Strategies for Expanding Time for Planning
Borrowed Time
Reschedule the day to allow for a 50-60 minute block of time either before or after
school.
Lengthen the school day for students by 15-30 on four days, which then allows for an
early dismissal on the fifth day.
Common Time
Redesign the master schedule to accommodate for common planning time.
Tiered Time
Layer planning time with functions like lunch.
Rescheduled Time
Use part of professional development days for co-teachers to do long-range
planning.
Use faculty meetings to problem solve common co-teaching issues that are either of
immediate or long-range importance.
Build at least one co-teacher planning day per marking period or month in the
schedule.
Allow for more in depth co-teacher planning sessions by lengthening the school year
for teachers but not for students.
Found Time
Use unforeseen times that occasionally occur (e.g., snow day, student assemblies) to
plan.
Freed-Up Time
Consider adding a community service component to the curriculum; while students
are in the community, planning takes place.
Partner with a community college, college, or university. Have their faculty teach in
the school, provide demonstrations, or conduct other experiences to free up time for
planning.
Schedule specials, clubs, or other activities during the same time blocks (e.g., first
and second period) to allow for an extra block of time for planning.
Engage community members in conducting half or full-day exploratory, hobby, craft
(e.g., gourmet cooking, photography, theater), or other experiential programs to free
up planning time.
Released Time
Consider a year-round calendar with three-week breaks every quarter: devote four or
five of the days in the intersession to co-planning.
Purchased Time
Compensate co-teachers for spending holiday time planning with pay.
Consultative Model for Collaborative Service Provision
Iowa Department of Education
March 2006
Hire substitutes to free up co-teachers to plan during the day rather than before or
after school.
New Time
In what ways might the school administration provide co-teachers with incentives that
would motivate the use of their own time to plan?
Adapted from A Guide to Co-Teaching by Villa, Thousand and Nevin
Consultative Model for Collaborative Service Provision
Iowa Department of Education
March 2006