Teacher Roles - Planning

Introduction

Whether it be the start of the school year, the commencement of a new term or the start of a new position within a school, effective teaching, learning and classroom management depend on effective planning. A great deal of this planning takes place outside the confines of the classroom prior to classroom interaction. However, the relationship between planning and implementation is a dynamic one, and planning for immediate future activities may well take place in the classroom virtually as implementation occurs. An example is as the lesson is implemented the teacher receives feedback concerning the efficacy of the decisions that were made during the planning process, and modifies and adjusts those decisions as required.

While planning for effective classroom management tends to focus on teaching and learning activities, it also includes planning related to the organisation and management of students, resources, time and space. Planning decisions by teachers reflect their beliefs and perceptions. Planning is a value-based activity, thus it is important for teachers to be aware how their own values may inform their decision making. A flow chart indicating planning tasks may be found on the next below.

Aims

The major aims of implementing the classroom planning role are to:

• Establish the goals and purposes of the class agenda within the wider agenda of the school, and the general strategies for attaining them.
• Set specific objectives for particular classroom programs and devise coordinated ways of accomplishing them.
• Anticipate possible problems so that these can be avoided or overcome.
• Optimize the use of such resources such as time, space, personnel and finance to achieve the objectives and purposes of the class goals.
• Develop guidelines for decision making and decision taking with students so that policies and programs can be implemented.
• Provide opportunities for students to participate in decisions related to the planning and implementation of activities and programs so that they not only achieve better understanding and acceptance of these but also enhance their own learning and growth.
• Establish a basis for determining whether class and school goals are being achieved.
• Ensure coordination of long-range and short-term plans so that the activities of the classroom are coherent and consistent and move in agreed-upon directions.

Strategies for implementing a plan

Effective planning relies on (a) input from stakeholders, and (b) key principles involved for providing an effective framework. These key principles may relate to style of classroom management, and include student involvement, flexibility and review. Other principles relate to the characteristics of the emergent plan. These include stability, continuity and simplicity. When formulating an effective plan, it is suggested the following seven key principles be involved.

1. Staff Involvement

In the process of planning, the teacher must ensure that persons concerned with, and affected by, the purposes of the plans have an opportunity to participate in their formulation. Such persons might include students, other teachers, parents, and possibly members of the school community. The advantages of participation include better understanding and acceptance of plans and programs developed, and greater commitment to participate in them.

2. Flexibility

The plans that are eventually formulated should not be regarded as set in concrete. Their implementation will doubtless necessitate fine tuning and modification as unforeseen problems and circumstances arise. A number of alternate plans may be devised to facilitate flexibility.

3. Stability

While a plan must be flexible, it must also have stability; it should not have to be abandoned or modified extensively. If plans change too often, the stakeholders will become confused and resentful, and goal attainment will be impossible.

4. Continuity

Planning should have continuity so that when one plan is completed or has outlived its usefulness, it is replaced by another so that the guiding action provided by planning is continuous.

5. Simplicity

Often plans are more complex than they need to be. The more complex a plan, the more difficult it is to communicate, follow and implement. It is essential that classroom plans are simply expressed if students are to participate fully in their development and implementation.

6. Review

Teachers must periodically and/or continuously monitor and evaluate the progress of their plans to determine whether they are on course or whether encountering difficulties. These reviews may make it necessary to redraw the plans to meet desired goals or to change the goal themselves.