With so many activities to plan and things to remember, proper organisation is of vital importance to teachers. Fortunately, there are many excellent resources and materials available that can make life easier in the classroom.
A common question we encounter is: “are teacher planners and lesson planners the same?” The answer is no. A teacher lesson planner is so much more than a lesson planner template: it’s a comprehensive tool containing a wealth of additional features to help you stay organised.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the key differences between lesson planners and teacher planners (UK), what they’re used for, and how to choose the right teaching planner for you.
What Is a Lesson Planner?
A lesson planner is a simple tool designed to help teachers plan and prepare for individual lessons in advance. It comes in the form of a template, which may be digital or physical (i.e. a notebook or paper planner). Most lesson planners contain space for detailing each upcoming lesson’s educational objectives, planned activities, required resources and homework assignments.
Used correctly, a well-designed lesson plan can help you save time on lesson planning and enhance your students’ learning experience. It provides a visual outline of each lesson, helping you ensure it is coherent, structured, and aligned with the curriculum. It also allows you to revisit past lessons for inspiration for future classes, and to review your students’ progress.
What Is a Teacher Planner?
A teacher planner is a physical diary or agenda that acts as an all-encompassing organisational tool for teachers. It includes a teacher lesson planner section along with many other useful features, such as:
- Daily diary pages: For keeping track of upcoming tasks, reminders and responsibilities.
- Yearly and term planners: Providing a bird’s eye view of the academic year.
- Class information sections: For recording seating charts and important notes about your students, such as allergies and emergency contact details.
- Parents’ evening pages: An efficient system for planning and preparing for meetings with parents.
- Attendance and assessment registers: For tracking student attendance, absences and educational performance.
Teaching planners are an indispensable part of any educator’s day-to-day life, helping you to stay organised, professional and responsible – key qualities that help make a good teacher great.
Key Differences Between Teacher Planners and Lesson Planners
The primary difference between a lesson planner and a teacher planner boils down to their scope. While a lesson planner template is useful for scheduling individual lessons, a teacher planner takes a more holistic view of a teacher’s organisational needs.
As well as including dedicated sections for lesson planning and brainstorming, teacher planners encompass practically all aspects of a teacher’s role. They are filled with useful pages, from yearly and termly diaries to parent-teacher communication sections.
If your only concern is planning individual classes, a lesson planner might suffice. However, if you’re looking for a tool to help you manage your time and workload, track student progress, plan parents’ evenings and more, a comprehensive teacher planner would be the ideal choice. Learn more about why you need a teacher planner here.
How to Choose the Right Teacher Planner
UK schools and educators have two main options when it comes to teacher planners:
- Individual planners: perfect for teachers looking to purchase a single planner for personal use.
- Bespoke teacher planners: ideal for schools who wish to issue a branded planner to each of their staff. They can be customised with your school’s logo, colours, and pages of your choice.
At Penstripe, we specialise in bespoke, made-to-order planners for teachers across the UK. We offer an enormous library of content that can be included in your teacher planner, along with a range of styles and layouts to choose from.
We also stock a fantastic range of high-quality individual teacher planners in our online shop. Our A5 options offer plenty of space for important notes and reminders, while our B5 planners provide the ideal portable teaching companion.
Choose Penstripe for Your Teacher Planner 2023
At Penstripe, we have years of experience in printing high-quality teacher planners, student planners and more. Get in touch today and our team of experts will work with you to create the perfect teacher planner for your needs.
Our popular teacher planners are printed to the highest standards of quality, ensuring they last the full school year. Choose from 5, 6 or 9 periods per planner, with your choice of covers, binding options and custom pages. To learn more about our products or services, contact Penstripe today. Fill in our enquiry form, call us on 0113 231 0995 or email info@penstripe.co.uk
Olaf Surtees has been with Penstripe for ten years; what he doesn’t know about teacher planners, student planners, and lesson planners isn’t worth knowing! He’s in charge of creating our blog content, helping teachers and administrators with helpful hints and tips, as well as our socials — see the links below to find out more.
