This study was conducted to investigate pupil responses to lessons taught by preservice teachers, and it addresses teachers' concept mapping as related to interactive behavior or effectiveness in the classroom. Lessons taught by student teachers (N=10) were examined for what pupils thought were the lesson's key ideas and for two things pupils heard anyone say during a lesson. Student teachers were then divided into three groups: the first group emphasized both teaching principles and pupil characteristics in lesson planning; the second emphasized pupil characteristics but not teaching principles; and the third did not emphasize either pupil characteristics or teaching principles. Results indicate that pupils of student teachers in the first group evidenced the highest rates of engagement, followed by pupils of student teachers in the second group, while pupils of student teachers in the third group provided evidence of low rates of engagement. Findings also indicate that there is a relationship between prospective teachers' concepts of teacher planning as measured by concept maps and a connection between teacher conceptions of teaching and pupil perceptions of lessons taught. Five tables display data on student responses. (LL)