Lesson Planning: How Do Pre-service Teachers Benefit from Examining Lesson Plans with Mathematics Teaching Practices as an Analytical Lens?

Abstract

This article examines K-8 pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) engagement in lesson plan modification using the eight Mathematics Teaching Practices (MTPs) in P r i n c i p l e st o A c t i o n s , the most recent landmark publication of framework by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in the U.S. The activity consisted of four phases that involved the analysis and modification of an existing lesson plan. Fifty-seven PSTs participated in the activity throughout the semester, and data from each phase was analyzed using the inductive content analysis approach. PSTs’ initial conceptions of lesson planning reflected little on teaching practices (i.e., the MTPs) with more emphasis placed on the form – rather than function – of lesson elements. With the opportunity to interpret MTPs and analyze lesson plans using MTPs as an analytical lens, PSTs demonstrated various interpretations of MTPs, made efforts to incorporate MTPs into lessons, and attended to the interwoven nature of MTPs. This article also shares the challenges, conflicts, and tensions reported by PSTs during their participation of lesson plan modification; as such, the results from this study will inform the research examining the pedagogical (im)possibilities for utilizing MTPs in mathematics teacher training programs.