The most common struggles that are pursued on the front lines of teacher education programs are issues related to lesson planning. Although it is common knowledge that experienced teachers do not write as much detail in lesson plans as they probably did in their teacher training, this does not mean the process of lesson planning is not important.
Planning is as critical to an experienced teacher as it is to a beginning teacher.
The difference is that the experienced teacher has often internalized a process of lesson planning and sometimes chooses to write plans in an abbreviated form. Beneath the brief description, however, usually exists a clear understanding of why the lesson is being taught, what skills, knowledge and attitudes are being pursued, and how the students will be assessed in their abilities to learn. The lesson plan is the most conclusive evidence of a prospective teacher's ability to conceptualize a learning episode that is clear, relevant to the students, and connected to specific curriculum goals. A sequence of lesson plans, when studied as a whole, reveals the degree to which there is a realistic progression or continuity of learning for classroom students. On the political side, good lesson planning is a ticket to survival for both the student teacher and the first year teacher being evaluated by the district supervisors.