Using Reflective Lesson Plans in a Lesson Series: an

Experience with Four esp

(English for Specific Purposes) Classes
Belinda Ho

Introduction
Recently, there has been an increasing interest in looking at effective teachers as “reflective
professionals” who grow through “self-directed professional development” (Clark & Lampert 1986,
Richards 1990). Though professionals accumulate experience as they go through their years of
teaching, experience alone is seen as an insufficient basis for development. As Richards and Lockhart
(1992) state: “Experience of teaching is the starting point for teacher development, but in order for
experience to play a productive role in teacher development, it is necessary to examine such
experience systematically (p.5)“. Posner (1985) points out that only “the combination of experience
and reflection equals growth (p. 124)“.

Various ways of recording experience for reflection have been suggested by different teacher
educators to help teachers reflect systematically. So far, most of the suggested means do not go much
beyond the following types: teaching journals, peer observation (Richards and Lockhart 1992;
Frieberg and Waxman 1990; Zeichner 1987), action research (Richards and Lockhart 1992, Zeichner
1987), lesson reports, surveys and questionnaires, audio/video recordings (Richards and Lockhart
1992), simulated teaching (Freiberg and Waxman 1990), ethnography, and supervision (Zeichner
1987).

This paper suggests using reflective lesson plans in a lesson series as another useful means of
reflection that makes use of experiences to bring about improvement in teaching. It operates on the
cyclic theory of reflection used in Action Research (Kernmis and Mc Taggart 1982). It bridges the
gap between reflections done on the micro and macro dimensions of teaching and is a practical tool
for reflection. In this paper, the teacher-researcher’s experience of using reflective lesson plans to
improve her teaching in four ESP (English for specific purposes) classes is described. How and why
the reflective activity helps and the implications for teacher education are discussed.

The Course
How reflective lesson plans in a lesson series may be used to improve teaching may be seen in the
example of the teacher-researcher’s experience with a Communication Skills Course on how to
conduct a systems interview and write a proposal. The teacher-researcher was assigned to teach four
classes A, B, C, D, each containing about 22 students. The students belong to the same department
and their general abilities are in average more or less the same. The teacher-researcher taught Class
A in the first lesson of the series of four lessons, followed by Class B, C, and D. In this paper, the term
a lesson series” means lessons arranged in such a way that the same lesson is taught to more than
one class in the same week. The first lesson of the series is called Lesson A, the second one Lesson
B, the third one Lesson C and the fourth one Lesson D.

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The reflective practice
Before the first lesson of the series of four lessons was taught, a lesson plan was prepared. The week,
duration, level, objective and procedures of teaching were put on the lesson plan. An example is
shown in the Appendix. After Lesson A was taught, the teacher-researcher reflected on her teaching
immediately, writing diary entries or reflective notes on areas that needed improvement in that lesson.
Then, changes were made to the first lesson plan based on what had been learned from the notes or
diary entries. The same procedures of modifying lesson plans and writing diary entries or notes were
repeated after each lesson in the lesson series.

In this paper, lesson plans on which reflective diary entries or notes were made are called reflective
lesson plans. The reflective lesson plan was written on an A3 sized paper placed horizontally. The
lesson plan was written on one side of the paper and the diary entries or reflective notes on the other
side to facilitate cross-referencing (See Appendix).

Analysis of data
The two main sources of data were the lesson plans and the diary entries or reflective notes. These
data were analyzed for salient patterns according to the diary study method described by Bailey
(1983).

Results
Analysis of the changes made in the lesson plans and the diary entries or reflective notes showed that
this reflective practice had helped the teacher-researcher to make better decisions as regards her
timing, ways of dealing with the students’ problems, visual presentations, the design of the activities
and the way to record information on the lesson plans.

There has been an increasing interest in looking at teaching as making decisions and judgements to
carry out intentions in a classroom (Freeman 1990j. In this study, changes in decisions were made
with the objective of enhancing teaching or learning of the students in mind. The teacher-researcher
made changes in her decisions only when she felt that the change would help to improve teaching
or enhance learning among students. In this sense, the changes made in decisions were perceived by
the teacher as improvements over the previous decisions. The teacher-researcher bore in mind that
as she kept making decisions for better changes, she was kept involved in the process of growing and
self-development. An example related to how decisions for better changes were made in each of the
above-mentioned area is provided below.

How better decisions about timing were made through the reflective practice
As regards timing, the first lesson in a lesson series usually helped the teacher-researcher identify
the time needed by the students to carry out an activity. Adjustments in time allocation, such as cutting
5 to 10 minutes from a certain activity and adding them onto other activities, could be fairly accurately
made in Lesson-B and the subsequent lessons based on the experience gained in Lesson A. The
number of activities that were able to be carried out within a lesson could also be identified. Activities
that the teacher-researcher had no time to deal with in Lesson A were cut off in subsequent lessons.
It also helped the teacher-researcher identify the attention span of the students. One frequent
adjustment that was made was in relation to when the teacher-researcher should give the students a

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break. For example, before Lesson A was taught, the teacher-researcher usually planned to have a
break after an activity had been completed. This appeared logical on the lesson plan. However, at
times, during Lesson A, it was found that the students appeared tired before the planned activity could
be finished. Thus, a break had to be given earlier after a sub-activity of that activity. Interestingly
enough, it was found in this study that the students in the subsequent lessons usually appeared tired
at more or less the same time as the students in Lesson A. The break time in all the subsequent lessons
was thus adjusted based on the time frame discovered in Lesson A.

To sum up, in normal circumstances, the net time for each activity of the lesson could be learned from
the experience in the first lesson. Adjustment in timing was made possible because experiences in
the first lesson provided a reference frame to the time needed by the students to understand a concept,
the time needed by the students to complete a task and the general attention span of the students, If
everything worked out as planned, the amount of time allocated for each activity as identified in the
first lesson and modified in the second lesson could serve as a fairly accurate time frame for reference
in the subsequent lessons. The same time plan could be applicable to the last two lessons in the series.

How better decisions about the way of solving the students’ problems were made through
this reflective practice
It was found in this study that the first lesson was also a good indicator of the kinds of problems that
the students had in understanding certain concepts and instructions. Though the classes differed
slightly in “personality” and attitude towards work, surprisingly the kinds of problems that the
students in each group faced were rather similar.

For example, in Week 5, the students of almost every group in Class A asked the teacher-researcher
questions about terms such as “critical dates” and “formative and sumrnative evaluation” in the
tutorial after the mini-lecture. Thus, in Lesson B, these terms were explained in the mini-lecture to
the class before the tutorial. However, a few students in Lesson B still asked questions about some
of those terms. This meant that clearer and more detailed explanations were needed in the mini-
lecture. In Lesson C, these terms were explained in a much clearer way through the use of more
examples in the mini-lecture. The students did not ask questions about these terms again. Thus, the
same method was used to explain the terms to Class D. No problems related to those terms arose in
Lesson D.

The fact that the students’ problems could be discovered earlier and the method of explanation could
be tried out in several ways within this lesson series helped the teacher to arrive at an effective method
to solve the students’ problems.

How better decisions about the use of visual aids were made through this reflective
practice
For example, in Week 3, in Lesson A, as the teacher-researcher elicited from the students the concerns
of the consultant and the client in a systems interview, the items were written in two columns on the
white board. In Lesson B, the points elicited from Group A were typed in two columns on a
transparency before class. Problems discovered in Lesson A were highlighted with colour. In Lesson
C, it was possible to add extra points elicited from Group B onto the transparency. A covering sheet

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with windows that could be opened was even added onto the transparency to help the elicitation
process. This transparency worked out well and was used in Lesson D, again with equal success,

This reflective practice helped the teacher-researcher to identify the kinds of visual aids to be used,
to put in the right content and improve the appearance and effectiveness of the visual aids.

How better decisions about the design of the activity were made through this reflective
practice
In this study, when the design of the activity proved to be unworkable in Lesson A, it was often
changed in the following lesson. The number of changes needed in the later lessons of the series
reduced gradually.

For example, in Week 2, according to the original lesson plan, students’ group discussions were
taped. Members of each group were then asked to listen to the tape after their discussion to analyze
and improve the expressions used in relation to “agreeing and disagreeing”. However, when this
method was tried out in Lesson A, it was found to be ''a disaster”. In the diary entries, the teacher-
researcher wrote:

“It was a disaster! The students were so nervous that they askedme to stop the recording.
They were too embarrassed to point out the errors made by their classmates. They also
did not know how to help each other to correct other errors. They only giggled while they
listened to the tapes. I shouldn’t have asked them to do this since this was only the
beginning of term. They did not know each other well enough to be able to feel relaxed.
I should give them something that enhanced their learning rather learning prohibited it. In
the next lesson, I’d better ask each group to select a secretary to take down the
expressions used by their group members in the discussion, discuss the list of expressions
and then ask me questions. ” (Diary: Week 2)

Thus, in Lesson B, the whole method was changed entirely based on what I suggested in the diary
entry. The students were interested in the activity and asked inspiring and useful questions. As this
method worked for Group B, the same method was used for Group C. From Lesson B, the kinds of
questions the students would ask had been learned. Thus, in Lesson C, some of Group B’s problems
could be turned into guiding questions to help the students think after their discussion. This lesson
proved to be even more successful than the previous one. The discussion was even more interesting.
The same method was used equally successfully in Lesson D.

Through this reflective practice, it was found that the first two lessons in a series of four lessons were
good indicators of the effectiveness of the method chosen to carry out communicative activities.
Usually, improvements still needed to be made up to the third lesson. Often, almost no changes were
needed to be made on the lesson plan of the fourth lesson.

How better decisions about the ways to record information on the lesson were made
through this reflective practice
Through this reflective practice, a better way of keeping time on the lesson plans was discovered.

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After going through the first lesson in the lesson series, it was discovered that it was better to record
the time allocated for each activity in terms of the time range (such as 9:00-9: 15 a.m.) instead of in
terms of minutes (such as 15 minutes). It was easier for the teacher-researcher to check the time on
her watch. Thus, the way to record time was changed from Lesson B onward. This new system proved
to be a much more convenient and helpful guideline for reference. It could be a crutch for the teacher-
researcher to hang onto for interactive decision making in the complex classroom especially when
she was tired or off target due to unexpected responses from the students. It could form the basis on
which interactive decisions could be made during the lesson, such as when the teacher-researcher
needed to decide whether she needed to cut short an activity to leave time for the tackling of
unexpected happenings in the classroom.

Why the reflective practice helps

To sum up, in this study, at least one lesson’s experience was needed to identify the time needed for
each activity and the problems faced by the students so that adjustments could be made in the
subsequent lessons. Problems concerning the way to record information on the lesson plan could also
be identified in the first lesson. As regards the teaching method, at least two lessons’ experience was
needed to make satisfactory changes in the third lesson. In other words, the existence of two lessons
was a minimum requirement in a lesson series if improvement was to be made through it.

However, it must be made clear that what is reported above is only an example of how the reflective
practice helps a teacher make changes for better decisions about her teaching. Different teachers in
different situations may be helped in different ways by such reflective practice. What is worth noting,
however, is the usefulness of this reflective practice as a means to help teachers, especially
inexperienced ones, grow in their profession based on their experiences through reflection. It may
be worthwhile, first of all, looking into why such reflective practice helps.

Reflection done through the use of reflective lesson plans in a lesson series is helpful for three reasons.
First, it operates effectively on the cyclic theory of reflection in Action Research. Second, it bridges
the gap between the micro and macro dimensions of teaching and third, it is a practical tool for
reflection.

How it operates on the cyclic theory of Action Research

The teacher-researcher has found this reflective practice useful because the lesson arrangement
automatically “forces” her to reflect systematically. As she goes through the lesson series, experience
is reconstructed. First, problems are identified. Then, solutions to the problems are generated. The
new ideas generated are immediately applied in the subsequent lesson. Results are examined to see
if further improvement is needed. This process operates effectively on the principles underlying the
reflection spiral suggested by Kemmis and Mc Taggart (1982) in action research, which is to reflect,
plan, act and observe. This process is automatically and conveniently carried out within each lesson
series. The next cycle of reflection and action can recur when the teacher teaches the course again
later. It is through such sets of reflective processes that a professional may learn from experience.

How it bridges the gap between the micro and macro dimensions of teaching
Richards (1990) has identified two approaches in teacher education: the micro approach which

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“looks at teaching in terms of its directly observable characteristics” and “what the teacher does in
the classroom” (p.4), and the macro approach which “involves making generalizations and inferences
that go beyond what can be observed directly in the way of quantifiable classroom processes” (p.4).
While only looking at teaching from the micro perspective reduces teaching to mechanics, only
looking at teaching from the macro perspective results in abstract thinking which may become remote
from the reality of classroom teaching. Larsen-Freeman (1983) is right in suggesting that both the
micro- and macrodimensions of teaching must be addressed.

The use of reflective lesson plans in a lesson series may help bridge the gap between the two
approaches. From the micro-perspective, teachers can improve their teaching skills while they keep
modifying their lesson plans. From the macro-perspective, they can reflect on the underlying
principles, beliefs and meaning of teaching while writing their diaries or making notes on lesson
plans. The teachers can bring the ideas generated from reflection back into the realities of teaching
immediately because they are “forced” to apply the new ideas in the next lesson. It is through this
immediate application of new ideas that the two dimensions of teaching can merge. The changes
made through such reflective practice in the micro dimensions of teaching, like most of those made
in this study, are not purely mechanical ones, though they may appear to be. They are changes that
derive from thoughts on the principles underlying the teaching practice. Improvement is made
through the “art-craft” or the “bottom-up” approach which enhances ongoing “self-discovery”, “self-
renewal” and “self-development”, as advocated by Richards (1992 p.45).

Why it is a practical tool for reflection

Such reflective practice solves some of the logistic problems of time, workload, and lack of support
from collaborators. Also, it can be used recurrently.

It solves the problem of time and work load

While other means of reflection such as teaching journals, lesson reports, audio/video recordings,
peer observation and action research as suggested by many teacher educators and researchers
(Richards and Lockhart 1992; Freiberg and Waxman 1990; Zeichner 1987) are, in theory, effective
ways to help teachers reflect, they are time-consuming. The reflected thoughts usually have to end
up in a report of some sort, which is a task additional to the teachers’ teaching routine.

The reflective lesson plans as suggested in this study may help teachers solve the practical problems
of time and workload because reflection is built into part of the teaching routine (i.e. preparation for
lessons). It makes use of the lesson plan, which is a common component of the teaching kit the
teachers bring into the classroom, as a means for reflection. The process of reflection and making
improvement can be carried out while preparing for their teaching. Teachers do not have to spend
much extra time doing an additional and time-consuming reflective task in order to achieve the same
results.

If teachers wish to save time even further, they may consider modifying the way to record
information. Detailed lesson plans and diary entries can be replaced by brief outlines, notes or key
words. What is most important is the reflection process that they go through before they come up with
ways to improve their teaching. How they record their reflective thoughts may vary according to the

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amount of time they have. It is true that teachers who only use mental lesson plans may not like to
write lesson plans at all. However, if a cyclic reflection device is automatically built into the lesson
series, the teachers can at least be forced to go through the reflection process mentally and put the
new teaching ideas generated in their minds into practice immediately. This helps them to grow
through self-development.

it solves the problem of lack of collaborators

Many other reflective methods, such as peer observation, surveys and questionnaires, or even peer
feedback-giving in journal writing activities, involve someone other than the teacher himself/herself
in the reflection process. However, in real life situations, collaborators are sometimes not easiIy
available mainly because most people, especially those in Hong Kong, are generally busy. The
reflective lesson plans make possible reflection by individuals. Reflection done through reflective
lesson plans is an effective way towards self-development in professional growth.

Thirdly, it can be used recurrently

Teachers who have recorded their teaching experiences through other means of reflection, such as
journals, cassette recordings, and video recordings, seldom have time to go back to review these
records after they have finished their reflective assignments. The means of reflection themselves will
then be rendered useless later. However, if reflective thoughts are recorded on lesson plans, they will
usually be reviewed later when teachers have to teach the same lesson again. The reflective thoughts
being tied so closely to the procedures and teaching methods of the lesson give much higher practical
and pedagogical value to this reflective practice.

Implications for teacher education

Though the findings of this study cannot be generalized to all teachers and a broader context before
further research has been carried out, it is hoped that the experience reported in this paper has
illustrated the potential value of using reflective lesson plans in a lesson series as a means to help
teacher development in teacher education.

Teacher educators may consider helping pre-service teachers to develop their teaching effectiveness
through giving them chances to teach the same lesson to at least two different classes or groups in
micro-teaching activities within the school of education. While it may not be technically possible to
arrange the lessons in such a way that a lesson is taught three or four times, it is not difficult to provide
a pre-service teacher with the chance to teach the same lesson twice in a week. Exposing the pre-
service teachers to the experience of teaching a lesson twice is also a good way to prepare them for
what often happens in real school situations. Training the pre-service teachers to go through such
reflective practice is important especially when they are at the experimental stage of their teacher
development. The provision of a basis on which experiments and reconstructing of experiences can
be carried out helps the development of these teachers.

Besides being helped to develop professionally through dual lesson arrangements, pre-service
teachers might also be helped to develop a habit of reflection through the keeping of reflective lesson
plans. The method of using reflective lesson plans as suggested in this study can be used for their
reference.

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Keys to success
Though the use of reflective lesson plans in a lesson series is a useful means of reflection which helps
to bring about improvement, the success in its implementation depends on several pre-requisites. The
most important one is the teacher’s desire and determination to grow professionally through ongoing
reflection and self-development. If the teacher is determined, time and workload will not be too big
a problem. Another important factor is the teacher’s willingness to change whenever necessary
(Bailey 1992). The third important factor is the support of the teacher educators in teacher education.
Support from the teacher educators is not difficult to obtain if they can be convinced about the value
of reflection in teacher development.

Conclusion
It is hoped that the experience shared in this paper will stimulate inexperienced teachers and teacher
educators to think about the value of using reflection based on the teacher’s experiences as a means
to bring about better changes in decisions about teaching. Reflection done through effective use of
reflective lesson plans in a lesson series can bridge the gap of improvement in teaching mechanisms,
on the one hand, and the understanding and manipulation of principles and beliefs underlying
teaching, on the other. It also welds abstract reflection with the practical realities of teaching in real
life situations. If inexperienced teachers are given a chance to reflect continuously through such
reflective practice, reflection can be turned into a habit which will help them grow as professionals
through self development and become more and more effective decision makers as they develop in
their profession.

Acknowledgement
I would like to thank Dr. Martha Pennington and the members of the Writing Group, Mr. Charles
Lockhart, Mr. Raymond Ng and Miss Vicki Yung, for their helpful feedback on an earlier draft.

References
Bailey, K.M. (1983). A methodological review of the diary studies: Windmill tilting or social science? In K.
M. Bailey, M. H. Long & S. Peck (E language acquisition studies. (pp. 188198). Rowley,
Mass: Newsbury House.

Bailey, K.M. (1992). The processesof innovation in language teacher development: what, why and how
teachers change. In J. Flowerdew & M. Brock (Eds.) Perspectives On Second Language Teacher
Education. Hong Kong: English Department, City Polytechnic of Hong Kong.

Clark, C. & Lampert, M. (1986). The study of teacher thinking: implications for teacher education, Journal
of Teacher Education, 37(5), 27-3 1.

Freeman, D. (1990). ‘Thoughtful work’: Reconceptualizing the research literature on teacher thinking.
Unpublished monograph. School for International Training, Vermont.

Freiberg, H.J. and Waxman, H.C. (1990). Reflection and the acquisition of technical teaching skills. In R.
T. Clift, W.R. Houston and M. C. Pugack (Eds.,) Encouraging Reflective Practice In Education
(pp.119-138). N ew York: Teachers College Press.

Kemmis, S. & McTaggart, R. (1982). The Action Research Planner. 3rd Ed. Victoria Deakin University Press.

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Larsen-Freeman, D. 1983. Training teachers or educating a teacher. In J.E. Atlatis, H. H. Stem, and P.
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Posner, G.J. (1985). Field experience: A guide ro reflective reaching. New York: Longman.

Richards, J. C. (1990). The dilemma of teacher education in econd language teaching. In J.C. Richards &
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Richards, J.C. (1992). Theories of teaching in language teaching. Perspectives, 4 (1) 39-45.

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 APPENDIX

LESSON PLAN REFLECIIVE NOTES AND DLARY ENTRES

Week (9:00-12:00am)
Group A (First Year ESP)

Objective: To quip the students with the language to be used in the systems
interview

Procedures:

1. Classroomroutine (9:00-9:lOrm)
1.1 ROII adI
12 CoUectregismiorl form
2
2 Reviewing the techniquu of conducting a systemsinterview (9:16930 am)
2.1 The stages(using flow chart on OHT) 21 Mark consultont's and client's roles
wit dlfferent cololur on OHT
22 lrltuvicwingskilIs

3. Languagefunctions (930-l&15 am) 3. Needs an hour

3.1 Elicit expressionsfrom students
./ 3.2 & 3.3 Ned the break here
:: -rtructura
Pair work to practise the exprerdons
(EJL22.1.1 on P34)

4. Break (10%l&30 am)

5. Group discusion using the expressionslearned (Ex. 232 on P35)

(lQJc&llz30 UL)
5.1 Tape cacb group’s discussion
52 Play back the discusion to analyzeand improve cbeexpressionsused.

6.
6. Phnning for the intetim (1190-12~00am)
[May not have time for this]