One of the Biggest Questions I Get About the Design Days Workshop Is “What Do You Actually Do In theWorkshop?”
Here’s a story that illustrates exactly what we do. Cynthia Bruno, the principal of Dixie Elementary in Fayette County, Kentucky, was looking to increase engagement and testing performance through PBL and wanted her leadership team and staff to drive the work. Spoiler Alert: They went from a ‘D’ to an ‘A’ in two years.
She knew to lead a building through the change and big vision she had in her heart that she was going to need a plan and a grassroots movement…not a top-down mandate.
Cynthia loved the idea of having a building where learners were engaged to solve real-world problems while their academics soared, but she didn’t know how to plan out such a movement and sustain the work over the long haul. Like many high-achieving administrators, she knew best practice teaching strategies in the classroom, how to innovate in the classroom, and how to make necessary hard decisions in the classroom – but she never had to wear the “vision” and “implementation” hats.
With only 11% of principals staying in a position for more than 10 years, you likely do not have much time for a do-over of your vision.
Vision and implementation are pillars in educational change – for the visionary leader, they are even more vital. Cynthia wanted to have a crystal clear vision that was co-created by her leadership team so she would never lose momentum or have to do a restart of her PBL vision. She wanted to launch into the PBL space on the right foot.
Believe It or Not, Most Success Starts with A Seasoned Pro Who Is Willing to Give Her Vision Over to Her Team.
Cynthia had an immense amount of experience innovating in her classroom and knew where she wanted her school to go. Most people would think someone with this much expertise, passion, and vision would have no problem taking a school to the next level.
The special thing about Cynthia is that despite her own experience and proven track record, she came ready to empower her team. She was ready to humbly put the vision of her school in the hands of her team – and we’ve found this attitude is the key to experiencing a breakthrough during these Design Day workshops.
The 3 Most Common Questions People Ask About
Design Days Workshop Are:
1. What is the agenda during the two days?
2. What can I expect to leave the workshop with?
3. What is the cost of the workshop?
“What is the agenda during the two days?”
Each day starts at 8:30am and ends at 3:30 pm local time.
On Day 1 we will explore Leadership toward Vision:
• Identify key components from school vision and leadership values as you create your Convening Story, Development Story, and Student Story.
• Calibrate your school’s trajectory with the Model Schools Continuum. This reflective practice illuminates the pathway toward the transformational processes that result in sustainability.
• Engage with authentic Project Based Learning via tours of Model Schools: PBL classroom visits, student and teacher panels, and conversations with school leaders.
• Experience Project Based Learning from the seat of the learner.
• Cultivate empathy and build strong relationships with team members.
• Use structured protocols to shape decision making, maximize innovative thinking, and to anticipate solutions to challenging problems.
On Day 2 we will move toward Planning and Implementation:
• Map out major benchmarks–define goals, tasks, timelines, and resources –on your journey from convening teams, through PBL training, supportive coaching, and sustainability as a Model School.
• Articulate your first-round pitches to potential stakeholders, based on values and vision.
• Present your plan to school leadership teams for feedback.
Leave with a 3-year plan, grassroots momentum, and a close-knit leadership team.
“What can I expect to leave the workshop with?”
You will have a clear overview of your entire three-year PBL vision from going through the Design Day Workshop. In addition you will complete:
• PBL implementation plan with benchmarks that support progress.
• Stakeholder pitches and profiles.
• The inspiration to customize a plan that empowers your learners.
“How much is the workshop?”
The cost of the workshop is $14,995 USD for a principal and leadership team. Each workshop is limited to 15 people, and you will be asked to submit an intake form to make sure we have enough information about your school vision so we can track your success over the three years of your implementation.
Here’s What We Do to Help Make Design Day Workshop the Best Investment of Your Time:
Our responsibilities at the workshop include:
• The right venue: you can come to one of our model school sites, or we can bring the Design Day Workshop to your school
• The right environment: create a fun, creative, and customized workshop culture for your leadership team to create your 3-year plan
• The right facilitation: facilitation of the entire workshop, including the workshop time, culture building activities, and vision strategy we lead our partners through
Meet Cynthia, Who Is Now Leading a Grassroots PBL Movement, Empowering Her Leadership Team, and Doing Work She Truly Loves and Believes In.
“I am the principal of Dixie Magnet Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky.
We have a diverse population and serve many diverse needs across our school community. Dixie is a 50/50 magnet, 50% of our students live in our neighborhood and the other 50% come from around the city. Our magnet families decided they wanted their students to have a different school experience. There is no entrance criteria for our magnet program and we do not differentiate magnet versus non-magnet students. All students receive the same program which is important to us here at Dixie.
We believe at Dixie that students should find learning authentic and fun. We started dipping our toes into the PBL waters and realized this model is the best way to make learning fun and engaging for students, it brings the community into the building and a part of the learning, and families are excited to see their students take ownership of their learning. It was important to us to make sure we were on the right track with implementation and needed tools to elevate our PBL practice. It was also important to me to give teachers the opportunity to see other schools similar to Dixie implement PBL.
During the first half of our Design Day experience we were led through several protocols that helped bring to light some hopes and fears we have around PBL. Looking back now we consider this first half of the experience therapy. It helped me understand where our teachers were grappling with this philosophy and the team realized that I had some of the same fears they had. This helped strengthen our team culture and helped deepen our commitment to PBL.
During our work through design days we came to the realization that in order to continue growing a culture of innovation through PBL, we needed to hire staff that had the disposition that is required in doing school differently. We created a Dixie Teacher Profile with a plan on how to use the profile when hiring new staff members. We immediately took back our profile to our leadership team for feedback and started work on a student profile which is similar to our district’s portrait of a graduate. We continue to refer to our Teacher Profile during staff meetings so that our work is constantly aligned to our vision to empower our students to be a positive force in this changing world.
The school visits of Design Days were very helpful. Our teachers received a lot of validation in our work of PBL and learned some great tips from the administration, teachers and students we visited.”
~Cynthia Bruno, Principal
Sign Up for your own customized Design Days Today.
Design Day experiences can be scheduled during the school year or over the summer.
There is a strict limit of 11 Design Day experiences a year – this is to ensure we can customize every agenda and not overextend our model schools. If the ‘Schedule Now’ button below is not active, then we have reached our 11 Design Day experience limit for the year.
Upon clicking below, you will be taken to a series of questions that will allow us to learn about your school vision and see what needs you want to address.
The cost for the workshop is $14,995 USD for you and your leadership team. To set up your own customized Design Days, click below: