One of the biggest concerns teachers raise when departments move towards shared resources is this idea: “I don’t want to teach the same lesson as everyone else.”
And it is a valid concern, autonomy matters.
But sharing resources doesn’t mean cloning teachers. It means creating consistency where it matters most, while protecting professional judgement in the classroom.
Consistency isn’t about how a lesson looks or sounds. It is about what students are entitled to experience.
In an MFL context, that means:
core language is taught
key grammar is revisited
agreed routines support learning
expectations are clear and predictable
When these elements are consistent, students feel safer and more confident, especially those who struggle or move between sets.
Two teachers can use the same resource and teach completely different lessons.
Autonomy shows up in:
- how we explain new language
- the examples we choose
- the pace we set
- the questions we ask
- the scaffolding we provide
The PowerPoint doesn’t teach the lesson, the teacher does.
For teachers, shared planning reduces workload and decision fatigue, freeing up headspace to respond to misconceptions and support learners more effectively.
A useful way to think about shared resources is this:
we align the what, not the how.