“What Are We Going to Do Next?”: Lesson Planning as a Resource for Teaching

How do teachers answer these and other questions related to planning lessons and carrying out a course of instruction for their students? According to recent research (Ball, 1997; Ball & Bass, 2002; Rosebery & Warren, 1998; Wilson & Berne, 1999), to develop a lesson a teacher should take into account what her students know and what she wants them to learn. She should pull together materials (e.g., manipulatives, problems, explanations, questions, representations, etc.) that will support her students’ learning, and make decisions about the course of action she and they will take. When done seriously, none of these activities is trivial. Each requires teachers to draw on their experience and expertise and to think creatively and deliberately about “what to do next.”