Lesson Planning Fails
You plan the whole lesson around a video, then the Wifi goes out. What's your backup plan?
Improvise a role play, lead a group discussion, describe the video, draw stills if applicable.
A student begins sharing a personal immigration story. How do you respond sensitively?
Acknowledge and thank them for sharing their story, then gently return to the lesson.
A student avoids eye contact and seems reserved. What might this indicate?
It cultural sign of respect, try not to misinterpret at disinterest.
One student answers every question before others can. What do you do?
Use "wait time", assign turns by calling on students individually or try "think, pair, share".
You realize mid-lesson that the material is too advanced. What do you do to adjust quickly?
Simplify the tasks and instructions, skip tougher parts, use pair work where the stronger student learners can support others.
A student comments on your weight, age, marital and/or your parental status in a way that would seem inappropriate or insensitive here. How do you respond?
You can mention that you are guessing or understand that it is OK to comment on these attributes in their culture, but in the U.S. those comments are seen as insensitive or impolite.
A student insists on calling you "Teacher" or "Sir" or "Madame", etc. How do you handle that?
Acknowledge their respect and indicate your preferred name but understand if they may still use a more formal name as it is more comfortable for them culturally.
A student arrives 20 minutes late regularly. What's your approach?
Speak with them kindly--we are always happy that they are there at all but maybe asking them what the barrier is will help you understand how you can possibly help them.
You underestimated the attendance and brought too few worksheets for everyone. What are two things you can do?
Project it, share it, ask a co-worker to make a copy, write the important parts on the board...
A student asks for your help on taxes or legal papers. What's your response?
You can say, "I'm not trained in that, but I can help you find the right resource."
A student brings unfamiliar food to share with the class. What's a culturally responsive response?
Celebrate the sharing! Invite curiosity, ask about how it's made and the tradition, etc.
Kindly remind them that you are practicing English so try and stay in English as much as possible.
You gave instructions in what you thought was a clear manner, but students are still confused on what to do. How can you fix it?
Start over from the beginning, break it down into smaller chunks, ask someone to explain what the class is doing first, then second, ask concept check questions, use more body language and miming.
Someone brings up religion or politics and the class quiets down. What do you do?
Redirect neutrally. Such as "We're here to build English skills together. Let's focus on that."
A student avoids speaking in groups. Why might that be--and what helps?
Could be cultural norms or anxiety, or that the class level is too difficult. Try pair work, confidence-building tasks and patient encouragement. Check-in after class to see if the level is appropriate.
One student dominates the discussion and doesn't let others speak. What can you do?
Assign group roles (i.e. speaker, notetaker), set clear turn-taking norms, or ask tell them you want to give others a chance to respond.
You finish 20 minutes early. What are two no-prep activities you can do to fill time?
Try 20 questions, charades, a quick story-telling chain, "would you rather", assign a topic they must discuss for 1 minute in pairs.
You hear two students disagreeing in their native language. What can you do?
Remind everyone calmly to use English so everyone can understand. Follow-up as needed.
You notice some friction between two students whose countries are in conflict or have a history of conflict. What can you do?
Speak to them individually, then together. Ask them if you can come up with some ground rules for class to make sure they are both comfortable.
Your class is multi-level. What can you do?
Use differentiated support: pair them strategically, offer challenge extras or simplified versions as needed.