Hi,
Hope you don't mind me joining in a little. I do not work in this
field really but I was intrigued by this part as you will see.

>We decostructed together how Emma and I plan lessons and realised we
>start from the outcomes and work
>backwards - we look at what we want our learners to achieve and not
>us (at least not at this planning
>stage) and we see how it relates to what they already know and what
>they need to know from the scheme of
>work - we work back towards how we will interact in class deciding
>the resources and tools last and then
>we plan forwards again - have we missed anything?

This sounds quite similar to a model I developed for teaching how to
solve open ended problems, or develop opportunities - I found the two
use very similar approaches; one is just more positively perceived.

Developing lessons is of course open-ended since there are so many
ways to encourage learning etc. so I show my students how they can
not only invent open-ended activities for their students but also
"live the very same method". This approach then helps them to invent
experiences which they then hone in future terms/years - they see how
it works and try to change things to be more precise in the learning
they wanted their students to achieve.

It too works approximately backwards for much of the development then
they "fit" it back into the model for the actual implementation with
students. It has a natural built-in assessment part and the focus is
on authenticity. An aside is the development of as many solutions as
there are children or groups so it builds a more open acceptance of
the ways of others faced with the same problem/opportunity -
hopefully this encourages tolerance. Something we need more of in the
world I think!

Geoff