Definition
An instructional approach in which the instructor and the adult learner work together to set training goals, choose learning activities, and agree on how progress will be measured, rather than the instructor dictating the plan alone.
Plain English
The instructor and student decide together what will be taught, how it will be taught, and how to know it has been learned.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation instructor training, especially when discussing how to teach adult learners who bring their own goals, experience, and time limits to flight training.
Derivation
From Latin mutuus, meaning 'shared' or 'reciprocal.' The word signals that planning here is a two-way activity, not something handed down from instructor to student.
Why Pilots Care
Adult learners commit more fully to training they helped design. A student pilot who has agreed to the plan is more likely to show up prepared, ask better questions, and stay in training rather than drop out.
Intuition Check
Mutual planning does not mean the learner takes over the lesson plan. It means the instructor and learner build the plan together, with the instructor keeping it safe and aligned with training requirements.
Example Sentence 1
During the first lesson, the CFI used mutual planning to agree with the student on a target solo date and the maneuvers they would focus on each week.
Example Sentence 2
Through mutual planning the CFI and the adult learner agreed on a schedule that fit around the student’s work commitments.