Teachers' Thinking About Instruction

Abstract

Complex cognitive processes underlie the thoughts and decision making of teachers engaged in planning and carrying out instruction. Research on teacher planning is summarized with respect to reasons for planning, how teachers plan, influential factors, and differences between experienced and inexperienced teachers' planning. Research on teachers' interactive decision making is summarized with respect to the conceptions, components, antecedents, and decision making of experienced and inexperienced teachers. Research investigating the relation between teachers' decisions and student outcomes is presented. A cognitive psychological framework for analyzing teacher thinking is presented and applied to existing research on teacher planning and decision making. Finally, new directions for research on teacher thinking are explored.