Good planning is central to good teaching and learning. The planning component will be a key area for your mentoring. Here are some pointers:

• The student teacher should have a copy of the Annual Teaching Plan (ATP) for their subject. This forms the building blocks for the planning process.
• Arrange a meeting with the student teacher to discuss how to plan. Do not rush this. What you may regard as obvious may not be so to a novice.
• Show how you plan for teaching: refer to the curriculum (in the SA context referred to as CAPS), specific aims, lesson content knowledge, the use of textbooks and other resources, sequencing the lesson (introduction, body and conclusion).
• Use a practical example. Take a section of work and show the link between the ATP, CAPS and textbook.
• Show examples of how to plan a full programme and how you plan a programme. Again show how you plan from the ATP, to the timetable through to the daily focus.
• Explain and show how you link formal assessment to the specific aims.
• Discuss the different ways the content could be taught. Promote the idea of blended learning (if applicable in your environment) to reach the aim of inclusive learning.
• Discuss the student teacher’s lesson plans prior to implementation.
  (Reflect back on the case study, ‘When cultures clash’ in Module 3: if Mr Sampson had checked his student teacher’s lesson plan prior to her teaching it, he could have saved himself and his student teacher much misfortune.)
• Provide a brief general background on your learners. Identify particular learners with special needs or talents. Show how you cater for these learners in your planning.