1. Introduction

When planning your lessons, you need a sufficiently clear idea about the characteristics and learning conditions both in the class as a whole and among individual students. It is important to understand the children with their differences: the scope of variation in their skills and abilities, their strengths and weaknesses, their beliefs, attitudes and interests.

On the one hand, you will clarify the learning conditions in a class in terms of the teaching objectives you have in mind. On the other hand, when selecting objectives and topics, you will draw on your knowledge of the characteristics of individual children and the whole class.

By identifying the conditions of learning you will have completed the first part of preliminary clarifications. In your further planning, you must also take into account the general conditions under which your teaching will take place. Finally, you should not forget your own teaching skills; this is to ensure that you will make effective use of them, and develop them further without placing too demanding a burden on yourself in your teaching work.

At the beginning of this unit you will find key questions followed by work files that can be used whenever needed.