Collaborative Planning: Methods and Challenges for Elementary School Teachers
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2014-05
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Masters of Education
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Collection may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. To obtain information or permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Goucher Special Collections & Archives at 410-337-6347 or email archives@goucher.edu.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the collaborative planning methods and challenges of
elementary school teachers. Interviews with 18 educators from a suburban school were
conducted to analyze planning collaboratively from the perspective of classroom teachers. Each
grade level was interviewed as a team and asked a series of questions. Following each interview,
answers were transcribed and analyzed for themes. Common themes emerged from the
interviews and were then identified with the use of a table. Most teams agreed that collaborative
planning involved sharing ideas and resources so that standards taught were consistent and
student achievement would improve. Teachers from each grade level agreed that this consistency
did not impact individual teaching styles. While many teams recognized the benefits of regular
team planning, all teams concluded that finding the time to plan was the biggest challenge and
impacted their ability to plan together regularly. All teams communicated on a daily basis in a
variety of ways, but very few teams actually participated in formal collaborative planning.
Further research and interviews are needed in the area of collaborative planning to draw
conclusions about the methods and challenges elementary school teachers face.