The preparation of daily and long-range teaching plans is important for the student teacher's professional growth. Students teachers need time for thoughtful preparation. Specific assignments for teaching must be given with adequate advance notice. Weekly planning for classes to be taught and your expectations of the student teacher in these classes should be discussed so that they can plan for their teaching. Lesson plans are to be detailed with objectives, materials, learning activities, instructional strategies, and evaluation procedures. A short list of pieces to be rehearsed or music activities is not acceptable. As an experienced teacher you may not need this level of specificity, but novice teachers need to think and organize in more detail to learn to teach effectively. Asking a student to take a part of a lesson or a sectional with only a few minutes warning will usually guarantee disaster for the student teacher and your students .
Make long range plans to include more independent teaching that culminates in the student being resonsibile for some groups, classes or grade levels by themselves. They will need guidance in preparing for this, but they must grow to this level of independence in selecting literature and activities, planning the lessons, and teaching on their own.
Based on the Handbook for Student Teaching and Cooperating Techers in Music, University of Illinois.
