Jigsaw Learning Blogs

Building Spaces That Foster Adult Collaboration in Schools - Ep 97

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:25:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna share considerations when purposefully designing a space for teams to collaborate.

How Self-Care Sustains Collaborative Cultures with Barb Flowers - Ep 96

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:18:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna chat with Barb Flowers about how self-care, resilience, and effective leadership create stronger collaborative school cultures and support educator well-being.

How to Prepare for Fall Now: Simple Steps for Success - Ep 112

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna provide some ideas that leaders should be considering in June when planning for the fall start-up in relation to establishing, sustaining and deepening your Collaborative Response efforts.

Empowering Teacher Voice: Building a Culture of Collaborative Trust with St. Bonaventure - Ep 111

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 02:03:00 +0000

Discover how one school’s journey of starting small with Collaborative Response led to powerful shifts in culture, trust, shared leadership, and staff well-being, creating stronger outcomes for both educators and students.

Motivate Staff and Drive Student Success with Visual Scoreboards - Ep 95

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:32:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna reflect on the value of visualizing data for your school team to create focus, urgency and celebration, ensuring that data is being utilized to track and celebrate progress. Creating visual scoreboards for your data can make a substantial impact on focusing your collaborative efforts!

Strengthening Teams Through High-Impact Collaboration Structures with David K Richards - Ep 94

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:22:00 +0000

Discover how intentional structures, collaborative processes, and student-centered design can transform adult collaboration in schools in this conversation with David K Richards, Founder & CEO of Changemaker Microschools.

How to Create Facilitation Opportunities to Build Leadership Capacity - Ep 93

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:06:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna discuss the why you should be creating opportunities for the facilitator role in meetings to change and the impact it can have on your overall culture of collaboration.

Leveraging External Team Members to Meet Diverse Student Needs with Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan - Ep 92

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:29:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna speak with Karen Dudek-Brannan about building high-impact collaborative school cultures that unite educators and service providers to better support diverse student needs.

Celebrations in Collaborative Team Meetings: Key Insights for Future Success - Ep 110

Fri, 29 May 2026 19:49:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna share what they've learned about the importance of celebrations for ALL meetings (and especially the collaborative team meetings) and four ideas for celebrations that you may not have considered that will make them even more effective!

Why are roles critical to the success of collaborative team meetings?

Thu, 21 May 2026 19:32:00 +0000

Discover how clearly defined roles in collaborative team meetings build psychological safety, distribute leadership, and transform school collaboration from routine meetings into high-impact, student-focused teamwork.

How School Leaders Can Plan an EFFECTIVE Annual Calendar - Ep 91

Tue, 19 May 2026 21:22:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna reflect upon the need to establish an annual calendar in your school, reflecting key assessment dates, team meetings, PD days and more, to ensure intentionality, alignment and predictability for your collaborative efforts.

3 Fundamental Elements of High-Performing Teams with David Burkus - Ep 90

Tue, 19 May 2026 21:07:00 +0000

Kurtis is joined by David Burkus, a former business school professor turned full-time writer and speaker. Kurtis and David talk about his book Best Team Ever and learn more about the three fundamental elements all high-performing team cultures share.

Disrupting Grade Teams for Better Collaboration with Woodlands School - Ep 109

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:57:00 +0000

Discover how Calgary Board of Education educators at Woodlands School are transforming Collaborative Team Meetings into high-impact, teacher-led spaces focused on instructional action, student support, and meaningful Tier 1 and 2 solutions.

How Locus of Control Impacts Teacher Efficacy and Student Success - Ep 89

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:14:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna discuss what is the locus of control and why keeping our primary focus on what is in our locus of control can have substantial impact on an organization's culture.

Why Principals Matter in Building High-Impact Teams with William D Parker - Ep 88

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:08:00 +0000

In this replay episode, Kurtis has the opportunity to connect with Will Parker, founder and CEO of Principal Matters, LLC. and host of the podcast Principal Matters. Will and Kurtis discuss the often dual nature we need to consider when it comes to leading and why trying to “fly solo” is a recipe for burnout, a lesson learned that almost ended Will’s educational career!

Upgrade Your Collaborative Team Meetings with these Smarter Pre-Meeting Organizers - Ep 108

Mon, 11 May 2026 17:52:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna discuss the purpose of pre-meeting organizers for the collaborative team meeting and how variations and enhancements to the pre-meeting organizer should be an aspiration for every school over time.

Navigating the Implementation Dip in School Change - Ep 87

Mon, 04 May 2026 18:13:00 +0000

Kurtis and Lorna explore what is an implementation dip and how to attend to them when leading change in your organization.

Building Collaborative Cultures That Drive Literacy Success with Mark Onuscheck & Jeanne Spiller - Ep 86

Mon, 04 May 2026 18:06:00 +0000

Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Jeanne Spiller and Mark Onuscheck, two educational leaders, authors and consultants and co-editors of a number of PLC at Work titles. They discuss how to build a highly intentional and focused culture of collaboration, with a direct emphasis on how that culture can have a significant impact on literacy success for learners!

Slow and Steady is the Secret to Successful School Collaboration with Weledeh School - Ep 107

Mon, 04 May 2026 17:54:00 +0000

Discover how Principal Paul Kelly of Weledeh School transformed staff meetings into impactful collaboration through strategic pre-planning, protected professional time, and a sustainable rollout of the Collaborative Response framework.

Maximize Impact Through Structured Reflection Time - Ep 106

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 22:58:00 +0000

Discover how Kurtis and Lorna are reimagining collaborative team meetings by prioritizing processing and reflection time, while sharing innovative strategies schools use to spark deeper thinking and meaningful collaboration.