Co-Planning Strategies for Mentor Teachers and Interns

Planning for instruction is a complex and important task, requiring teachers to consider content, lesson objectives, and student learning. Teachers’ ability to attend to the complexity of planning differs with experience level and is especially difficult for novices and pre-service teachers. We examine the potential of co-planning during the internship experience to assist interns in making the transition from being a mathematics education student to becoming a mathematics teacher. We describe six strategies to facilitate co-planning between mentor teachers and interns. Implications for these strategies in other teaching contexts and relationships will be shared, as well as current and future research efforts.