In this article, the author reflects on the support that novice teachers may need when preparing lesson plans. Showing that support makes a difference, three groups of teachers (one with access to lessons plans along with assistance from an online learning community; one with model plans but just online access; and one writing their own lesson…

Field Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado, had previously seen success with its pullout model of instruction for English language learners. However, as the English language learner (ELL) population increased to 42 percent, the school's performance on state assessments dropped, and it was clear that something different was needed. School…

In 2008-09, Colegio Ingles had a watershed year in terms of teachers learning to enhance one another's skills. Beneath a deceptively congenial surface, teachers at this Mexican preK-9th grade school were avoiding professional confrontations and rarely observed one another's classes or shared teaching solutions and innovations. That same year, the…

In their article in the same "Educational Leadership" issue, Berg and Clough reached erroneous conclusions about the Hunter lesson design by pulling sentences out of context to support their viewpoint. The instructional elements advanced in "Mastery Teaching" amply allow for higher level thinking, building on student interests,…

Fifty-six elementary school teachers list the planning decisions they make as they prepare a lesson, class period, unit, or course. More than half the respondents used a planning model that differed in some degree from the model used and taught in the college methods classes. (Author/MLF)

The "Madeline Hunter Teacher Effectiveness Training Program" has been marketed with claims of improved instruction, increased student achievement, and an all-purpose lesson plan. Unfortunately, Hunter's lesson design is not consistent with many science education goals, is not appropriate for every science lesson, and contradicts…

In their article in the same "Educational Leadership" issue, Berg and Clough have severely misjudged how teachers use the Hunter lesson design model. The Hunter repertoire has enhanced science teaching by providing research-based strategies to promote retention, increase the quantity of concepts learned, keep students on task, and enable…

Madeline Hunter's statements and teaching examples lead to a conception of teaching best described as a teacher-centered, funnel model. The Hunter lesson design may be useful to science teachers for some instructional objectives, but it cannot be expected to improve the state of science education. Includes five references. (MLH)