Ministry of Higher Education

Kandahar University
Faculty of Education
Department of English Language and Literature

The Importance of Lesson Planning in EFL Learning Classrooms at

Kandahar University

Researcher: Agha Wali Zahid

Advisor: Faridon Anfal
Date- 02-10-2023
Introduction

Classroom management is very necessary for teaching foreign languages. Since it deals with
student learning so it is recommended to control the use of the mother tongue, use of mobile,
asking irrelevant questions, lack of willingness to participate in the classroom, and low
motivation are part of the classroom management failures that a teacher must prevent
( Debreli, & Ishanova, 2019).To have proper classroom management, it is not only necessary
to change the discipline but also the classroom environment, the materials used, the location
of the seats, and the relationship between the student and the teacher, among others
(Marzano, 2003; Martín, Busquets, & Villafuerte, 2012). Planning activities for the classroom
are one of the most required items of teachers worldwide to make their lessons even more
effective. It enables teachers to deliver the course materials very effectively. Furthermore,
planning activities help the students to find opportunities for developing strategies that enable
them to overcome the challenges of situations in the teaching practice (Queiros, Bouckaert,
de Oliveira, Oliveira, Moreira, & Gomes, 2019). Regarding lesson planning, Emiliasari, and
Jubaedah (2019) state that lesson planning is a key part of class management before going to
the class to teach. By using lesson planning effectively, learning will be more enjoyable and
effective.

During classes, a lot of tension appears between the previous meticulous planning of
activities and the need for flexibility when meeting students’ local demands.
In addition, Lesson planning is a strategy for teaching a particular unit attempting
to save time and energy, and give the maximum output in a less time period (Khan, 2011).
Moreover, he adds that a lesson plan is the teacher's roadmap for what lessons the class will
cover and how they will be delivered successfully. An effective plan is not expected to go as
it is planned, but one that both student and teacher are expected to learn from each other
(Milkova. 2012). A daily activity plan is as necessary as a general course plan (Khan, 2011).
He also agrees that the primary function of planning is to provide the students with a good
opportunity to learn. Careful planning makes it possible to make adjustments that answer the
needs of students.
 Similarly, preparing for teaching is something a teacher needs to do it very
carefully. Without preparing himself/herself for the classroom, teaching will lose its way. As
a result, the students who are sitting and expecting a lot from the teacher will get nothing. To
make an effective lesson plan, the lesson plan must meet the requirements. Of course, there
might be difficulties when preparing an effective plan, but teachers can discuss how to create
an impactful plan with the teachers around them (Emiliasari & Jubaedah, 2019).

Problem Statement
Since there is such a high demand for learning foreign languages around the world, effective
lesson planning has become a visible concern in the field of education. The language
professor has a significant impact on the learners during the process of learning a foreign
language, and their success is dependent on the lecturers' abilities. Despite the importance of
knowledge about student perspectives as an informant to efficient lecturing and teaching,
there is relatively little research in the field of English language education, particularly the
importance of lesson planning in EFL classrooms of the education faculty of Kandahar
University. As a result, the current study solves this shortcoming. Yildirim (2003) also agrees
that Lesson preparation is a crucial activity in the development of teacher trainees because it
pushes them to deliberate on what to teach, how to teach, and how to evaluate. The results of
this investigation provide fresh perspectives into Kandahar University students' opinions of
effective EFL lecturers, which should be especially useful for lecturers working in
Afghanistan who are interested in reviewing or finding some key features that reinforce
teaching practices and increase the likelihood of successful language learning.

Purpose Statement
According to the literature available, unfortunately, few studies have been conducted on this issue
in the context of Kandahar University. The present study will help teachers to plan their
classroom activities effectively.

Research Questions
Research question 1: what’s the significance of lesson plans in English as a foreign language
classroom?

Research question 2: What are the steps in preparing an effective activity plan for an EFL
classroom?
Literature review

Lesson planning plays a vital role in classroom management (Iqbal, Siddiqie &
Mazid, 2021). They also add, that with no proper planning, the student’s role becomes
passive. More on that, Designing and putting into practice lesson plans in the classroom
requires a theory-based plan, classroom seating, activity monitoring, and teaching experience.
Every teacher should pay close attention to the study's findings to improve the quality of their
instruction and evaluation methods.

Moreover, before beginning instruction, the teacher must complete an essential step
called lesson planning. The learning process will be better organized thanks to meticulous
planning. However, preliminary research indicates that teachers continue to struggle with
lesson planning. Despite preparation, the learning process often goes above and beyond what
was originally planned (Emiliasari, 2019). The teacher should first decide what the lesson's
goals are, or what the students should know at the end of the lesson, before beginning to plan
the lesson (Kakharova & Yusupova, 2022). In technical terms, the aspects of lesson planning
that must be followed are familiarity with the material to be taught, familiarity with the
students, including the context of the classroom, formulation of objectives, designing of
teaching and learning strategies and activities, assessment opportunities, planning for
technology use, and the student's capacity to recognize good and bad lesson planning
practices (Mavuru, 2019). Teachers can incorporate proactive, evidence-based practices into
their lesson plans to increase achievement for all students, including those with impairments,
and reduce behavior issues (Nagro, Fraser & Hooks, 2019).

According to Fujii (2019) without a doubt, a lesson plan is a crucial output of

lesson study. The collaborative effort among teachers that goes into preparing that lesson plan
is, however, frequently undervalued by non-Japanese adopters of Lesson Study. This may be
because the effort involved is invisible to outsiders, with our attention being drawn to its most
visible aspect, the live research lesson.

Your pupils will be more engaged and on task if you let them know what they will be
studying and doing in class (Milkova. 2012). Furthermore, by putting a quick agenda on the
board or outlining for the class specifically what they will be learning and doing, you can
share your lesson plan with the kids. The class's learning objectives can be listed on the board
or in a handout. Giving the class a purposeful structure can aid in improving students'
memory as well as their ability to follow your presentation and comprehend the reasoning
behind in-class activities. You and the students will be able to keep on task if you have a
clearly visible agenda (perhaps on the board).

Althuwaybi (2020) Information, communication, and technological advancements have

changed teaching and learning in different ways since the beginning of the 21st century. He
also states that teachers now are crucial to this change in momentum. The selection, creation,
and implementation of relevant, efficient, and successful instructional tasks will have an
impact on both teaching and learning. However, this extends beyond providing educators
with curricula and instructional resources. In addition, if teachers can specify resources,
processes, and results, they should be able to activate inactive curriculum materials and turn
them into engaging instructional assignments. Haynes (2010) states that one could think of
teaching as a three-step process. The first step includes planning and preparation-related
activities, the second involves classroom management, teaching, and learning, and the third
involves assessment-related activities that happen after the session.

Similarly, khan (2011) states that every competent teacher should utilize lesson planning as a
blueprint. Even though not all teachers always prepare in black and white, some do have an
efficient teaching-learning activity prepared in their minds. In addition, every one of us plans,
even if the task seems straightforward, to account for potential challenges as well as the
development and implementation of cooperative tactics. Nagro, Fraser, and Hooks (2019)
present that although instructors face daily challenges in meeting the different academic and
behavioral requirements of their pupils, teacher success is essential to student success. The
amount of time that teachers spend dealing with student behavior, which takes time away
from teaching, is quite concerning.

Lesson planning is still a difficult undertaking for teachers. Being a successful teacher
requires a tough process as one moves from being a student to a pre-service teacher. We all
understand how crucial a lesson plan is to a successful teaching-learning process ( Hejji
Alanazi, 2019). A core responsibility of professional teachers is lesson planning, and numerous
initial teacher education programs around the world offer pedagogical, subject-specific, and
hands-on learning opportunities to support pre-service teachers' learning to prepare to teach a
single lesson or a unit of lessons (König et al., 2020).

Milkova (2012) identified strategies for efficient lesson planning and discusses a lesson plan
as an effective teacher guide. The researcher defined three key ingredients of a successful
lesson plan with teaching or learning activities involved, student learning objectives and
strategies understanding checks. She also presented an analyzed guide which can be used
during the process of lesson planning and states that when a teacher and students learn from
each other it is called a successful lesson.

Vdovina and Gaibisson (2013) state that we fully believe that the initial steps are planning,
experimenting, and reflecting. As always, there are several circumstances and student
qualities that may influence the degree to which critical thinking can be introduced and
developed. The teacher will have the knowledge needed to begin revamping lessons so that
they involve students in the development of critical thinking, i.e., to adjust material, language
activities, and learning strategies in the cognitive and emotional domains, based on our own
experience and student input.

Methodology
Participants
This study included 77 EFL learners from the Department of English Language and
Literature of Education faculty of Kandahar University. According to Ahmad and Halim
(2017), for a population of 96 subjects, a sample size of 77 subjects is required to represent
the whole population.

Instrument

Procedure
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