What does a typical one-hour School Leadership Mastermind session look like?

It is not at all like a webinar; it is interactive, fully engaging, and involves new learning, sharing best practices, and giving and receiving feedback and support.

Most members say the hour flies by! Here is a typical one-hour session:

Check in

We build a sense of community and get to know each other by briefly sharing wins and checking in each session. It may involve a video, a poll, a quote, or just a discussion among principals and school leaders.

One Big Thing

Each session, school leaders look back at their takeaways from the previous session in a shared document. So much happens in two weeks and we want to be sure to solidify learning.

Live Read

We take whatever the topic is – coaching teachers, managing difficult conversations – and we gather research and condense it down into one page. During the session, members turn off their cameras and spend 5 minutes reading this 1-pager. This way busy participants don’t have homework they need to prepare ahead of time.

Shared Learning

We introduce a protocol or some other structure to discuss the 1-pager and the experiences leaders have with this topic. Participants frequently take the 1-pager and the discussion protocol back to their schools and districts to share the learning with them as well. 

Think Tank

Everyone particularly loves the Think Tank! During each session, one member shares a problem of practice (an issue, a dilemma, or a tough problem). Then the group asks clarifying questions to make sure we all understand the problem. Finally, the presenter turns off the camera and we all brainstorm as many solutions, resources, and probing questions as possible to help the leader who presented. The problem of practice is often shared by several members, so many people walk away with pages of suggestions. 

One Big Thing

Once more we take time to reflect on the session and jot down one big takeaway or commitment we would like to make. John Dewey basically said we don’t learn by doing, we learn by reflecting on doing. So, before leaders head out and are immediately bombarded with fires they need to put out, we make sure to carve out this final few minutes to reflect on new learning and ideas.