One Plans, One Assists

In the One Plans, One Assists approach, each co-teacher plans a portion of the lesson. The Planner has the main responsibility for the core development of the lesson while the Assistant contributes one or two components to the lesson.

While these roles can be switched, initially the mentor teacher may act as the Planner and provide the core development of the lesson. The teacher candidate then assists by polishing the materials developed or adding some additional resources to reinforce the main concepts.

For example, the mentor might develop the core of the lesson while the teacher candidate may be asked to find a video to introduce a concept or bring more clarity to the topic. Once the Assistant’s input has been provided, the Planner and the Assistant jointly develop the final lesson.

This approach is beneficial to both the co-teachers and students because the new enhanced lesson materials will likely result in stronger instructional outcomes. The assistant learns how to contribute to the lesson while in development. At the same time, the planner is provided with fresh resources and new ideas to work with.

It can take time to establish a One Plans, One Assists process that works well for both co-teachers. Sometimes planning conducted separately is not always the most efficient way to produce a lesson. As you work together, you’ll learn the co-planning methods that work best for you.