What is teaching plan?

Successful completion of any activities depend upon how carefully and thoughtfully it is planned. Whether in teaching or non-teaching activities, planning is ideally desirable. Language teaching consists of series of activities to be performed over a period of time. Those activities can sequentially be presented in a timely manner only if it is well planned. Therefore, preparation of lesson plan before getting to the class is highly desirable, almost a must.

Lesson Plan is simply a rough sketch of what to teach, why to teach, how to teach, when to teach, what materials are to be used, where to teach, whom to teach and how much to teach. It signposts the teacher how, how far and where he or she has to go along. The language teacher becomes confident and feels motivated which creates positive vibrations in the learners.

Harmer (1991) maintains that language teaching plan should be guided by two main principles: variety and flexibility.

The principle of variety holds that a language teacher need to introduce a variety of activities in the classroom which are stimulating and interesting.

Similarly, the principle of flexibility maintains that whatever planned may not be sweet-able for a particular day or period during which the teacher needs to change dependency upon the situation. For example, when dramatization is a teaching technique as a plan, it may not be applicable due to the sickness of some of the students.

Harmer (2001) further says that lesson plan is an art of combining a number of different elements into a coherent whole within a certain frame.

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