How to write a English tutoring lesson plan

If you work at a tutoring center or teach small groups of students English, you will know how difficult it is sometimes to come up with ideas to get through each session. Let me share some of my lesson planning tips:

Here is my formula for teaching writing to upper primary and lower secondary students.

1. Establish your genre and what your aim is

You need to know what students need to learn.

2. Find a good topic.

The topic has to be interesting and hopefully relevant to student's lives. Hopefully it's also a topic which is discussable and possibly controversial. The news is a great place to start. "Teachers adding students as friends on Facebook" or "Hong Kong tutor kings".

3. Find source reading material

This will usually come from books, websites, emails or your brain. Videos are also a great way to hook your students and give them background information on the topic. Simplify the text if necessary, but it should contain some challenging new vocabulary. Highlight those.

4. Construct some reading comprehension questions

If you are lazy, simply do it as you go in a pop quiz style format. But it helps to prepare a list of questions beforehand.

5. Find a language focus

Ideally it will be linked to text genre.

It could be grammar - using adjectives, passive voice, imperatives or structure etc. If the class is 2 hours, I like to try and make my language focus a game to refocus them after the break.

6. Homework prep / wrap up

Have some planning (e.g. storyboard / story map / vocab recap) for homework so weaker students are clear on their homework task.

7. Final game

Wind down with a game of DODO or Pass the Hamburger and end the class on a high note. I sometimes give extra points / rewards if the word is related to the day's topic.

Small classes vs big classes: the pros and cons

Individual sessions

- Really different from other types, as it is completely teacher-student interaction
- Can easily work at own pace
- Perfect for very low ability students
- Students may easily get bored. Difficult to sustain concentration for>45mins

Comments: It's very easy to slack off and not prepare (I am guilty sometimes), but a little planning goes a long way. Some simple worksheets or appropriate reading comprehension exercises can go a long way. Make sure you have a ton of reference resources available (a visual dictionary is exceptionally helpful, as is easy access to the internet).

2-3 People in a class
- Paired activities are possible, which makes the class more interactive.
- Very dependent on student matching. Try to ensure they are of similar ability level.
- Ideal size for idea sharing, reading aloud and writing workshops.

Comments: I dislike working with 2-3 students, but it is possible to have good discussions and fun activities. However, it's difficult to have anything competitive since it's rare to have students of matching ability. Ideal for idea sharing and individual writing though as they can give each other feedback.

Tutoring style (4-6 students)
- A good balance between individual attention and group energy.

- Good size for in-depth discussions.
- Very good for multiple high ability students, as they can give each other pressure.
Can give substantial feedback on homework.

Comments: a good size for task based learning, as you can focus all your attention on the one group. It is also an ideal size for debates, peer reviewing, and counseling. One of my favorite class sizes.

Mini class (8-12 students)
- Good size for team competitions / games.
- Less individual time spent with students in class.

- Task based activities possible.

Comments: Very energy consuming. Requires ample planning and interesting activities. Task based learning and group based projects are ideal. Assign individual work for homework.

Small class (12-18 students)
Can be more open with projects and let students work at their own pace and level.
Possibility for big projects.
Less feedback to students, minimal indivudual attention to individual students.

Comment: Classroom management skills are important. Design activities for a wide variety of levels and encourage task-based learning.

Medium classes: (18+)

Must plan for a large range of abilities - scaffolding, reading texts should be pitched around the middle, never too high.

Classroom management skills are imperative

Class discussions must be tightly controlled

Very important to give clear instructions.

Comments: This is where it really starts to get challenging for me. Don't forget about the oddballs at the end of the ability spectrum, as well as trouble-makers. I think this type of class requires a lot of experience to manage well and at the same time deliver a great lesson. You could have a great idea, but without good management skills, it will all go to hell.