Effective Co-Planning Is Key To Successful Co-Teaching
When implemented appropriately, co-teaching can be a very powerful tool that helps
educators reach out to all students in the classroom. Unfortunately, while most teachers
are aware of the multiple benefits of the technique, few actually do it properly. Perhaps
the most common reason why co-teaching fails to obtain desired results stems from the
difficulty that educators have making the most of co-planning opportunities. For the
BEST co-planning idea of the century, read to the bottom!
Co-planning is a critical component of co-teaching
More often than not, when teachers have some spare time on their hands, they prefer
to use it to correct tests, do some paperwork, or even complain about that certain
student. Little do they realize that co-planning, meaning the time they spend organizing
their schedule with the other teacher, can help them transform co-teaching from a
daunting and challenging task into a rewarding and genuinely fun activity.
According to advocates of co-teaching, it doesn’t really take more than one hour per
week to plan a lesson, provided that both co-teachers attend the planning session with
their parts of the lesson sketched out. Then, you can use most of the time establishing
the most suitable adaptations and accommodations for your students.
Keep in mind that the modifications and plans you sketch for certain lessons will not
necessarily work with other classes or courses. Therefore, make a habit of meeting
regularly with your co-teaching partner to revisit the initial lesson plan and make
adjustments when necessary. Entering these discussions with some ideas for change is
always a good idea.
Reaping the most benefits from your co-planning time
In cases where you are often asked to participate in meeting or tend to other
responsibilities, remember that it is legitimate to request that your co-planning time not
be sacrificed and only used for co-planning. Speak up if such issues arise. Take note
that effective co-planning is not all about freeing up your agenda and meeting up with
the other educator, but also involves drawing up a plan on how to make the most of
that time.
In all fairness, if you don’t establish an agenda for these meetings, then chances are
you’ll get sidetracked by details or other discussions. To avoid wasting precious time,
you should first establish the targets of the lessons and the materials each of you
should bring to class. Once these aspects are clear, you can use the rest of your coplanning time to discuss methods of instructional delivery and assessment strategies.
Many co-teaching teams don’t get common planning time so, when the school provides
the time to co-plan your lessons, make the best of it and focus only on planning. Focus
on your plan for the lesson, your presentation methods, and ways to reach all the
students in your class.
Co-Planning in the Cloud
More and more co-teachers are planning in the cloud. Many use online portals specific
to their district. Some plan using Google Drive and Google Apps such as Documents and
Google Slides. My favorite and best solution is using a combination of Google Drive
apps, Dropbox, and TRELLO! First sign up for Trello and create a free account. Here’s a
couple examples that you can copy into your Trello account and use as a model:
And this one!
Copyright © 2015, Susan Fitzell & Aim Hi Educational Programs, LLC. First Published
October 16, 2015.
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Susan Fitzell, M. Ed, CSP, is a nationally recognized presenter, author of nine books for
teachers, trainers, and parents, an educational consultant, and CEO of Aim Hi
Educational Programs, LLC. As an independent consultant and coach, Susan offers the
personalization, continuity, and consistency necessary for true change in any
organization. She works side by side with teachers, school administrators, and business
leaders as a coach and trainer, employing Brain Power strategies that take learning to
the next level.
For more information, visit Susan's website at www.susanfitzell.com.
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