Teaching English: How to Plan a Great Lesson (FutureLearn)

Offered by British Council,
Teaching English: How to Plan a Great Lesson (FutureLearn)

Develop your English language teaching skills and learn how to plan and deliver effective English lessons with this online course. Gain new teaching skills and practices to put towards your CPD. By learning to develop a great lesson, English language teachers give students the best opportunity to retain what they’ve learnt. On this course, you will look at four professional practices, share your own teaching experiences, and apply what you’ve learnt to your CPD.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

As you explore the key components of lesson planning, you’ll learn the importance of relationship-building and using technology to engage and support your students.
You’ll also learn the best ways to manage your lessons and make the most of any teaching resources available to you.

What topics will you cover?

Understanding Learners

  • Learner motivation
  • Building rapport
  • Getting learners talking

Planning lessons and courses

  • Why and how do teachers plan lessons and courses.
  • What are the key factors to consider?
  • Identifying aims and stages in your own and others’ lessons.

Managing resources

  • Making the most of the resources available to you.
  • The role of technology.
  • Using flashcards and realia.
  • Boardwork, Sharing resources with others.

Managing the lesson

  • Factors that influence learning.
  • Teacher language and the use of L1.
  • Pair and group work.
  • Engaging learners.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Compare teaching approaches and experience with others from around the world.
  • Reflect on the factors involved in learner motivation and consider the implications for our teaching practice.
  • Identify and value diversity, and apply strategies to promote inclusive education.
  • Reflect on your approach to lesson planning and the factors that inform your planning decisions.
  • Interpret other teachers' approaches and decision making.
  • Identify appropriate teaching resources and assess their effectiveness.

Who is the course for?
This course is designed for English language teachers around the world who want to improve their teaching methods and lesson planning.
You could be teaching at a primary, secondary, or higher education level.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

A Beginners' Guide to Writing in English for University Study (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

A Beginners' Guide to Writing in English for University Study (FutureLearn)

Learn how to use English for study at university or college and develop your writing skills, vocabulary and grammar. Academic writing can be very different from other types of written English. This course has been developed to help you learn the basics of academic writing and develop your English language skills.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Basic English 2: Pre-Intermediate (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
King's College London

Basic English 2: Pre-Intermediate (FutureLearn)

Develop your English for use in different everyday situations and build more confidence in your listening skills. Develop your English for a range of everyday situations. On this course you will build your English skills. You will develop your use of English in a wider range of everyday situations and grow your listening ability.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Preparing for PTE Academic (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
YouSTUDY International College

Preparing for PTE Academic (FutureLearn)

Develop confidence and prepare for success by understanding the structure and learning outcomes of the PTE Academic test. Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic is the world’s leading computer-based test of English for study abroad and immigration and is widely accepted by universities, colleges and governments around the world. All test takers should prepare for PTE Academic, even if English is your first language.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Clinical Supervision: Teaching and Facilitating Learning (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Clinical Supervision: Teaching and Facilitating Learning (FutureLearn)

Create a conducive learning environment and facilitate effective learning with this online course for clinical supervisors. Help your undergraduate and postgraduate learners to learn effectively. This online course will focus on the importance of the learning environment for teaching and facilitating learning among undergraduate and postgraduate learners.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Teaching Entrepreneurial Thinking (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Queensland University of Technology

Teaching Entrepreneurial Thinking (FutureLearn)

Get an introduction to what entrepreneurial thinking is, and how and why we should teach it. We live in an uncertain and complex world, where the big problems of today and tomorrow are yet to be identified. Teaching young people the skills and resilience to live and thrive in such a world is the purpose of entrepreneurial thinking. This course will introduce you to what entrepreneurial thinking is, and why it’s an important skill for young people to learn.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Supporting Successful Learning in Secondary School (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

Supporting Successful Learning in Secondary School (FutureLearn)

Develop your understanding of learning and teaching and build your confidence in supporting students in secondary school. Improve the support you provide to students' learning in secondary school. Engaging young people in the classroom can be a challenge for teachers and teaching assistants. Secondary school students often learn differently to younger students. This can require a different teaching approach.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Inclusive Learning for Students: Building inclusive practice into your life during higher education, and beyond (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of York

Inclusive Learning for Students: Building inclusive practice into your life during higher education, and beyond (FutureLearn)

Discover how inclusive practices can improve learning environments and student experiences for individuals and communities. Develop your interpersonal skills in preparation for student life. Inclusive practice is essential to the development of interpersonal skills and reflective thinking used throughout academic and professional life. On this three-week course from the University of York, you’ll learn to approach student life with an appreciation of the advantages and disadvantages that exist for different groups. This understanding will allow you to communicate in academic and social situations with openness and empathy.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Creating Apps in the Classroom (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Queensland University of Technology

Creating Apps in the Classroom (FutureLearn)

Find out how to create your own educational apps to support learning activities in your classroom. Learn how to create apps to use in your own teaching practice. There are many educational apps available, but the majority are created by non-educators. Platforms for developing apps are becoming increasingly user-friendly, so it’s easier for teachers to create apps to support their own classroom activities.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Short Film in Language Teaching (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The British Film Institute - BFI,INTO FILM

Short Film in Language Teaching (FutureLearn)

Find out how teaching with short film can bring alive the learning of languages and introduce rich cultural content to lessons. Learners of a new language face exciting challenges in developing their abilities to speak, listen, read and write and in learning about other cultures. Through short film, teachers can bring new worlds into the classroom and bring language learning alive.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study (FutureLearn)

Improve your academic English skills further, learning about critical analysis, using sources, avoiding plagiarism and more. On this course you will expand your academic English skills and learn the necessary extended writing and research skills for producing a thorough and high standard extended essay.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Understanding and Teaching Evolution (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Bath

Understanding and Teaching Evolution (FutureLearn)

Learn key concepts in biological evolution and find out how to integrate them into the classroom. Find out how to teach evolution to 7–16 year olds. How does evolution happen? Can we observe it in real time? How do new species come about and how long does this take? When you think about evolution, you may think of Darwin, but modern genetics has transformed our understanding of how evolution happens. This course uses this new genetics-centred approach to explain key concepts in our scientific understanding of evolution.

Self Paced
3 Weeks