Lesson planning has always played a crucial role in the professional lives of ESL teachers.
It’s not just a routine step—it’s part of what defines us as thoughtful, organized, and committed educators. In this post, I’ll address some common questions about lesson planning, including one that’s often debated: Is a lesson plan a genuine necessity or just a formality?
What is lesson planning?
As the name suggests, it’s the act of preparing your lesson: organizing your teaching objectives, classroom activities, and strategies for how the learning will unfold. In essence, it answers the what, why, and how of teaching a specific lesson.
What does a lesson plan say about you as a teacher?
A lot, actually. It reflects your
- organizational skills
- commitment to your students and profession
- preparedness and responsibility
It also shows consideration for others. If a supply teacher needs to step in, your plan provides clear direction, making their job easier and ensuring students stay on track. For program administrators, lesson plans offer a transparent record of classroom progress and instructional intent.
Is lesson planning more of a formality than a necessity?
Some teachers view it that way, especially experienced ones who take a more holistic, intuitive approach to teaching. They believe that while you can plan content, the “how” of delivery often depends on the energy of the room, unexpected learner responses, or spontaneous opportunities to adapt.
And that’s true! Teaching is dynamic, creative, and fluid. However, that doesn’t make lesson planning irrelevant. It simply highlights that while the “what” may be curriculum-driven, the “how” is teacher-driven. A plan doesn’t limit creativity; it gives you a structured base from which creativity can emerge.
That said, overly rigid expectations for hyper-detailed plans can indeed hinder spontaneity. There also needs to be room for teacher judgment and improvisation.
Why bother with lesson plans—even if you’re confident?
Because they give you control. A good lesson plan is like a roadmap. It helps you strategize, stay focused, and maintain consistency.
Even when you’re experienced enough to teach without one, a written plan:
- Demonstrates your professionalism
- Respects the teaching process
- Prepares you for unexpected absences
- Ensures continuity for your learners
In short, even if the plan doesn’t help you, it can help your team, and that’s just as important.
What’s the future of lesson planning in the age of AI?
AI tools can absolutely assist with lesson planning—they can generate outlines, suggest activities, or adapt plans to specific levels in seconds. But here’s the key: you’re the teacher, the designer, the decision-maker. AI is your assistant, not your replacement.
We’ll still need lesson planning, but we can do it faster and smarter, with more room for creative thinking and learner-centered design.
Final Thoughts
Lesson planning isn’t about rigid control—it’s about being intentional. It shows respect for your learners, your craft, and your colleagues. Whether you’re new to teaching or a seasoned pro, a thoughtful plan keeps you grounded, prepared, and in tune with your classroom’s needs.
Setareh Dabbagh
Greetings from the bottom of the heart of an educator. I’m Setareh and I have tried to be an agent for change through being an EFL/ESL instructor for over ten years now: change from uncertainty to assurance. I studied English Literature and went on to continue my studies in TEFL. As a learning facilitator, trying to empower learners and helping them get control over their learning pursuit is what I feel passionate about. I like sharing my teaching and learning experiences with my passionate fellows through writing as well. My area of professional interest is writing- be it blogging, short story, translation, or content writing. I see writing as a blue bird of some sci-fi movies with many wings. My writing wings are amazing books, moving movies, great company, healthy food, and physical and mental exercise.
I love how you brought lesson planning back into focus. I’ve been teaching PBLA, and I remember feeling overwhelmed by the number of activities I had to do with my learners, with no clear sense of where to start or finish. A couple of years ago, I started getting back into lesson planning and realized how important it truly is. It definitely helps keep you on track and allows you to map out your thoughts and ideas more clearly. I can even see how much the learners benefit from it.
I’m looking forward to your future talk on AI and lesson planning!
Interesting post. As I read your post, Setareh, and subsequently thought about it, I asked myself: what is lesson planning? It depends on where one teaches, but it seems to me that mostly it means activities, or a lesson plan from Elli. I think it’s come to mean less frequently, the traditional lesson plan we were taught in our teacher training programs.
One obstacle to doing traditional plans is time and, well, money. Doing detailed lesson plans, such as secondary school teachers do, or, rather, used to to, requires a lot of extra prep time. Most of us in ESL aren’t paid for extra time. So, we print something from the internet, Elli, most of the time, or we scribble something down on paper. Too bad. An important part of teaching, and learning, has been sacrificed to money and efficiency.
I’m worried that it will become the norm in our field to use AI. I strongly hope this will turn out not to be the case. Lesson planning and education is a human endeavor, and the time a teacher invests in crafting lesson plans, using the human factor, cannot and never will be replicated by some algorithm.
But, as I said above, teachers face hurdles to doing lesson plans. Time. Money. And we’re burnt out. Too tired at the end of the day. Having said that, I don’t have a solution.
Thank you for your post, Setareh. It is timely, important, and necessary. There’s so much more to be said about this topic.