MODELS OF LESSON PLANNING
There are a number of approaches to lesson planning. The dominant model of lesson
planning is Tyler’s (1949) rational-linear framework. Tyler’s model has four steps that
run sequentially: (1) specify objectives; (2) select learning activities; (3) organize learning
activities; and (4) specify methods of evaluation. Tyler’s model is still used widely in spite of
evidence that suggests that teachers rarely follow the sequential, linear process outlined in
the steps (Borko & Niles, 1987). For example, Taylor (1970) studied what teachers actually
did when they planned their lessons and found that they focused mostly on the interests and
needs of their students. More important, he found that teachers were not well prepared in
teacher-education programs for lesson planning.