Experienced Teachers’ Planning Practices: a US survey

Thirty‐three teachers who taught in a school district that required the use of the Madeline Hunter model of planning were surveyed about their instructional planning practices. The majority of teachers reported using this planning model but in a more flexible manner than prescribed, which allowed for wide ranges in student ability and interruptions in the school schedule. Teachers reported difficulty in integrating the Madeline Hunter model with approaches newly adopted by the district, such as cooperative learning and whole‐language. Other planning dilemmas involved prioritizing content in the mandated curriculum and planning in a flexible manner. Only about half of the teachers made plans from unit notebooks or folders.