%0 Journal Article %T PLATON: Developing a Graphical Lesson Planning System for Prospective Teachers %A Sven Strickroth %J Education Sciences | An Open Access Journal from MDPI %D 2019 %R https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9040254 %X Lesson planning is both an important and demanding task¡ªespecially as part of teacher training. This paper presents the requirements for a lesson planning system and evaluates existing systems regarding these requirements. One major drawback of existing software tools is that most are limited to a text- or form-based representation of the lesson designs. In this article, a new approach with a graphical, time-based representation with (automatic) analyses methods is proposed and the system architecture and domain model are described in detail. The approach is implemented in an interactive, web-based prototype called PLATON, which additionally supports the management of lessons in units as well as the modelling of teacher and student-generated resources. The prototype was evaluated in a study with 61 prospective teachers (bachelor¡¯s and master¡¯s preservice teachers as well as teacher trainees in post-university teacher training) in Berlin, Germany, with a focus on usability. The results show that this approach proofed usable for lesson planning and offers positive effects for the perception of time and self-reflection. View Full-Tex %U https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/4/254