How To Finish Your EFL Lessons Effectively

On the TEFL course you undoubtedly spent some time considering the different stages of your lessons. No matter if you are utilising PPP or another structure, the important elements of planning your EFL lessons remain the same. First the topic is introduced. Then there is a focus on language, including presentation, practice and consolidation. There may also be time for revision.

As you can see, there is definitely a focus on the middle of the lesson – the meat of the lesson. There is consideration for the beginning of the lesson. This is important to prepare and motivate your students for the lesson to come. But not much thought is given to the end of the lesson, even though it is just as important part of the lesson as any other.

Why it is important to finish your EFL lessons well

The end of your EFL lessons should be just as well-planned as any other part of the lesson. The end of the lesson serves to provide an end to the lesson. It should be logical and conclusive. If there is no definite end to the lesson, your students will miss out on a perfect opportunity to round off their learning session. They will miss out on time to reflect on their learning since the beginning of the lesson. If the end of the lesson is rushed or omitted, the language learnt during the lesson may not be as consolidated as it could have been.

How to finish your EFL lessons effectively

To avoid these issues and to make sure you finish your EFL lessons as well as you start them, here are a few helpful hints.

• Don’t introduce anything new at the end of the lesson. It’s not fair to introduce a question or a cliffhanger at the end of a lesson, unless you expect your students to do research for homework. Leaving your students hanging will only create frustration – and it is highly unlikely they will remember the question for the next lesson.
• Ask What have you learnt? Give your students some time to reflect on their learning in the lesson. Elicit keywords and ideas from the class to provide a gentle reminder of the content they have learnt or done in the lesson. This will provide them with a sense of accomplishment and act as motivation for their learning.
• Allow time for students to recap the lesson in pairs. It can be easier for students to chat to a partner than in front of the whole class and pairwork ensures all students are involved.
• For Young Learners, incorporate a goodbye song into every lesson. This will signal to the learners that the lesson is coming to an end.
• If you have written your lesson aims on the board at the beginning of lesson, take a minute to go through them again, reminding your students when they achieved each aim.
• Take 10 minutes and do an error correction session on errors that were made throughout the lesson. As you focus on each error, relate them to the lesson so this acts as a recap as well as error correction.

Lesson planning can seem like a tiresome business, but it’s a necessary part of your everyday life when you are a TEFL teacher. Just remember to focus on the end of your lesson as much as you do the rest of the lesson.