What is the purpose of archiving an old lesson plan?

The purpose of archiving an old lesson plan is primarily to retain it for future reference. Archiving allows instructors to keep a record of past lessons, which can serve several valuable purposes over time. By retaining these lesson plans, instructors can revisit them to reflect on effective strategies, review educational objectives that were met, or examine the evolution of content and teaching methods. This archival process ensures that important information is not lost and can be utilized for ongoing professional development or to enhance future instruction.

While options related to discarding, using as a template, or sharing have their merits, the essence of archiving is specifically about retention. Discarding a lesson plan would mean losing potentially valuable insights, and while it might be tempting to use archived plans as templates or share them with others, those actions come after the primary objective of preserving a record for eventual reference.