Joining the Dots -Executive Initiative
Too often in schools we can find ourselves over busy, bogged down and focus on our own school and its programs and needs. The Joining the Dots Initiative aims to break down the single silo mentality that may have crept into schools and encourage future leaders to think systemically about education. It aims to help build capacity of aspiring leaders and provide them with opportunities to connect with like-minded staff across urban and rural setting to create learning networks, share expertise and challenge and develop staff leadership skills. Leaders get to work with different colleges and are faced with the task of researching a project topic related to their school plan or current DEC initiative. The teams are then required to make a public present to all staff, including Principals and Directors. Here products and information are shared amongst all participants for the greater good of all schools involved and to support the improvement of leadership and quality teaching in all schools.
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This program has been running now for 3 years and has had over 300 participants and 45 schools. This year the initiative went from 1 pod of 12 schools to 4 pods each of approximately 12 schools from urban and rural areas. Staff who have participated identified it as a valuable experience for networking, the understanding and implementation of current research and DEC reforms and opportunities to lead, mentor and learn from others.
Through the participation of the Joining the Dots initiative staff have been able to create networks of like mined leaders from other schools and share best practice of programs that have produced successful outcomes for students in their settings. Along with anecdotal support and shared expertise each school has received, additional resources based around all topics. In the past a team research and presented on of Instructional Rounds. This initiative based on the idea of medical rounds is directly linked to improved student outcomes. From this presentation 6 additional schools nominated to participate in the process each with their own School based Problem of Practice directed related to their School plan and students learning. Eg Learning Goals, differentiation, Student Engagement
Through the participation of the Joining the Dots initiative staff have been able to create networks of like mined leaders from other schools and share best practice of programs that have produced successful outcomes for students in their settings. Along with anecdotal support and shared expertise each school has received, additional resources based around all topics. In the past a team research and presented on of Instructional Rounds. This initiative based on the idea of medical rounds is directly linked to improved student outcomes. From this presentation 6 additional schools nominated to participate in the process each with their own School based Problem of Practice directed related to their School plan and students learning. Eg Learning Goals, differentiation, Student Engagement