BLC18

“If you really want to understand something, try changing it.” - Kurt Lewin

As the Director of Learning for a school division made up of 18 schools, it’s my job to help lead the largest change initiative ever undertaken in our school community. One of the most important, difficult, messy things any school leader does is lead change. While we can learn from the change leadership of others, copying their work most often leads to failure. Success is more likely to come from adapting others work to our own context. In this workshop I’ll share the journey we’ve undertaken collectively in our schools; how we developed a shared vision, cultivated collaborative cultures, maintained a focus on deep learning, and wrestle with the nuances of accountability. Informed by the latest research on change management in education, we’ll also model strategies for fostering deep learning conversations in your schools. We’ll engage in some deeper learning conversations together and take back a wealth of ideas you can adapt to your own context. Developing collaborative cultures is careful and precise work that has profound impact when carried out well. So how do you do that? Come, let’s learn together. Good people are important, but good cultures are moreso.