Here's an approach I've found increasingly helpful over the years. I'd say it's more an idea than a technique. The idea is that teaching English, especially English as a second or foreign language, is very improvisational. One of the great things about jazz is that improvisation lies at the heart of the art form. Generally speaking, a large part of jazz performance is taking a familiar tune and improvising, rearranging, presenting in a wide variety of forms the original tune.

 

Does this sound a lot like what we're doing in the classroom? How many times have you taught the present continuous? I think I may have taught this form well over 1,000 times! So, how do we go about presenting the present continuous - or any of a myriad of other forms? How can we make sure that the teaching in fresh, not too repetitive, and, most importantly, engages the student? I think the answer is that the presentation might be repetitive, but the follow-up needs to really focus on what the class needs, rather than strictly sticking to a lesson plan. In other words, have a plan, but be flexible to student needs. That's where jazz comes in. By keeping your lesson objective first and foremost in your mind, but allowing for improvisation during the lesson, you'll ensure that your students improve, but leave enough room for conversation, review, and expansion. Here are some tips on how to do this.

Keep it Loose

Keep your lesson plans loose. There should always be room for expansion, variation, improvisation, and further explanations.

If you have an hour's lesson, don't plan a lesson that will take one hour if all goes well and everyone understands everything. Plan a 45 minutes lesson, chances are you'll get through the materials, but you won't stress out your students by trying to rush through everything you've planned. 

Variations on a Structure

If you're teaching grammar, play around with the structure. Provide students with a variety of forms and make sure that they get a chance to use these forms. No matter what the form, always include the positive, negative and question forms. Here's where improvisation really comes in handy. Write answers up on the board and have students provide the question. Take a student's statement and ask others to provide the same statement but in a question or negative form. Help students get the bigger picture by comparing similar structures - for example the present simple and past simple - side by side. Keep repeating, and make sure to add a variety of situations so that things don't get too dry. However, you'll find that teacher led variations on a theme will help students more thoroughly learn target structures. 

Always Allow for Conversation 

For me, teaching English is mostly about communication. That's why I always allow room for conversation. If a subject comes up that clearly catches the interest of those attending the class, take a break from your lesson plan and go with the flow. Remember successfully completing points A, B, C and D on your lesson plan is never the goal. The goal is improved communication. If the opportunity arrises for a meaningful exchange of opinions, grab it!

Don't Be Afraid to Deviate from the Plan

The goal is not the plan, rather the plan should facilitate meaningful communication. If something comes up and everyone in the class is engaged, throw the lesson plan out the window (at least to a certain extent). Over the years, I've come to realize that I've been able to help students because I've always fostered a classroom that's open to everyone's ideas. Sure, good lesson plans are important, but I've found that lesson plans that are rough outlines are much more helpful than those that are highly structured. In other words, always keep it loose. 

Finish with a Restatement of your Objective

As in any great jazz piece, the main tune should be presented in its original form at the end of the song. In your lessons, make sure to finish by restating the theme of your lesson. Sometimes lessons can stray far from the plan, but by returning to the main themes and quickly reviewing, you'll make sure that your language learning objectives are fresh in students' minds as they leave the classroom.