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THE KENNEDY INSTITUTE’STEACHING KNOWLEDGE TEST

PREPARATION AND CERTIFICATION COURSE

MODULE 2 – UNIT 18: LESSON PLANNING

IDENTIFYING AND SELECTING AIMS

To identify main, subsidiary,

stage, and personal aims in lessons

and the factors that influence

the choice of these aims.

LESSON OBJECTIVE

LANG

UAGE

REF

LECT

ION

The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.

- Herbert Spencer

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SWhat are aims?

AIMS are what we want learners to learn and be able to do at the end of a lesson, sequence or course.1

LEARN and DO

Ask yourself:What do your students already know about the subject?What can they already do with the knowledge they have?What do they need to know?What do they need to be able to do?

1 Pulverness, The TKT Course, 2005 p.86.

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Create a brainstorm and mention at least 7 purposes for writing aims before planning a lesson.

Why are lesson aims important?

Pause the video here while you create your brainstorm.

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1. provide a purpose and direction for teaching and learning.

2. They enable teachers to focus on what their learners need to achieve.

3. They help teachers to adapt textbooks to their learners’ needs.

4. They provide a framework for the lesson

Lesson aims…

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5. They help teachers to select appropriate materials and activities.

6. They help teachers to anticipate possible problems and build in solutions.

7. They can serve as a reference point for teachers to measure learners’ achievements.

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SWhy is setting lesson aims important?

Setting lesson aims allows you to establish a direction to guide learning2.

When teachers communicate student learning objectives and outcomes, learners are able to connect what they are doing to what they are supposed to learn.

2 Pintrich & Schunk, 2002

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SWhat can aims be?

Aims can be knowledge of a language item such as grammatical structure, lexis or vocabulary ; a competency or develop a language skill.

2 Pintrich & Schunk, 2002

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SWhat type of aims are there?

There are 3 types of aims for a lesson:

• Main aim• Subsidiary aim• Personal aim• Stage aims

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SWhat is the main aim?This is what the students will be able to do (SWBAT) (or do better) by the end of the lesson or sequence.The main aim is worded very specifically. It will always state:1. The language the

learners will use or comprehend;2. The context in which the language is used;

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SWhat is the main aim?Learners will be able to order food in a restaurant using the modal “would like + noun”.

Ask yourself:What do I want my students to know or do?What language do know?

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SWhat is the main aim?The main aim must be achievable AND they must meet your students’ needs.

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SWhat is a subsidiary aim?It is the second guiding component in the lesson plan. It states the background language or skills development linked to achieving the main aim of the lesson.

This may include:1. Grammatical

structures2. Lexemes3. Phonology4. Functions

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SWhat is a subsidiary aim?Example subsidiary aim:

Grammar: review of modal auxiliary “would”; Lexis: preference verbs; lexical sets and collocations associated to meals and ordering food; Phonology: /w/

Ask yourself:What aspects of language do my students need to know and use/practice?

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SWhat are personal aims?This is an aim that the teacher sets in order to improve his/her teaching skills and strategies.

Some examples of personal aims:

1. Organizing the whiteboard

2. Calling on less participatory students.

3. Be more clear when giving instructions.

4. Motivate Ss for increase time on task.

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SWhat are stage aims?These are micro-aims or specific purposes for each of the stages in the lesson plan. A stage aim is the purpose behind each procedure on the lesson plan.

The TKT Course, Modules 1, 2, & 3 (2005) p. 128

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SWhat are stage aims?

Stage aims assure us that there is a specific and clear purpose for each of the activities that are planned. Remember, each stage aim should contribute to furthering the main aim of the lesson.

The TKT Course, Modules 1, 2, & 3 (2005) p. 128

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SHow do the aims fit together?

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SFinal thoughts…Aims help the teacher to prepare appropriate activities that are effective for the learner and help them to achieve the goal. Planning aims depends on:

1. syllabus (course program)2. textbooks3. approach (method)4. assumptions on the learners5. learners’ need.

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SFinal thoughts…

• Aims must be specific enough to be able to be eval-uated

after the session

• The amount of aims are directly related with the length of the lesson and the learners’ level

• Learners should know the lesson aims beforeand while

doing activities

• For younger learners aims should be described in simple language and form.

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Education