and effective substantiation from the literature (10)
4. Appropriate essay presentation format with section headings, standard academic discourse and appropriate and accurate referencing (5)

Assignment 1 requires you to demonstrate your understanding of the principles underlying effective lesson design, of the diverse contexts in which English language teaching is conducted, and your capacity to evaluate an existing lesson and its applicability to a particular teaching context. Essentially, imagine you are a teacher of ESOL searching for lessons and ideas to use in your classroom. You have found a lesson on the internet/in a text and need to evaluate and perhaps adapt it to suit the context.

1. You may wish to begin by reading the lesson plans provided. These are aimed at a variety of levels and one at the specific purpose of English for Academic Purposes.

 

Some of the lessons have designated topics or content areas; while this may focus how you see the lesson as part of a larger unit/project/theme, you need to approach each lesson as a resource that perhaps has the potential to be used in a variety of applications. For instance, the Elementary lesson is titled A Woman’s Place, but you need to think about how it might be suitable for inclusion in a larger sequence of work that may have quite different emphases, e.g., ‘The world of work’, ‘Expressing opinions’, “Family relationships’, etc.

 

2. Identify a sociocultural context in which you locate your critique of a selected lesson. The context can be one in which you have taught, or to which you will return to continue teaching, or in which you see yourself teaching in the future. Some lecture contents will provide you with information to assist in identification and description of a context. Within that context, decide upon the characteristics, attributes and needs of a particular group of learners that you are hypothetically teaching. The lesson plan you select might reflect one aspect of the group of learners, i.e., broad level of proficiency. EAP suggests a level of proficiency, and EAP course are taught in diverse contexts around the world.

 

3. Suggested critique structure:
   1. Introduction: Make the purpose of the critique (the assignment) clear to your reader; introduce the role of lesson planning in teacher practice, the issue of diverse contexts of ELT and significance for planning classroom learning/teaching activities and tasks;
   2. Describe the context: Provide descriptions of the sociocultural context, of the particular group of learners, and how the lesson selected for critique might fit in the teaching program
   3. Literature review: Expand the key ideas you introduced in the introduction – present your views on issues related to lesson planning, supported by the literature, and on the issues related to meeting the needs of learners in particular sociocultural contexts, supported by the literature; literature on ELT in the selected sociocultural context can be introduced here.
   4. Critique the selected lesson plan: Consider the objectives, content, materials, organization, activities/tasks, and any other pertinent elements of the lesson, in terms of
      1. The quality and comprehensiveness of the planning
      2. The opportunities for learning embedded in the plan

• Suitability for the selected sociocultural context, and any modifications you would make before use.

Make sure you support your evaluation, and any suggested modifications, with references to the literature on L2 teaching and learning.

1. Conclusion: Identify the key strengths/and/or limitations of the selected plan and reflect on the critique process as an element of L2 teacher practice.