Why do some teams hum and others never seem to?  What are the elements that underpin high functioning teams?  Do you dream of leading a highly synergic team that embraces collective efficacy and results in significant impact? 

Transformational change and continuous improvement are reliant on well embedded cultures of learning, collective inquiry, and collaborative professionalism. Building the capacity and capabilities for teams and individuals to achieve this cannot be let to chance. Instead it requires deliberate leadership, strategies, and at times, interventions. 

In this Leaders’ Connect we will explore some of the tools and frameworks that have helped ‘onboard’ new staff, grow team efficacy, and lead to a positive organisational culture.

Bios

Sarah Martin

Sarah Martin is the Foundation Principal of Stonefields School. She is a passionate, forward-thinking educator with a real commitment to improving outcomes for all learners, not just those within her school community. She is enthusiastic about:

• ensuring all students develop the necessary competencies to strengthen their capacity to learn
• ensuring learners are engaged in and with learning that really matters
• questioning and thinking creatively about effective teaching practice that causes learning.

She has held leadership roles in a number of schools and is a Trustee on the Stonefields Collaborative Trust.  As both a teacher and leader, she has a particular strength in collectively building change momentum, enabling collaborative high functioning teams, future visioning, embracing student voice and reimagining what learning matters. Connect with @sarahmartin74 on Twitter.

Chris Bradbeer

Chris Bradbeer’s expertise is particularly in the field of innovative learning environments and in teacher collaboration. He’s been an Associate Principal at Stonefields since it opened in 2011. Chris is a Research Fellow on the Innovative Learning Environments & Teacher Change Project 2016-2020 at The University of Melbourne. He is completing a PhD on teacher collaboration in ILEs. Chris sits on the Learning Environments Australasia Board and Te Araroa Auckland Trust.

About the Leaders’ Connect online series

Leaders’ Connect is an interactive, relational, online space for education leaders. These one-hour online hui occur fortnightly and the aim is to:  

• Provide a safe place of connection for education leaders within NZ
• Support leaders’ wellbeing 
• Gain fresh leadership knowledge and capacity 
• Create professional connection via an online platform
• Provide a space for learning and sharing innovative practices and ideas 

In the spirit of Leaders’ Connect, as well as a Q&A time, there will be time for engaging in small group discussions for support and idea-sharing.