Collaborative Planning

Debbie Cargill
Jul 19, 2010

How does an exemplary school use collaborative planning to increase achievement?

Exemplary schools provide opportunities for collaborative planning among teachers. Collaborative planning may be described as coming together during the workday to jointly plan units, lessons, and common assessments, as well as to connect research-based strategies to instruction. It is a necessary component for school reform. Because the LEARNING-FOCUSED Strategies Model is a planning model, it is critical that schools and administrators who are implementing the model make collaborative planning a priority. In addition to planning, this structured time allows teachers to share successful teaching strategies and resources, examine student work, and learn from each other.

Two challenges face administrators in regards to collaborative planning. One of those challenges has to do with time. How do we find the time for planning together? There is not a simple answer to that question. We know the adage - work smarter, not harder. But when it comes right down to it - time is always an issue. How do we adjust schedules to accommodate this planning time? Recognizing that it's worth the effort and will benefit teachers and students provides the incentive for being creative with the time available.
Different administrators have come up with different solutions. Here are some ideas and suggestions from administrators and the research:

• Build common planning time into the schedule.
• Set aside professional development days for collaborative planning.
• Replace faculty/staff meetings with planning time.
• Lengthen the school day 4 days a week with an early release on the 5th day for planning together.
• Buy release time with rotating substitutes.
• Re-do the schedule periodically, using art, music, and PE teachers to free up core content teachers for planning.

A second challenge of collaborative planning is maximizing teacher productivity. To fully utilize the time that is available requires some prior planning. Sessions must be structured in a way that allows for effective and efficient use of time. Some things to consider in "planning for planning:"

• Teams should have a common purpose and/or goals.
• Conversations should center on instruction and student learning.
• An agenda should guide the planning time.
• Identify specific roles for the team - facilitator, recorder, time keeper.
• Provide for accountability through expectations and monitoring.

One principal addressed some of these issues by serving as the facilitator of the collaborative planning time initially. She set the expectations for functioning as a team and for products expected as a result of the joint planning, then led the team through the process of planning. After a few sessions, teachers were ready to take on the responsibility themselves and selected a teacher facilitator to lead future sessions. Teams quickly became proficient in using their time wisely and producing exemplary lessons and units.

Despite the challenges, it is worth the effort to plan for and monitor collaborative planning in schools.