This workshop series takes participants through a transformative professional design and facilitation learning experience. Drawing upon research-informed practices, liberatory design, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), participants will have the opportunity to take their projects through a rigorous, joyful, transformative experience in a learning community that’s excited to remake what’s possible in adult learning—and ultimately, feel inspired to reimagine systems that best serve and affirm the needs of all learners.

This workshop series is designed as a “meta-lab.” The “meta” part means we’ll be exploring this workshop through the lens of participants who are reflective about our own practices as designers and facilitators. The “lab” part is the opportunity to design and lead your own professional learning.

Intended Outcomes

• REFLECT, ASSESS, and REDEFINE what makes professional development transformational

• CREATE conditions for adult learning that are centered in human dignity, adult learning principles, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), liberatory design

• DESIGN a professional development session, meeting, or equivalent content

• EXPLORE effective facilitation skills through reflection and practice

• IDENTIFY measures of impact and ENGAGE with feedback

• BE TRANSFORMED by a learning experience that inspires change

Research indicates coaching is an optimal form of professional development because of its ongoing and individualized approach to learning and growth. Coaching allows for adult learners to build capacity and skills by examining their beliefs, behaviors, and dispositions; through this examination, adult learners are able to shift in ways that allow them to grow and do their best work.

Coaching also invites coachees to reflect on the systems—both internal and external—that need to shift in service of more equitable and just conditions for everyone.

In these customizable workshops, participants will learn how to use coaching skills and tools in conversations and consider how coaching applies to their context.

Participants will gain a foundation for what coaching is, what it looks and sounds like, and how it applies to their workplace.

Intended Outcomes

EXPLORE how to utilize approaches and skills of coaching

PRACTICE coaching skills through facilitated activities and role play simulations

PRACTICE conversations that focus on identity, power, beliefs, emotions, capacity-building, working through limiting beliefs, and/or disrupting inequities while staying in relationship

INTEGRATE and TRANSFER learning to one’s context

Sample topics include:

An introduction to coaching: the core skills and habits

Core values work

Three levels of listening practice

Coaching mindsets and conversation styles

Asking powerful questions

Brain-based coaching practices

Centering human dignity in coaching

Coaching for emotional agility

Demonstration and small group practice

Exploring identity and building relationships

Exploring power, privilege, and systems

Uncovering and shifting beliefs

Disrupting harm while staying in relationship

Making an action plan for long-term change

A transformational leader…

• Is self-aware

• Holds a bold purpose and vision

• Unites community members over a shared sense of purpose 

• Knows, values, and supports community members

• Models practices they expect

• Encourages creativity, risk-taking, and innovation

To hone these qualities, leaders need the time and space to cultivate self-awareness, explore their assumptions about leadership, set meaningful goals, and create a vision for the next phases of their work. 

While some leaders have been in their roles for a short period of time, and others have long standing positions, the practices in this workshop will allow leaders to hone their skills at whatever their stage is in the leadership journey. Participants will leave with tools and skills they can immediately apply to their contexts.

Intended outcomes:

• REFLECT on the qualities of transformational leadership and identify areas for growth

• ENGAGE in research-informed processes to reflect, plan, and implement practices in one’s role(s)

• CONNECT and COLLABORATE with colleagues

• SET leadership goals and make plans to transform self and organization

These are customized engagements that best meet your needs. The design for each offering is research-informed, intentionally designed, and customized for the group. Fill out the client intake form and provide details about what your needs and goals are.

This five-session series will support you in shifting cultures of assessment in service of more equitable outcomes for students. Participants will receive a strong foundation for the theoretical underpinnings of assessing for equity; dig into common assessment practices and complete equity checks: explode mythologies, rethink approaches; receive tools and practices for classroom and self assessment ; examine equitable assessment practices through social, emotional, and academic lenses; investigate bias and mood and their impact on student assessment; and transfer learning to create new, more equitable practices that activate leadership and shift perspectives within teams and school sites.

Whether for a conference, a beginning-of-year kick-off or end-of-year celebration, keynotes can be customized to meet the needs of your organization. Keynotes can span from 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes, with a companion workshop if needed. Sample topics include:

* Designing for Belonging and Transformation

* The Neuroscience of Transformation

* The Who, Why, and What of Professional Learning—Leading Adults through Human-Centered Practices

* Transformational Leadership: Self- and Social-Awareness to Enact a Bold Vision

* Identity Consciousness: How Who You Are has an Impact on Who You Lead

* Centering Human Dignity in Times of Crisis

* Equity, Well-Being, Growth, Evaluation: A Holistic Framework to Reimagine Support for Educators