uLead Podcast

In this episode, we are getting perspective from some different leaders around Alberta on ways that they are supporting teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that like in other parts of the country and the world, schools in Alberta are engaged in remote learning. Teachers and Leaders have had to adapt fast to this new changing environment.

We asked one simple question to leaders, “What are the ways you are supporting teachers during the pandemic?”. We think their answers are enlightening and may help you navigate this difficult environment.

We would like to thank Shane Gau (@gaushane), Kathy Kloschinsky (@cropnkathy), and Bryn Spence (@brynspence) for contributing to this episode.

For more information on the uLead conference and the work of the Council for School Leadership of the Alberta Teachers' Association, visit the uLead website.

In this episode, we are getting perspective from some different leaders around Alberta on ways that they are supporting teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that like in other parts of the country and the world, schools in Alberta are engaged in remote learning. Teachers and Leaders have had to adapt fast to this new changing environment.

We asked one simple question to leaders, “What are the ways you are supporting teachers during the pandemic?”. We think their answers are enlightening and may help you navigate this difficult environment.

We would like to thank Mark Sylvestre (@MarkSylvestre), Lynn Leslie (@LynnLeslie2), and Kim Carson (@KimYCarson) for contributing to this episode.

For more information on the uLead conference and the work of the Council for School Leadership of the Alberta Teachers' Association, visit the uLead website.

In this episode we feature an interview that highlights the current state of school leadership in Alberta. Dr. Bonnie Stelmach and Dr. Phil McRae speak to us about the recently published report entitled “Alberta School Leadership Within the Teacher Profession 2019”. This research outlines some areas of success and difficulty for school leaders in Alberta. It also identifies some questions regarding the work of school leaders that need to continue to be investigated. 

You can get a copy of the report from the Alberta Teachers’ Association Website.

Dr. Phil McRae is Executive Staff Officer and Associate Coordinator, Government-Research with the Alberta Teachers’ Association. Phil has worked in many secondary and post-secondary educational contexts while living and teaching in the Middle East (United Arab Emirates), Asia (Japan), Europe (Spain), and in Alberta, Canada with the Lethbridge Public School District and at Red Crow College with the Blood Tribe (Kainai First Nation). Phil is the past winner of the Alberta Excellence in Teaching Finalist Award, the University of Alberta’s Queen Elizabeth II Doctoral Scholar Award, Minister of Education's Innovation Award, and the ATA Provincial Educational Research Award.  

Dr. Bonnie Stelmach is a Professor in the Faculty of Education (Educational Policy Studies) at the University of Alberta. She has been an educational researcher and university instructor since 2006, first at the University of Saskatchewan, and now at the University of Alberta. She has examined parents’ roles in education at the post-secondary level.  Her current research is moving toward an examination of school “community”.  In particular, she is contemplating the discourses that shape the notion of “school community” in light of diversification of families, trends toward radical individualism, and boundary shifting. 

Here is our conversation with Dr. Bonnie Stelmach and Dr. Phil McRae.

In this episode we feature a session from uLead 2019 about Learning Space Design with Rebecca Hare. 

After a decade in Italy as a design consultant and creative director, Rebecca became fascinated with education. The young designers she hired, she found, struggled with problem-solving and critical thinking. She returned to the U.S. to study education and built on her BFA in Industrial Design. Her Master's thesis focused on Design Thinking and evaluating and enhancing creativity through the study of design and art. Now, Rebecca is an art and design teacher with Clayton Public Schools in St. Louis. She's also a learning space designer and co-author of the book: The Space: A Guide for Educators. She has worked with a number of schools to collaboratively design learning spaces and experiences that enhance student learning, agency and making thinking visible.

For more information on Rebecca, please visit her website or follow her on Twitter.

If you enjoy this session, it is one of the many that uLead offers every year at our conference. Please join us this coming year in Banff. You can get more information and register at uLead.ca.

In this episode we present a session from uLead 2019 with Richard Gerver. Richard Gerver has been described as one of the most inspirational leaders of his generation. He is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author and world-renowned thinker.

He began his career in education, most notably as headteacher of the failing Grange Primary School. In just two years, famously transformed into one of the most acclaimed learning environments in the world. He was celebrated by UNESCO and the UK Government for its incredible turnaround.

For more information Richard Gerver, please visit his website or follow him on twitter.

If you enjoy this session, it is one of the many that uLead offers every year at our conference. Please join us this coming year in Banff. You can get more information and register at uLead.ca.

In our first episode we bring your a break out session with Dr. Simon Breakspear from the 2019 uLead conference in Banff, Alberta. You will hear Dr. Breakspear talk about developing teacher expertise and ways he suggests planning professional development to maximize impact on teacher learning. 

Dr. Breakspear is known internationally for helping educational leaders navigate complex change, harness research evidence and drive continuous improvement for better learning. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Agile Schools. He is also a Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales, and Research Fellow of the Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change at The Education University of Hong Kong.

For more information on Dr. Breakspear and Teaching Sprints, you can visit the Teaching Sprints website or follow Simon on Twitter.

If you like this episode, why don’t you consider joining us at uLead this coming year in Banff? You can get more information and register at uLead.ca

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Register today for the uLead conference at http://ulead.ca