uLead 2018

In this hands-on workshop, explore how material selection, set-up and task design can affect student learning. Join the team from TELUS Spark Science Centre (Calgary) to explore how unspoken signals communicate messages to students and can impact their success.  You will work with materials and use the understanding of their power to communicate to learners to design impactful learning moments.

Presently, there is a political push for the Victorian Education System to “introduce practitioner-led research, requiring teachers to undertake a new individual or team-based research project every two years” (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development [DEECD], 2012, p. 19). The justification is that high performing, or top tier, systems in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) “support research undertaken by teachers to drive innovation and school system improvement” (DEECD, 2012, p. 15).  Similarly, in Shanghai teachers are “encouraged to identify a particular aspect of learning and examine the theory and evidence base, then trial different teaching practices drawing on their findings” (Jensen, Hunter, Sonnemann & Burns 2012, p.23). However, further exploration into practitioner research, as a form of professional learning, and how this can result in changes to teacher practices that lead to a positive influence on student achievement is required.  As Zeichner (2003) stated when discussing the impact of teacher research, “we are often provided with little or no information about the specific characteristics of the research experience and/or research context that are responsible for promoting this growth” (p. 303). Taking into account this explicit focus on the development of a teacher’s role as a researcher during their working lives, we present the development of an inquiry disposition as a promising concept to discuss and conceptualize. This presentation will focus on a district wide professional learning initiative in California that sought to conceptualize and define a typology for a teacher’s inquiry disposition while undertaking Design-Based Research as a form of teacher professional learning.

In collaboration with a number of school divisions across Alberta, we have developed a model of Wellness, based on an understanding that through the relationships children have with their caregivers and their teachers, they begin to develop the “story” of themselves and others around them. When children have "anchors" in place, they have a much greater chance of developing into healthy, regulated, and competent learners. Similarly, when staff are able to do this for each other, incredible and resilient teams come together. In a model designed with this in mind, we hope to assist school divisions across our province, and this country, in addressing the significant mental health challenges our students and our educators are facing.  Creating capacity in a team who can lead their Divisions from a trauma-informed, relationship based approached, will take staff back to why they started and allow students, their families, and our staff to weather the storms that will come our way.

This session will share key insights from author Gary Keller who has honed in on a critical question to help with productivity, personal wellness and relationships in the work place.  Whereas Keller develops much of his views from a business perspective, this session will focus on taking his learnings and apply them directly to the position of the school leader.  Yes, as school leaders we are responsible for taking care of others. However, as our flight attendants remind us, “Put your mask on first!”

Everyone is talking about social and emotional competencies. To what extent, with what instruments and by whom should such competencies be assessed? This session will provide
a discussion of the role of small data in improving the lives of students at the school level rather than a focus on metrics that feed system-level data-gathering infrastructures. How might schools move ahead of the curve in terms of the growing policy focus regarding social-emotional learning? What kinds of assessments do we need to develop this capacity?

This session will share our story of how our STEAM themed Learning Common evolved from a school library into a vibrant, creative, collaborative place of discovery where our students are encouraged and inspired to explore and engage in multiple levels of learning.

Across the world there is consensus that student success in both school and life consists of much more than just academic learning. Over the past four years, People for Education has worked with educators, policymakers, the public, and scholars to build a set of school conditions and student competencies that, in combination with literacy and numeracy, represent the broad, foundational skills and practices that are critical for students to be successful in today’s society. The goal of this workshop is to look at how leaders can use these conditions and competencies to plan and track school and system improvement.

This session will provide concrete examples of how educators are using conditions and competencies to monitor teaching, learning, and improvement across contexts - in the classroom, the school, and at the system level. Delegates attending this workshop will engage in a discussion of the implications of this work, analyzing how this work might be supported in different policy environments and practice across Canada.