While there are many reasons for timetabling which benefit teachers, the main benefactors are the students. Giving more thought to overall shape of their program is likely to result in better learning opportunities and, as a result, increased student motivation. We need to think about the students in their learning context and think about how we can exploit the teaching materials we have. It is also better to give a copy of the timetable to students and get their feedback on it at the end of the week or month. We can talk about what we have and haven’t done (it’s not always possible to do everything you wanted!)

When I create a timetable, I keep some points in mind:

<!--Students’ learning pace

<!--The length of the lesson

<!--The time of day of the lesson

<!--The coursebook

<!--The materials that supplement the coursebook

<!--Sequencing of activities

<!--Balance of materials

<!--Topic

I wonder about other teachers. Do you create weekly or monthly timetables? Do you plan on a day-to-day basis? Do you just follow teacher’s manual for coursebook? Or do you just go into the classroom and see what happens?