Collaborative lesson planning

Collaborative lesson planning refers to the joint efforts of teachers to plan their lessons in scheduled meetings. Based on their reflections, examination and discussion, teachers design lessons and activities to continually improve the teaching and learning process. This model ensures sustainable improvement in teaching. Collaborative planning has been shown to:

Deliver cross-curricular learning beyond departmental boundaries.

Provide a way for teachers to engage in professional dialogue which fosters co-operation and trust.

Help teachers focus on practical teaching problems through evidence of student learning inside and outside the classroom.  

Support curriculum development where new ideas and methods can be put to trial.

I was privileged to gain an insight into the collaborative lesson planning taking place at the Cramlington Learning Village in Northumberland. They have been using their collaborative process (based on the Cramlington Learning Cycle) for a number of years and archiving the consequent lessons on their virtual learning environment which now represents the combined efforts of many teachers over many years.