We need lesson plan libraries in our school systems
Where did that great lesson go? We need lesson plan libraries in our school systems.
Lesson plan libraries are the unicorns of the education world - hard to find, but once you have it, big changes are around the corner.
As a student, I’m sure you have experienced that one awesome lesson with a teacher. It might not have even been by your favorite teacher. It’s that lesson where you really enjoyed learning so much, that you forgot about everything else. That lesson that taught you more than just the content you needed to learn, it taught you something about yourself. It had an impact. You were engaged.
Finding great lesson plans
Teachers are always on the lookout for great lessons and materials to bring into their classrooms. Any lesson content platform that exists, you’ll find at least one of your teachers on it. Summer isn’t just fun and games for teachers, its reviewing reading lists and curriculum workbooks, and finding new, exciting content to bring to their students that will hopefully keep them engaged, be relevant, and help them learn something new. This lesson plan treasure hunt is part of the job of being a teacher, but it’s also about the passion of that teacher.
But what happens when that teacher moves? Or retires? Teaching is such a sharing profession in most aspects, we love to share learning and new things we find, but when it comes to collaboration, overcoming the inadvertent hurdles school-life puts forward makes it’s immensely difficult to get that great lesson plan to your fellow teachers. Additionally, because a teacher’s likely have their own subscriptions for these lesson platforms, and pay out of their own pocket at times, the teachers themselves have access to their lesson content, but no one else.
Unfortunately, that knowledge just goes with the teacher, and when the time comes for the teacher to move forward, there goes the lessons along with them. It’s a knowledge silo, where collaboration is put on a pedestal, but often hindered by the entrenched bureaucracy of the education world. And when a new teacher comes in, the ever-turning wheel of finding lesson ideas is recreated once again.
Sharing great lesson plans
This is where Student Soapbox shines. By having a digital lesson library where teachers can store and share lesson plans, that knowledge stays not only with the teacher, but also with the school. If that teacher is retiring, those amazing, engaging lessons that students can’t get enough of remain with the school, and future classes benefit through voting for and enhancing those lessons. New teachers don’t have to reinvent the wheel yet again, and can spend more time innovating in the classroom. It gives them the support they need to succeed.
This is one of the longer-lasting aspects of Student Soapbox, and as teachers continue to add lessons to the school’s shared resources, the school is able to consistently provide the best lessons to their student populations. As Student Soapbox grows as a platform, these lessons can be shared between schools as well, and provide opportunities for students to access lesson plans from amazing teachers in, and out of their school districts.
A school’s legacy begins with their students, teachers, and community, and continues by providing quality education throughout its existence. Having a digital lesson library seamlessly added into their process allows schools to build their knowledge-base, and allows for better classroom experiences and more engaged students.