|
 |
 |
What is collaborative planning?
Collaborative planning involves a group, team, or partnership of people working and learning together as they do the following:
- Plan curriculum, units, or lessons including classroom-based assessments
- Examine student work
- Examine teacher work
- Plan use and evaluation of instructional practices
- Develop school improvement plans using student data
Why use collaborative planning?
Schools that connect teacher learning to student learning often have a better chance of making a positive impact on student achievement. Collaborative planning provides opportunities for teachers to work together during the school day to make those connections through examining their practice, consulting with colleagues, and developing their skills.
How do I get started?
Collaborative planning requires making the time to work and learn with colleagues. Many schools are finding ways to incorporate teacher collaboration into the school day. Some suggestions follow:
- Develop the master schedule to allow students to have longer instructional periods with fewer teachers, and teachers to have shared planning time
- For schools that have year-round calendars, use gaps between sessions for multiple-day meetings focused on teacher planning.
- Ensure that faculty, team, department, and grade-level meetings are opportunities for collaborative planning and learning rather than meetings focused on administration and management details.
- Build professional development days into the school calendar that are set aside for collaborative planning.
- Lengthen the school day for four days, allowing late opening or early closing for students on the fifth day.
Of course, district administrators and teachers should work together in developing collaboration opportunities and ensuring that teacher collaboration time is valued time, focused on improving teaching and learning.
Read More About It
Other Resources on Collaborative Planning
Educators as Learners: Creating A Professional Learning Community in Your School, by P. Wald & M. Castleberry, 2000, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. "Target Time Toward Teachers" by L. Darling-Hammond, pp. 31-36, and "Making Time for Adult Learning" by P. Pardini, pp. 37-41, Journal of Staff Development, Spring 1999.
|
|
