TKT - Teaching Knowledge Lesson Planning and Aims Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher writes the following statement in their lesson plan: 'To reduce the amount of time I spend giving instructions.' Which component of a lesson plan does this statement represent?
- A subsidiary aim
- A personal aim (Correct answer)
- A stage aim
- A main aim
Correct answer: A personal aim
This statement reflects the teacher's intention to improve their own teaching practice during the lesson, which is the definition of a personal aim. It is not about what the students will learn (main or subsidiary aim) or the purpose of a specific activity (stage aim).
Question 2: The main aim of a lesson is 'to practice writing a formal email of complaint.' Which of the following would be the most appropriate subsidiary aim?
- To provide freer practice in writing.
- To review appropriate formal vocabulary and fixed expressions. (Correct answer)
- To develop students' confidence in their writing skills.
- To complete a gap-fill exercise on the past simple.
Correct answer: To review appropriate formal vocabulary and fixed expressions.
A subsidiary aim is a language or skill students need to achieve the main aim. To write a formal email of complaint (main aim), students will need to know and use appropriate formal vocabulary and expressions. The other options are either too general, a stage aim, or potentially irrelevant to the main aim.
Question 3: A teacher is planning a lesson for an elementary class. The first stage of the lesson involves showing students pictures of different foods and eliciting the vocabulary. What is the most likely aim of this stage?
- To practice oral fluency.
- To check understanding of grammar.
- To provide controlled writing practice.
- To set the context and introduce the topic. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: To set the context and introduce the topic.
This activity serves to engage students, activate their prior knowledge, and introduce the theme of 'food' which the rest of the lesson will likely be based on. This is known as setting the context or a lead-in.
Question 4: Which of the following is the best-written main aim for a lesson?
- Students will do a role-play.
- To teach the present perfect.
- By the end of the lesson, students will be better able to make polite requests using 'could you' and 'would you'. (Correct answer)
- Learning about modal verbs for requests.
Correct answer: By the end of the lesson, students will be better able to make polite requests using 'could you' and 'would you'.
A well-written aim is specific, learner-centered, and describes what learners will be able to do. 'By the end of the lesson, students will be better able to...' clearly focuses on the learning outcome for the students, specifies the language point ('could you' and 'would you'), and the function (making polite requests). The other options describe an activity, are too teacher-centered, or are not specific enough.
Question 5: In a lesson plan, the 'Procedure' section details the step-by-step activities that will happen in the class. The 'Aims' section describes:
- the materials needed for the activities.
- the timing for each stage of the lesson.
- what the teacher believes the students already know.
- what the learners will be able to do by the end of the lesson. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: what the learners will be able to do by the end of the lesson.
The 'Aims' section of a lesson plan defines the learning outcomes. It specifies what the students are expected to learn or be able to do as a result of the lesson, whereas the 'Procedure' describes the activities used to achieve those aims.
Question 6: A teacher notices that students are struggling with a grammar point that was planned as a subsidiary aim for a speaking lesson. The teacher decides to spend more time on a controlled grammar practice activity than originally planned. This decision shows that the teacher is:
- ignoring the main aim of the lesson.
- flexibly responding to learner needs that arise during the lesson.
- strictly following the lesson plan procedure. (Correct answer)
- prioritizing personal aims over learner aims.
Correct answer: strictly following the lesson plan procedure.
Effective teaching often requires adapting a lesson plan in response to the immediate needs of the learners. By identifying a weakness in a subsidiary aim (which is necessary for the main aim) and providing extra support, the teacher is being flexible and responsive to help students succeed.
TKT - Teaching Knowledge Lesson Planning and Aims Questions and Answers 1
A teacher writes the following statement in their lesson plan: 'To reduce the amount of time I spend giving instructions.' Which component of a lesson plan does this statement represent?