TEACHING SKILLS ROADMAP
Example of an action plan
What do I want
to improve?
What actions could help
me to experiment with
or refine my chosen subskill?
What happened? Why? What next?
Sub-skill 1: Optimising
learning time, Level 1
Introduce and practise a routine for
starting the lesson within 7
minutes:
4 January 2021
‘The teacher begins
and ends lessons on
time.’
Take out pencil case and books.
Copy the date and title from the
board.
What happened? We practised the routine once together
but by the start of the next lesson learners had forgotten
it, and waited for instructions and support before getting
started.
Why? The new routine needs to be taught and practised
several times before it becomes embedded.
Why have I
chosen this skill?
Complete a rapid starter activity on
the board which activates prior
knowledge, such as:
With Grade 7 English
learners, it often takes
learners around 15
minutes before
starting the first
activity. This leads to a
rush at the end of the
lesson and the plenary
is left unfinished or
rushed (as well as
some learners losing
focus as the lesson
pace becomes too
slow).

3 x multiple choice questions
to discuss in pairs
11 January 2021

3 x true/false statements
linked to prior knowledge to
review in pairs. Review
answers again at the end of
the lesson.
What happened? We practised the routine explicitly at
the start of 2 lessons in a row. I timed it on my watch,
frequently reminded learners of how many minutes were
left and telling them of the importance of staying on-task
so that the end of the lesson was not rushed.

Ask the learners to match the
3 keywords on the board to
their definitions and write
answers on their miniwhiteboards (e.g. A2, B1, C3).
Why? By explicitly reminding learners what we were
doing and why, they found it easier to stay focused and
enjoyed a sense of achievement when we did meet the
time target.

Brainstorm as many words as
you can linking to the image
on the board.
What does
success look
like?
What next? Practise the routine explicitly at the start of
next lesson (twice in a row if needed). Praise learners who
are following the steps well.
What next? Continue embedding the routine so that
learners do it automatically without so much input from
me, freeing me to help learners with other issues and get
started smoothly.
Learners consistently
complete the plenary
with time to reflect
fully and tidy the
classroom before they
leave.
30 January 2021
This will be achieved
by reducing time that
learners need to start
focusing at the
beginning of lessons.
Why? Through consistent repetition, behavioural norms
have been established.
© Cambridge University Press 2021
What happened? Most students now get started
independently at the beginning of lessons without much
need for active reminders, and we meet the 10-minute
target around 80% of the time.
What next? Reflect on the starter activities which I have
used so far and develop some activity formats which
1
TEACHING SKILLS ROADMAP
We should be
discussing learning
intentions no more
than 10 minutes from
the beginning of the
lesson.
© Cambridge University Press 2021
focus on raising awareness of key language for the lesson,
as this remains a challenge.
2