The importance of lesson plan and methods in the Foundation Program Essay

The importance of lesson plan and methods in the Foundation Program used in Omani Universities to the study of language skills - Essay Example s primarily on the enhancement of students’ proficiency in English, so students enrolled in the program have a full day schedule with a weekly load of around 30 hours, including study groups.† â€Å"The program is communicative in nature, shifting the emphasis from grammar to meaningful oral and written communication.  The instructional materials adopted for the program have performance-based objectives as well as clear scope and sequence for teaching communicative skills. The program approaches language as a tool of communication and stresses reading and writing as the two main language skills instrumental for students success in university-level education through the medium of English.   The teaching methodology treats language skills in an integrated fashion and incorporates study skills into the program.   The teaching methodology is communicative in nature, presenting authentic and simulated communicative tasks in real life However most of the students in the foundation programmer are unappreciative with the role of English language. In this stage of a students’ academic life, it is very important for the teacher to find effective ways to help these students progress to the next level. Teachers must know their students and their needs very well. They have to decide on which communication skills they would develop : reading, writing, speaking, listening, or phonology. As with any instructional method, everything starts with lesson planning. A well-developed lesson plan is the foundation to a good execution of a lesson. According to research, planning sets the stage in teaching and school learning making it the most critical part of instruction teaching and school learning (Clark & Dunn, 1991). The lesson plan must align with the goals of the program as well as the curriculum so that it would fit the context of the learner. In short, the lesson plan must translate into instruction the goals of the Foundation Program. Since the program aims to focus