Planning is such a hard balance, isn't it! You've expertly outlined that in this post. I think you offer loads of reasonable and viable options too. I love that you've mentioned Pobble. I used it loads in my settings, it's such a great website for provoking thoughts and ideas!
I think when I start teaching again (soon to start teaching functional skills to post-16!) I'll probably use AI to create some ideas/paths I could go down with lessons but then get an A3 piece of paper out and some coloured pens and make a spider diagram of the whole topic! This has worked really well for me in the past.
I had a colleague once who did their initial half-term plans as a collage! Then she would chunk it into weeks and finally individual lesson plans. Very creative!
Absolutely - there's no denying the amount of time and effort planning takes, it is important to acknowledge this. Pobble is absolutely brilliant :)
I think your thoughts towards using AI sound really balanced. There are so many ways that it has been demonstrated to support and enhance the profession but I really like how you have identified how you can this alongside your own creative autonomy.
A collage! I love this :) Might have to give this a go. Love the new logo by the way!
Even though I’m not a teacher anymore, I couldn’t agree more! Coloured pens and paper = a MUST for creative planning I think! My old colleague used to do this when planning at The Economist Foundation too. Great post Laura.
Thanks for sharing, Jen. You are so right - creative planning holds so many benefits across professions and sectors. I explore the benefits of 'Writing by hand' in an earlier Substack post:
I love all of this so much! Lesson planning is actually my favorite part of teaching (I love the kids too of course, lol) and I’d love to see a lesson planning resurgence, complete with colored markers :)
So wonderful to hear. It really is the best bit, right? Obviously in addition to our brilliant cohorts of pupils. We need to be the trail blazers on the ground for this one, I feel. Once the planning time is secured, only paper and pens and a bunch of creative and enthused practitioners needed!
You’ve raised such an important point about the balance between efficiency and joy in teaching. While platforms and AI tools can certainly save time and provide incredible support, they should be viewed as starting points, not endpoints. Teaching is fundamentally about connection—understanding the nuances of a specific cohort, tailoring lessons to their unique needs, and finding moments of discovery and excitement together.
It’s a conversation worth having—thank you for sharing this thoughtful perspective!
Absolutely. Connection - this is such an important word within this consideration. I truly do hope that conversations around the joys of the planning process and the impact of elevating the importance of this, continues to be spoken about and actioned.
I could not agree more with everything you say here Laura. I'm interested to check out your recommendations for this week, as I am just about to embark on some planning myself!
Planning is such a hard balance, isn't it! You've expertly outlined that in this post. I think you offer loads of reasonable and viable options too. I love that you've mentioned Pobble. I used it loads in my settings, it's such a great website for provoking thoughts and ideas!
I think when I start teaching again (soon to start teaching functional skills to post-16!) I'll probably use AI to create some ideas/paths I could go down with lessons but then get an A3 piece of paper out and some coloured pens and make a spider diagram of the whole topic! This has worked really well for me in the past.
I had a colleague once who did their initial half-term plans as a collage! Then she would chunk it into weeks and finally individual lesson plans. Very creative!
Absolutely - there's no denying the amount of time and effort planning takes, it is important to acknowledge this. Pobble is absolutely brilliant :)
I think your thoughts towards using AI sound really balanced. There are so many ways that it has been demonstrated to support and enhance the profession but I really like how you have identified how you can this alongside your own creative autonomy.
A collage! I love this :) Might have to give this a go. Love the new logo by the way!
Even though I’m not a teacher anymore, I couldn’t agree more! Coloured pens and paper = a MUST for creative planning I think! My old colleague used to do this when planning at The Economist Foundation too. Great post Laura.
Thanks for sharing, Jen. You are so right - creative planning holds so many benefits across professions and sectors. I explore the benefits of 'Writing by hand' in an earlier Substack post:
https://open.substack.com/pub/lauraspargo/p/writing-by-hand?r=4cvlkw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
I think there's got to be a link here!
I love all of this so much! Lesson planning is actually my favorite part of teaching (I love the kids too of course, lol) and I’d love to see a lesson planning resurgence, complete with colored markers :)
So wonderful to hear. It really is the best bit, right? Obviously in addition to our brilliant cohorts of pupils. We need to be the trail blazers on the ground for this one, I feel. Once the planning time is secured, only paper and pens and a bunch of creative and enthused practitioners needed!
You’ve raised such an important point about the balance between efficiency and joy in teaching. While platforms and AI tools can certainly save time and provide incredible support, they should be viewed as starting points, not endpoints. Teaching is fundamentally about connection—understanding the nuances of a specific cohort, tailoring lessons to their unique needs, and finding moments of discovery and excitement together.
It’s a conversation worth having—thank you for sharing this thoughtful perspective!
Absolutely. Connection - this is such an important word within this consideration. I truly do hope that conversations around the joys of the planning process and the impact of elevating the importance of this, continues to be spoken about and actioned.
I could not agree more with everything you say here Laura. I'm interested to check out your recommendations for this week, as I am just about to embark on some planning myself!
Fantastic! I hope that you enjoy every second of the planning and exploring the resources :)