Is Collaborative Planning Worth It? You Decide.

Cindy Riedl
Jun 08, 2009

Determining whether the effort and risks are worth the gains is the first hurdle to overcome when deciding whether to plan independently or to actively participate in collaborative planning with other teachers. I can look at this decision from two different perspectives: as a teacher who had difficulty accepting the 'team approach' and as a LEARNING-FOCUSED coach who observed teachers during collaborative planning sessions. No doubt, there are risks involved, such as exposing your abilities or lack of abilities and skills to others. Will you measure up? On the other hand, what if you are on a grade level team with people who do not carry their part of the responsibility? Will you carry them on your back? Will they drag you down with negativity? What about the different personalities? Can you handle them on a regular basis, the same people you avoid in the lounge? What about the 'know-it-alls'? This is beginning to sound like an antacid moment!

Effective collaborative planning teams do not evolve overnight. The driving force behind successful teaming is the commitment to the implementation of instruction focused on learning that raises achievement for all students. Each teacher enters into this agreement accepting and respecting the skills and idiosyncrasies of each member of the team. Everyone agrees to share materials, resources and ideas, as well as come prepared to the designated block of time for planning each week. This time is held sacred because the team values the results. In a sense, it is the most powerful survival technique teachers can use in the 21st Century. It saves time and provides for advancement in professional growth, as well as creating an environment for improving student performance. Personally, I know how difficult it is going from the 'closed door' policy, where I relied on myself, to one where I had to trust my peers. However, I discovered how powerful and energizing teamwork could be. I did not have to give up my identity or creativity. Although resources and materials are shared, teachers are able to personalize their instruction. What stays consistent is the content indicated on the K-U-D Organizer, Lesson Essential Questions and Assessment Prompts. More often than not, we did use the same Activating Strategies, Graphic Organizers, and Summarizing Strategies - although we all had our own take on them.

Poinciana Elementary School in Osceola County, Florida boasts of effective collaborative planning teams. During my last conferencing sessions with the grade level teams, the Poinciana teachers shared their experiences and benefits of team planning. The kindergarten team meets at 7:30 a.m. one morning a week. Someone brings a breakfast snack and they collaboratively work on developing their lessons utilizing an interactive white board. One teacher is responsible for keyboarding the ideas and responses of the team as each lesson is planned. At the end of the planning session, each teacher receives a copy of the lesson plans. They come prepared with materials and resources to share, which ensures that creating the lesson plans for the week moves quickly. Then, they customize their plans adding more details, modifying and adjusting activities to meet the needs of their students. Differentiation is explored and suggestions are incorporated into the lesson plans to help each teacher address the diverse needs of students during center activities. Pacing is important but not considered a problem. A balance is created over time.

Another team meets after school one night a week, while other teams meet during common planning periods. Barbara Langley, resident LEARNING-FOCUSED ‘specialist', has assisted each team with developing its own sense of identity. Nothing is set in stone. Barbara provides the moral and technical support guiding teachers as they implement new strategies and unfamiliar practices. Yaneth Penaranda, assistant principal at Poinciana Elementary, also plays an important role with Barbara, sharing ideas and strokes, as they observe classroom instruction and conduct walkthroughs with teachers.

In other schools, where there are numerous classes at each grade level, teachers create collaborative pairs within the team. Two teachers plan the math lessons, while two other teachers plan either social studies or science lessons. The whole team meets to share the lessons and create integrated reading and language arts lessons for a larger block of time.

All of the planning teams have discovered that overcoming the typical challenges that are part of teaming has been worth the effort. Individually, each teacher has become more effective with implementing instructional strategies that raise student achievement. As teachers realize success, the team becomes more effective. They collectively experience greater success! In a time when teachers are typically overwhelmed by the daily challenges of this incredibly demanding profession, the collaborative team approach is a way to make the load more manageable, while providing its members emotional and professional support. Learning to work together toward shared goals is more critical for students and teachers now than it has ever been. There is a special sense of belonging that comes when a group of people collectively accomplish a goal or task.

Teams often start small and gradually gain membership as other teachers discover the power of collaboration. Teachers must be willing to stick with conflict or disagreement and work through differences if true collaboration is to occur. For the team to work effectively and efficiently, members need to make a commitment to the team in the spirit of sharing their best professional skills, behaviors, materials and resources. Everyone must contribute. There are no free rides. Often an agreement is the best way to ensure that everyone understands the expectations of the team. It can be referred to during challenging moments of disagreement eliminating the difficulties and assuring team survival.

Teams should consider establishing discussion guidelines and explicit collaborative practices. Examples of discussion guidelines could be:
• The team will start and end on time
• The team will build on each other's ideas

Guidelines need not be rigid but a set of expectations that are clearly stated and agreed upon by all members, eliminating misconceptions and confusion.

LEARNING-FOCUSED encourages and supports collaborative planning in all workshops and instructional materials beginning with the LEARNING-FOCUSED Strategies Model. The challenges teachers experience during training sessions are best addressed in a collaborative atmosphere where teachers work together to learn and implement a comprehensive planning model. Effective Acceleration practices, as experienced in Catching Kids Up can only occur with a collaborative team effort of classroom teachers and resource teachers.