ABSTRACT
For an emerging mathematics teacher, planning is fundamental. A good lesson plan can provide a foundation for both effective teaching and successful learning. Planning can also help to tackle many of the concerns and fears that teachers have as they start their careers; in the words of the author Alan Lakein, ‘planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now’. An opening or introductory activity can serve a number of different roles in a lesson: Linking back, looking forward, mental/oral starters, real-world starters, and focusing starters. The learning objective or learning intention is central to planning mathematics lessons. Textbooks are a common feature of mathematics classrooms, and they can be a valuable source of practice material. Over time, however, pupils will tire of simply working through lengthy exercises, so it is worth considering different ways in which teacher might plan to use a textbook.
