Best Practices Series — On-Site Workshop Topics

Communication and Collaboration
Developing the Tools to Create, Nurture and Sustain a Professional Learning Community

How can the goal of increasing student achievement be seriously addressed without effective communication and true collaboration? This workshop is AFRE’s response to this concern, expressed by numerous educators across the state.

You will explore in depth what educational scholars consider to be the two most underdeveloped “keys” in creating a culture of continuous improvement and high performance within a school or district. This powerful workshop will examine:

• Effective communication – its many forms and functions
• Strategies for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of communication
• Collective commitments and non-negotiables – the role they each play in school improvement
• Constructive confrontation – its role and recommended use
• The knowledge and skills needed for effective collaboration
• Collaborative teams – how to initiate, develop and sustain them
• Assessing the process and products related to meaningful collaboration

Research suggests that when these two variables are significantly improved, the “infrastructure for high performance” is created.