What is the LCL model?
LCL stands for Layered Collective Learning. It is a didactic model that LectaMe introduced in 2026 to help teachers make lessons more active and flexible, without losing the sense of group.
The core is simple: students learn differently, but that does not mean they have to learn apart from one another. The class remains one group, but within that group different routes emerge through layers.
Or even shorter: learning together, with room for difference.
The six building blocks
Shared learning goal
Every lesson has one common end point. Students may take different routes, but work toward the same core.
Base layer for everyone
The shared foundation: key concepts, a short explanation, one example. For everyone — not just for 'weaker' students.
Support, deepening and choice
Three additional layers: support for those who don't get it yet, deepening for those who can go further, choice for those who need autonomy.
Active group processing
Students talk, choose and organise together. Not an audience for explanations, but an active learning community.
Reflection and feedback
What do you understand better now? What remains difficult? Reflection makes students owners of their learning process.
Teacher as director
LCL cannot work without a teacher. The teacher designs, safeguards and brings together. Technology supports, but never takes over the direction.
How do you apply LCL?
- Formulate one shared learning goal that everyone must be able to reach by the end — not differentiated by level.
- Write the base layer that everyone receives: key concepts + one example.
- Add layers per slide where difference makes sense — deepening, support or choice.
- Plan moments of group processing — a talk, choose or organise moment per phase.
- Build in a reflection layer where students privately type their answer to the teacher.
- Close with a "coming back together" moment where insights are shared and meaning is made.
Real-world example in 60 seconds
An MBO nursing teacher gives a lesson on sleep medication and fall risk. She starts with a case (Mrs De Vries, drowsy after sleep medication). The class gets the base layer — what sleep medication is, which side effects. Then students can open a deepening layer themselves if they want to know more about medication and the elderly, or do a choice assignment. In between: “which observation do you think is the most urgent?” — a whole-class moment. Then reflection: “what would you report?” — typed privately. At the end: coming back together with the word cloud from all the reflections.
Frequently asked questions
What does LCL mean?
LCL stands for Layered Collective Learning. It is a didactic model in which the class remains one group, but students within that group can learn through different layers, routes and paces.
Who created the LCL model?
The LCL model was developed by LectaMe and first published on 25 May 2026. The author is Patrick Rambaldo, teacher and founder of LectaMe. The model is openly available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
What is the difference between LCL and layered teaching?
Layered teaching is a concrete teaching method: one slide with multiple layers. LCL is the broader didactic model. Layered teaching is one of the building blocks within LCL, specifically within the phase "Support, deepening and choice".
Does LCL also work for my subject area?
Yes. LCL is subject-neutral — the model is about how a lesson is structured, not about the content. It works for nursing, economics, anatomy, engineering, languages, media design and any other subject where students differ in pace or prior knowledge.
Can I apply LCL without LectaMe?
Certainly. The LCL model is a didactic concept you can apply in any educational setting. LectaMe, however, is built specifically to make LCL practically feasible — layers, reflection moments and aggregation are standard in the platform.
Read the full explanation
This knowledge base article is a concise introduction. The extensive, canonical version of the LCL model is on the main page.
Go to the full LCL model