TL;DR:
- Research shows that teams who effectively use collaboratively planning models boast a sizable increase in student growth.
- When planning, put yourself out there and try something new. Take a risk!
- Elevate the ideas of your teammates and make them feel valued.
- Your voice has value so use it!
Collaborative Planning: 3 Teacher Truths I Learned from the Beatles
So, one thing about me: I am a huge Beatlemaniac. I fell in love with the lads in middle school, freaked out hard when The Anthology came out. I dressed as John Lennon for my high school’s Meeting of the Minds and over the years amassed a pretty great vinyl collection. When I found out about Peter Jackson’s documentary The Beatles: Get Back, my fangirling was off the charts.
Another thing about me: I’m not the best at collaborative planning. This is a shame because research shows that teams who effectively use collaboratively planning models boast a sizable increase in student growth by examining practices, developing and sharing skills, analyzing student data, and discussing the best courses of action.
For me, it’s never been that simple.
I hate disagreeing with people and I get nervous putting myself out there. Because of this, there have been many team meetings I’ve stayed quiet when I should have shared my thoughts. Despite those nervous feels, though, I’m often overconfident—my way is the best. Sometimes that means I’ll bulldoze my way through the conversation. More often it means I’ll shut down, promising myself I’ll do things my way in my own classroom. Neither of which is cool or helpful.
Watching Get Back, I couldn’t help but keep an eye on the collaborative process of my old idols, The Beatles. My lads taught me Three Teacher Truths I know I’ll take with me into my next planning session, and I can’t wait to “get back” to my teammates and grow as a collaborator.
Research shows that teams who effectively use collaboratively planning models boast a sizable increase in student growth. Click To TweetGet Back Teacher Truth #1—Just Try Something!
OMG. Have you all watched this documentary? It was absolutely PAINFUL to listen to my idols bumble through songs like absolute noobs. The Long and Winding Road is a classic! Get Back rocks! But not always. Throughout the documentary, a parade of junk iterations assaulted my poor ears. At the same time, though, fearlessness and creativity were hard at work. The lads displayed a remarkable willingness to try new things, to put it all out there. Maybe it’ll suck. Maybe it’ll be brilliant. Maybe if it sucks, eventually it’ll be brilliant.
As teachers, we need to create that kind of environment. The kind of environment where anyone can share ideas without fear of judgment; ideas that might suck, ideas that might be brilliant, or ideas that with tweaking could be brilliant. In a climate of fear and reserve, we can never move forward.
Get Back Teacher Truth #2—Never Make a Teammate Feel Like George.
Okay, so I love my lads, but parts of Get Back hurt my heart. Parts where it seemed as though one person’s thoughts, feelings, and contributions were dismissed. Paul and John were so sure they were right as they rolled through the songwriting process that they left little room for the ideas of others. This led George to shut down and briefly leave the band, making me wonder: Have I ever been so set in my ways that I shut down a teammate? Have I ever so strongly agreed with one teammate that I let another feel left out? For a planning session to be successful, everyone must feel valued and know their input is welcomed and respected.
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Get Back Teacher Truth #3—Don’t Ringo-Recede.
I love Ringo. Like, LOVE Ringo. But why did he have to hang back so much? He watched the others for their moods and ideas, but rarely contributed either of his own. When I’m nervous or insecure, I’ll do the same—hang back, listen, but not contribute. While it’s an arguably “nice” course of action, it doesn’t add a whole lot of flavor. “Nice” is rarely a sincere contribution, and our teams deserve an authentic voice.
The main truth I’m taking into my next planning session, though, is Rule #1. I love the fearlessness, the playfulness, and the creativity that I witnessed as those songs were written. So from here on out, I resolve to approach team planning with those same qualities, while maintaining an atmosphere of joy and respect.
And maybe some Beatles music playing in the background…
About Jaime Formato
Jaime Formato is a first-grade teacher and writer from North Florida. She has eighteen years of teaching under her belt, serves as a Beginning Teacher Mentor, and will always be doing her best to be doing better. While her days are spent hanging with kids and reading, her nights are reserved for musicals, hockey, writing, and the fam. She lives in a little house by the woods with her husband, their four beautiful children, two cats that don’t love her enough, two dogs that love her a little too much, and a whole lotta nature.
