Curiosity Works
Leading and teaching with curiosity in mind



Completing Curiosity Works: Leading and teaching with curiosity in mind will contribute 6 hours of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Registered PD addressing 6.2.3 and 6.3.3 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient or Highly Accomplished Teacher Accreditation in NSW.

Curiosity is as powerful a predictor of student success as IQ, grit, or teacher quality. Yet sadly, even though kids are born curious, the longer they stay in school, the less curious they become. In many ways, our approaches to school improvement are to blame. Not only do they overlook the untapped power of curiosity, our efforts to ensure rigor and cover content tend to quash curiosity among students (and teachers). So, what if we were to focus on restoring student curiosity and motivation? Might everything else get easier … and more joyful? In this interactive, hands-on session, you’ll learn about simple shifts you can make in classrooms and across entire schools to “flip the script” on improvement efforts—not by driving learning from the “outside-in,” but rather, by changing the “inside-out,” starting with what’s inside every student (and teacher) and waiting to come out: curiosity. Specifically, you’ll emerge from this session:

  • Knowing why curiosity is an important lever for learning and how to cultivate it in learners, teachers, and leaders;
  • Understanding and ready to help others make classroom shifts that unleash student curiosity and deeper learning, as detailed in a soon-to-be released book, Student Learning that Works
  • Develop a new understanding of the science of learning―including how curiosity drives learning and memory―and how to design learning that taps into the power of curiosity
  • Learn critical shifts school leadership teams can make to unleash teacher curiosity, starting with inquiry-driven professional learning that leads to “precision without prescription.”

WORKSHOP AGENDA

SEGMENT 1:
The power of curiosity: Priming our brains for learning

INTENDED AUDIENCE:
K–12 principals, school leadership teams, central office administrators.


During this 60-minute segment, participants will

  • Learn (and experience) why curiosity is an important lever for learning and life success
  • Explore the conditions that unleash it in learners, teachers, and leaders―and see how schools and classrooms often quash curiosity.
  • Activity: Moral purpose world café
  • Reflection: Considering and capturing your why

SEGMENT 2:
Spark, flame and fire: Bringing curiosity to life in schools and classrooms


During this 60-minute segment, participants will

  • Learn about three types of curiosity
  • Explore simple classroom shifts that unleash all three forms of curiosity
  • Activity: Jigsaw activity: Four ways to spark curiosity
  • Activity: Socratic seminar on questions from excerpts of Out of Curiosity
  • Reflection: Final word protocol. Sharing the “fire inside.” What do we want to learn today?

SEGMENT 3:
Applying curiosity to the science of learning


During this 90-minute segment, participants will

  • Develop a deeper understanding of the science of learning―including how curiosity fuels deep learning and memory―and how to apply this understand in their classrooms
  • Learn a model for instructional design that encourages simple classroom shifts that teachers can use unleash student curiosity as described in the forthcoming ASCD publication, Student Learning that Works
  • Activity: Use the learning model to develop a lesson plan / school improvement plan for inquiry-based learning
  • Activity: Written conversation protocol for providing peer feedback
  • Reflection: What would it take to develop these kinds of lessons in our schools?

SEGMENT 4:
Changing from the inside out


During this 90-minute segment, participants will

  • Explore research (and mindsets) on changing behavior: What makes people change?
  • Reflection: What motivates you?
  • Explore the effects of leaders’ mental models of change and their leadership styles
  • Activity: Three-minute debate: Directive vs. empowering leadership styles
  • Reflection: What is your theory of change?
  • Explore the principles of inside-out change and learn simple shifts school leaders can make to unleash teacher curiosity, starting with inquiry-driven professional learning
  • Activity: Turning threats into challenges: Reframing teacher learning as inquiry
  • Reflection: What’s your driving question for the school year?

SEGMENT 5:
Better together: Unleashing the power of peer coaching


During this 45-minute learning segment, participants will

  • Explore the research on peer coaching―-when it works and when it doesn’t
  • Activity: Critique a teacher video
  • Explore the power of rubrics and triads for coaching
  • Activity: Critique the video in a triad with a rubric and “I wonder” statements

CLOSING ACTIVITY & REFLECTION


During this 15-minute closing activity, participants will reflect on the following questions:

  • What three things have you learned today?
  • What two things are you curious about now―do you want to explore further?
  • What one next step you’re committed to taking?

WORKSHOP COST

ACEL Member: $455 p/p
Non-Member: $495 p/p
Combine and Save: $635 p/p
Receive a discount when you combine your registration with a new ACEL membership – normally $195.


WORKSHOP LOCATIONS & REGISTRATION

Darwin NT
Date: Monday 29th July 2019
Time: 7:45am - 2.15pm
Venue: Hilton Darwin
Click here to register online

Brisbane QLD
Date: Tuesday 30th July 2019
Time: 9am - 4pm
Venue: Novotel Brisbane
Click here to register online

Sydney NSW
Date: Wednesday 31st July 2019
Time: 9am - 4pm
Venue: Sydney Masonic Centre
Click here to register online

Melbourne VIC
Date: Thursday 1st August 2019
Time: 9.00am - 4.00pm
Venue: Mercure Melbourne Treasury Gardens
Click here to register online

Perth WA
Date: Wednesday 7th August 2019
Time: 9am - 4pm
Venue: Hyatt Regency Perth
Click here to register online