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Share My Lesson (SML) is a new digital platform developed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and its British partner, TES Connect. In the free SML online community, educators can come together to access and share high-quality teaching resources.

Designed by teachers, for teachers, Share My Lesson already includes more than 250,000 resources, and that number is growing rapidly as more educators get involved and add to the collection.

The user-generated content is supplemented by tens of thousands of contributions from hundreds of content partners, such as Colorín Colorado, the Folger Shakespeare Library, Student Achievement Partners, the Teaching Channel and, now, EI.

Digital support for teachers “As budgets are being slashed, assistance to teachers and students is minimal and instructional challenges are getting tougher, the AFT has joined with TES Connect to provide teachers with a digital professional learning community to support them,” said AFT president, Randi Weingarten.

“Share My Lesson provides resources and a platform for teacher sharing that is being praised by the tens of thousands of teachers already using it,” she added. “The union is providing the solution to many of the professional needs of our members and everyone else who works with children.”

Australian connection The Australian Education Union has also partnered with TES Connect and will launch its own version of SML in 2014.

“This is a strategic partnership which will benefit the profession nationally,” said AEU federal president Angelo Gavrielatos. “It also locates our union as the lead organisation in the provision of professional support for teachers. Furthermore, the progressive refinement of shared resources by teachers will contribute significantly toward the improvement of educational outcomes for our students.”

EI: peer exchangeBy partnering with the AFT in Share My Lesson, EI and its affiliates gain a vehicle for direct teacher-to-teacher peer exchange of content and lesson plans, as well as a platform for distributing classroom materials, such as “Building a Gender Friendly School Environment” developed by EI.

“This initiative will be valued by classroom teachers and enhances the value of trade union membership for individual teachers” said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “EI supports the concept of providing professional support to teachers through online resources and welcomes the opportunity to be associated with this initiative,” he added.

“A big challenge for teachers is to find good places where they can share and develop their professional practice,” said Dr. Patrick Roach, Deputy General Secretary of NASUWT (UK). “Share My Lesson is one such place, giving teachers in often resource-starved public schools tools, ideas and insights as developed by fellow teachers.”

Access free resources now! Educators around the world can register and take advantage for free of the SML resources here. They can also contribute their own materials, share ideas and plan their own versions of the website.

Have a look at some Share My Lesson resources for civics teachers here