DO SUPERIOR TEACHERS EMPLOY SYSTEMATIC INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING-PROCEDURES - A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which a group o f superior elementary and secondary school teachers employed systemati c instructional planning practices. The research method employed was a multicase design in which nine teachers (five secondary and four elem entary) from a single school district were studied. Qualitative data i n the form of written surveys and face-to-face interviews were collect ed and analyzed. Results revealed that most oft he teachers' planning activities centered around six types of decisions. When the teachers' planning activities were compared with a systematic approach to instru ctional planning, the two approaches were found to be different in sev eral important ways: the teachers did not place much emphasis on speci fying objectives, creating objectives-based tests, or making other ins tructional decisions in light of objectives. Implications for teaching preservice teachers about systematic planning are discussed.