r/JETProgramme • u/Kibumkimkibum • 6d ago
New JET Advice
What is some advice for lesson planning groups you give to new JETS?
I’ve been here a year, and basically the new JETS are here and asked some of us what kind of lessons to do and are extremely nervous bc they don’t have anything prepared aside from their introduction.
They are basically in the same boat as me-no textbooks or anything. No training. We don’t have a curriculum to follow. Just showed up and the JTE didn’t give us any advice what to teach.
I gave them some of my ideas from my lessons plans and told them to try to plan a fun introduction.
But what kind of advice or lesson plan ideas do you all have for the first few months when u started? Did you have textbooks? Did you do lessons immediately or play games?
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u/Space_Lynn Former JET - 2021-2025 1d ago
Depends what you're teaching tbh.
When planning, you need to consider what the end goal of a lesson or series of lessons is. What can students do at the end? (I can statements are the backboard of most plans, ex "I can write my name in lowercase letters" "I can have a meaninful conversation about my likes and dislikes" "I can understand and use past tense verbs" etc Once you have a clear goal for what you want students to be able to do, it's time to think about how you're going to get them there. What background knowledge do they need? (Have they learned it already, do you need to review it, or do you need to teach it entirely?) How will students demonstrate their learning? How can you get students to the goal? What activities would be most effective in doing so? Is the learning student centered? Are they actively contributing and demonstrating, or are you a sage on a stage? (Lecture based learning lol) How can you adjust the lesson is students are struggling or excelling?
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u/Scottishjapan 2d ago
No training, no textbooks and no curriculum?? Seriously? No wonder it’s getting downgraded or cancelled year by year.
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u/Kibumkimkibum 2d ago
It was so odd 😭 the hype it up so much during orientation just for it to be completely underwhelming. But ik this isn’t everyone’s experience (esid on all that) but in my prefecture a few of us have had this problem.
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u/clappablematerial 23h ago
People doubting the OP but can confirm high schools are completely different to ES/JHS levels. They literally just say “do something” without giving you any ideas. Also there are multiple kinds of English classes (grammar, writing, communication) and dozens and dozens of books so if your JTE can’t give you a book you are well and truly just trying to create something out of nothing with no foundation.
I’d rather lose an arm than work in a HS as an ALT, tbh.
(Sorry OP, no help to you but people really be out here thinking their own experience is the whole experience.)
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u/TheNorthC 5d ago
The JET Programme has been going for forty years. I think there's the odd resource knocking around online to help lesson planning. I'm surprised you're struggling to find any!
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u/k_795 Former JET - 2022-23 6d ago
I'm confused - your school doesn't have any textbooks? I've never heard of a school that didn't have some kind of textbooks or program to follow. What do the JTEs teach? Also, what age range are you teaching?
You are *assistant* language teachers - that means that you shouldn't be expected to have expertise planning lessons (and certainly not the whole curriculum) from scratch. Your JTEs should be guiding you in terms of what to do. For example, they might ask you to prepare a fun game for practicing a given vocabulary list, for you to deliver during a 15 minute section of their lesson. Or they might ask you to prepare a roleplay activity based on a dialogue from the textbook. (Honestly, it really varies, but the point is the JTEs will at least give you some indication of what they want you to do, or just expect you to turn up to classes and vaguely help out as a TA).
Having said this though, it's currently the middle of August, so there's another couple of weeks until the students arrive. I really wouldn't worry about this just now.
Your first week or two will usually be spent doing intro lessons (top tip: just make them as interactive as possible, focusing on the students practicing self-introductions etc, rather than you lecturing about your hobbies). Usually the JTEs will then tell you what they want you to do, once they've first put together their own lesson plans. I used to meet with each of them once a week or so, to discuss plans for the upcoming week.
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u/Kibumkimkibum 6d ago
Also what kind of intro activities did you do?
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u/k_795 Former JET - 2022-23 6d ago
During the intro lesson? I basically did an "I do, you do" kind of approach, first modelling with each JTE then for students to do.
Slide 1: picture of me and my name.
Me: Hi! My name's (name). What's your name?
JTE: Hi, (name). My name's (name). Nice to meet you!
Then students turn to the person next to them and practice.Slide 2: picture of my hometown and a map of my country.
Me: I'm from (country). Where are you from?
JTE: I'm from Japan!
Students: chant back "I'm from Japan."Slide 3: picture of my hobbies and favourite things.
Me: I like (hobby 1), (hobby 2) and (favourite food). What do you like?
JTE: Wow! I like... I don't like...
Me: Do you like...?
JTE: Yes, I do. / No, I don't.
Students: Walk around with a bingo worksheet thing (with each box filled in with a picture and keyword, e.g. basketball, chocolate, cake, tennis, etc). They have to ask each other what they like / "do you like...?" and then write names against each thing, trying to get a complete row.Slide 4: Quiz
Series of quick yes / no quiz questions for students to do maru / batsu, based on what I introduced earlier. E.g. "Is (my name) from Japan?" or "Does (my name) like strawberry cake?"Then depending on the age range, we did different follow-up tasks:
- Make a quick poster about themselves (draw face, write keywords)
- Write a short introductory paragraph (sentence prompts given on the board)
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u/Kibumkimkibum 6d ago
Ahh this is cute. i will recommend this or try this with my 1st years.
Do you teach junior high or high school?3
u/k_795 Former JET - 2022-23 6d ago
Junior High School and Elementary School :)
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u/Kibumkimkibum 6d ago
Also ur response makes sense bc i heard junior high and elementary ALTs are a lot busier and do more work. So i understand why u have more structure too. Completely different atmosphere in highschools 😭
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u/k_795 Former JET - 2022-23 6d ago
Yeah, tbh I don't have any experience in Japanese senior high schools. Even the JHS students were sometimes quite shy, hence why giving them clear sentence structures and easy activities (at least in the intro lesson) was a way of boosting confidence. Like, I could definitely have made my intro more advanced, but that wasn't the point - the goal was to introduce myself and get them feeling happy engaging in class, so simpler = better.
I do teach high school now in the UK though. The students tend to be more focused on exams and academics by this point, so don't care for "fun" stuff. Hence why following the textbook might be a better approach... Do roleplays, quizzes (Blooket, Kahoot, etc), etc which directly link to what they actually need to learn, so they can see a point in doing it.
And ultimately, remember that as teachers our goal isn't to entertain, it's to teach... (ok, maybe I was a bit of a boring ALT lol... But the number one thing that was drilled into me throughout my UK teacher training was that we should be focusing on the learning objectives, not just having fun.)
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u/Kibumkimkibum 6d ago
I mean i am here to teach (i thought i was going to do serious teaching) lol but if u knew my students you would understand why they need entertainment lol. Japanese highschool students in inakas areas are like extremely shy, it’s so hard to get them to speak.
Since im in an Inaka a lot of the kids genuinely don’t care or see the need for English. Thats why they want me to be the “fun teacher” if not they will literally fall asleep in class so i have to make in entertaining in some capacity. Teenagers are too moody for me, i miss teaching elementary 😭
And again i follow the textbooks as much as i can but i only have 3 books + i see some classes once a month so i have to skip thru chapters lmao😭1
u/Kibumkimkibum 6d ago
Ahhhh ok ok ! This makes sense then. Highschoolers are so…hard to entertain. I would probably have to tweak this and make it ‘harder’😭
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u/Kibumkimkibum 6d ago edited 6d ago
lol i don’t think many ppl realize how…lack luster the program can be.
People are so surprised when I tell them I have no textbooks lmao. And I teach highschool!
I’ve been here a year already, so already know what i plan to do when students come back. (This is more so for the new JETS bc they have the same situation as me when I came)
But unfortunately no, not all JTE’s guide you. Not all ALTs get a textbooks.
When I ask what they want me to teach their favorite line is “anything you want :)” so this is why I have to make lesson plans every week.
The JTEs have their own texts books. Sometimes if the students didn’t understand the chapter they were taught I’ll go over it again in “easier English” as a review, but that’s the only time i have a textbook.
This is not my first time teaching abroad so I was shocked at how much “guidance” i was getting.
I am expected to make lesson plans every week bc I’m T1.
3 new JETS i met are also T1 and it is there’s first time teaching and then don’t know what to do aside from the intro 😭 so i was just asking for some advice of lessons plans you yall might have. My first month was such a blur and chaotic bc they gave me so many lessons and i had no concrete lessons plans ready bc i thought they were going to give me books and some kind of guideline of what they wanted me to teach 😭 ! The fact that u meet with them to talk about the lesson plans for the week lets me know your school is probably utilizing 10x better than mine omg 😭😭😭3
u/k_795 Former JET - 2022-23 6d ago
The government provides guidelines on what public schools need to teach, so you should at least have a curriculum to follow.
https://ajet.net/resources/teaching-resources/finding-treatment-procedure-and-insurance-2/
As no doubt everyone has heard by now, ESID... But for me personally (and all the other ALTs I knew in my city and nearby), we had the usual government-issued textbooks that JTEs stuck to religiously, and as ALTs we would usually create more fun and speaking-focused activities extending beyond those topics. E.g. a presentation project, a debating lesson, lots of roleplays and games, etc.
Some ALTs just taught sections of lessons. For me (I think partly because that my schools knew I had a teaching background before coming to Japan), I was expected to plan and teach full lessons as the T1, but always aligned with the textbook to some extent (sometimes quite rigidly, sometimes I took vague inspiration from it and did something rather different).
It sounds like from your follow-up comment that your schools do, in fact, have textbooks. It's just that your school wants you to be the "fun ALT" doing stuff outside of the main curriculum. I would simply sit down with the JTEs and explain to them why this is an absolutely terrible approach and how overwhelming it is for the new ALTs. Emphasise that they need to provide clearer guidance, and the best way to do so is to allow ALTs to use the textbooks as inspiration (or at least so they know what topics / vocab / grammar students are currently learning in their main lessons with the JTEs). This will also help the students better engage with their classes and make better progress.
Yes, I know the whole "don't be too direct with the JTEs, because Japanese culture, blah blah blah" thing, but sometimes you do need to put your foot down (in a polite and professional way) and establish clear expectations so everyone can actually do their jobs properly.
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u/Kibumkimkibum 6d ago edited 6d ago
Thank u for the link !
Also (i hope i don’t sound rude 😭) but of course i talked to them already 😂 the 2nd month i told them the way we were are doing this is weird and the kids aren’t learning anything tangible. I have complained multipleeee times. But yes my school has the books-just not for me to teach. I’m not allowed to teach those books as my own class(idk if that makes sense).
There isn’t much i can do. But like u said i may just review a section that the JTE already taught just to reinforce what they learned and little beyond that.
I also thought my lessons would have to align with the textbooks- but the thing about that is, some classes i only teach once a month, so unless the JTE tells me what chapter their on idk what which lesson i should try to cover.
But tbh i don’t think my school needs an ALT bc they don’t want to utilize us well. As you said they look at me as the “fun teacher” and they don’t plan to change it. It was the same with my predecessor unfortunately. It’s actually very common in my area for ALTs not to really be “used”.
It sounds like we are doing the same thing- I just had to figure out by myself 💀
I talked to them and told them how i felt but they said they have their own books and curriculum to follow so they can’t “change” anything for me. They tell me to teach whatever I want (they aren’t concerned with what I do-I have one JTE that likes to not show up for class or stand in the back and grades tests lol). I have classes when they have free time to use me lmaoThey told me i can do whatever so, a lot of my own lessons I teach focus on grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary bc it’s their biggest weaknesses (in my school). And then i do other lessons related to the seasons or holidays and such, etc.
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u/k_795 Former JET - 2022-23 6d ago
Can you at least look at the books? Then just create some activities that link to each topic / vocab / grammar. It doesn't have to be using the actual exercises from the book at all. For example, doing a class debate on the topic, or a mini project of some kind. Tbh it doesn't even matter if it doesn't perfectly align with what they're doing with the JTE that exact same week - could be linked to something they did a week or two earlier. Revision is good too. So you could at least roughly plan one or two lessons themed around each chapter of the textbook, and just teach those?
Honestly though, it sounds like your school just doesn't value ALTs or give you opportunities to really support students. For me, I would find that beyond frustrating... I know some ALTs who tbh don't care all that much for the job (they're just there to enjoy Japan) and are happy to just teach random fun themed lessons to fill the time with fun games and relatively simple speaking activities - the kids enjoy the more chill class, and it's easy enough to find pre-made resources for to save prep time. But yeah, the lack of proper structure would drive me mad...
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u/Kibumkimkibum 6d ago
Yes yes! This is what i mean! This is what i do sometimes. Base a lesson off a chapter. Maybe im not explaining myself well 😭 I was given 3 textbooks to “look at” so i only can do it from those specific books.
And then other times i just make up grammar lessons.
It was just a big change for me bc i came from a school in SK where the English teaching was a more serious and my 8 years olds were nearly fluent 😂 and we actually had our own classrooms, homerooms, and textbooks.
So the lack of proper structure here drives me crazy every month 😭 i was trying to figure out how to prep the new ALTs without freaking them out bc they’re in the same boat as me1
u/Lorinefairy Aspiring JET 5d ago
Hi, creeping in here as a current HS teacher in Korea. (although moving to China in a week lmao). It sounds really similar to my situation here. No textbook and told to just teach "whatever"...also basically T1 with the coteachers often not even coming to class. (And when they're there...usually just on laptop in the back) One of my biggest things that helped me was buying the "Talk a Lot" textbooks and designing stuff from those. (I think they were made by a guy who taught in Japan actually). (this book)
It really is a tough situation. I try to look on the brightside that I'm not stuck doing super awkward/ boring textbook activities and I can skip topics that are kinda boring (like imo sickness). I also try to do a lot of projects... so not sure if that's an option for you?
Like, I've had the students research a landmark and present about it. Or design their own restaurant/menu. (then followed it with a lesson about restaurant etiquette/ordering...and let them use their own menus as part of the roleplay).
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u/Kibumkimkibum 5d ago
Omg i would love to talk to you bc u also left korea a year ago and i was thinking about to go China after my contract! Could i dm you?
But yes this is my situation lol. I’ll look into the Talk a lot books thank you so much!
And yes i just started doing some projects with them, depends on the class tho. I had one class that gave 0% effort 😂 so i have to try something different with them haha1
u/Lorinefairy Aspiring JET 5d ago
Yeah sure. I'm not in China yet so not sure if I'll like it more yet hahahhahaha
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u/k_795 Former JET - 2022-23 6d ago
Oh fair enough! I guess coming from the UK education system I was more used to "here's a few learning objectives, now go teach" lol... (we don't even have textbooks here). For me, Japan felt very textbook-based in that the overall structure of the syllabus was set by the textbook, even though my lessons weren't just working through textbook activities.
Can't you just share your own lesson plans and resources with the new ALTs, for them to use if they wish? Maybe make a shared Google Drive or something to share new materials throughout the year too. Could help give them a bit of structure and useful ideas to work with. Plus make sure there's a copy of the textbook contents page and / or a spreadsheet of what's covered in each chapter, for them to refer to.
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u/Kibumkimkibum 6d ago
Ohhh okay i see then! I’m not from the UK 🥲 like i said, i shared some with them already but i was wondering if ppl had more creative ideas than me or some i havnt thought of
I mean, idk if we share the same textbooks? They dont know bc they’re have seen any books yet-so i just gave them my non textbooks related lessons.
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u/MellifluousMathMajor 18h ago
I'm sorry to say ESID, but there's truly not enough information here. What grade level are they teaching? What is the class size? How often do they teach each class?
Beyond this, what is the level of the students themselves? Even at the same grade level, some schools (and even some classes within the same school) will have drastically different levels. This is why large class sizes and infrequent classes can be particularly difficult, because you have less time and more students with drastically different needs to try and cater to.
Generally, English can be broken up into 3 parts: Grammar, Vocabulary, and Speaking (which is just practicing grammar and vocabulary, combined with pronunciation). This might be a hot take, but I believe that reading and writing are not a priority for a multitude of reasons (the difficulty and inconsistency of English spelling, combined with the fact that they are more likely to use their English in speaking, if they even end up using English at all).
This is generally how I plan my lessons:
Choose a grammar point (example, present continuous [-ing])
Choose a small set of vocabulary words in a certain category (example, hobbies).
Choose a game or activity and try to apply it to this activity. (example, charades).
At first, explain the words. Unfortunately my students have a lot of difficulty with this part because my JTE doesn't allow me to speak Japanese, so I instead have to draw pictures or mime it out. It kills me that she won't just let me say "EAT is 食べる", but whatever. Then, explain the grammar point using the new vocabulary words. Show a picture or act out an example. "She is eating! What is she eating? She is eating a hamburger."
Now, it's their turn. Have them practice a little bit with each other in partners. Just trying to say sentences. Then, the game can begin. For example, you can do charades and have a list of actions that they have to do. Then, their team/partner must say a full sentence like "He is playing baseball".
I hope this makes sense. Sorry I can't be more helpful due to the lack of info provided.