How to Organize a Course

How to organise a course (and avoid running out of steam)

Early classes feel easy when you’re full of tips and games. By lesson three, ideas can dry up unless you have a plan. Key lessons:

• Plan lessons, not just topics. Good CELTA‑style planning blends skills (listening/reading → language focus → controlled practice → freer speaking/writing), not one skill per class.
• Design for the 90‑minute arc. Keep explanations short; alternate input with output; avoid long, silent workbook time.
• Maximise time on task. If learners need exam practice (e.g., IELTS), schedule timed tasks and use class time for feedback and strategy, not only “doing the paper”.
• Correct later, not during output. Let learners finish ideas; then pick one or two issues to improve (delayed, focused feedback).

Sample 90‑minute skeleton

1. Warm‑up + goal (10’)
2. Input (text/audio) + gist/detail tasks (20’)
3. Language focus (collocations/grammar emerging from input) (15’)
4. Controlled practice (10’)
5. Freer speaking/writing using the target language (25’)
6. Delayed feedback + homework (10’)