ABSTRACT

student teachers, having observed an excellent lesson from a practising teacher without recourse to a single note, may be irritated by the requirement to produce written lesson plans in a teaching practice file. They may, however, be prepared to concede that they need to provide some sort of plan, so that the school mentors can keep a check that departmental plans are being followed, but balk at having to provide written feedback after the lesson. Such students say that they know how the lesson has gone and they don't need to write it down in order to reflect upon it. On the other hand, student teachers may feel unprepared for their first lessons unless armed with detailed notes of exactly what they are going to say, what the pupils will be asked to do, and practice examples worked out in full. Their first written lesson evaluations may act as a sort of emotional outpouring — a mixture of relief, pain, joy, perplexity and plans for the next day.