Planning Collaboratively

Our school has a very collaborative atmosphere, so it was not at all strange that I approached our librarian and our science specialist about collaborating on a lesson. We collaborate on a weekly basis to make sure that what the students are learning in library and in science lab correlates to what I am teaching in the classroom. I think that in the future I will utilize their mastery of their content areas more often than I currently do. For both lessons we used Google Docs to being to plan and get ideas out there. This was convenient for all of us to accommodate our busy schedules. Then for the final stages of lesson planning we got together in person. In the lessons iPad research was used for the students.  The positive of a collaborative lesson plan is a time restriction. I might have a few minutes to spare during plan time, but I can’t get together with the librarian then because she has a class. So these sessions need to be planned in advance. However, I think that two heads are always better than one and I always get great insight when I consult other specialists and teachers about my lessons. Because I planned these lessons collaboratively, I believe that they are more interesting and engaging, which will help students better make connections and retain information at a higher level.