Episodes

48
Oct. 13, 2025

Building Collective Resiliency and Remembering to Recharge with Dr. Julie Schmidt Hasson - Ep 48

Access a FREE webinar to transform how you plan and facilitate effective team meetings - https://bit.ly/transformteams Looking to design a space for adult collaboration? Access this FREE guide, which includes a checklist to reference when creating your space - https://bit.ly/spacechecklist In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Dr. Julie Schmidt Hasson, professor, researcher, and certified resilience trainer. With over two decades of experience as...
5
Oct. 9, 2025

FRIDAY FOCUS - Creating Clarity by Embracing the Messiness

______________________ #collaboration #norms #teamspirit #leadership #systems Interested in learning MORE about a framework that can transform your PLC and MTSS efforts? Access the FREE Overview of Collaborative Response Article https://bit.ly/CR-overview Explore the book Collaborative Response by downloading the introduction for FREE https://bit.ly/CR-intro Learn more about WeCollab and access a FREE trial. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab Become a JL Insider to receive access to newl...
47
Oct. 6, 2025

Harnessing the Power of People with AI to Enhance Collaboration with Teacher Time Machine - Ep 47

#collaboration #norms #teamspirit #leadership Access a workshop guide to ensure you are truly engaging as a team - https://bit.ly/JLgroupteam Access a workshop guide to help your teams craft effective goals to guide their collaborative work - https://bit.ly/jlgoals In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Kurtis and Lorna meet with two of the founders of Teacher Time Machine, an AI powered tool for teachers. Sharon and Richelle share how AI can enhance and build upon staff coll...
4
Oct. 2, 2025

FRIDAY FOCUS - Stop Striving for Comfort

______________________ #collaboration #norms #teamspirit #leadership #systems Interested in learning MORE about a framework that can transform your PLC and MTSS efforts? Access the FREE Overview of Collaborative Response Article https://bit.ly/CR-overview Explore the book Collaborative Response by downloading the introduction for FREE https://bit.ly/CR-intro Learn more about WeCollab and access a FREE trial. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab Become a JL Insider to receive access to newl...
46
Sept. 29, 2025

What Does the Kitchen Sink Tell Us About an Organization’s Collaborative Culture with New Myrnam School - Ep 46

#collaboration #norms #teamspirit #leadership In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Kurtis is joined by the leadership team from New Myrnam School — a small rural school with big ideas and a strong sense of community. Kurtis explores with the leadership team how they’re building and sustaining a truly collaborative culture within their school, taking a robust, project-based approach to learning Check out the New Myrnam School projects: https://www.newmyrnamschool.ca/a-for-ene...
3
Sept. 25, 2025

FRIDAY FOCUS - It's All About the Structure!

______________________ #collaboration #norms #teamspirit #leadership #systems Interested in learning MORE about a framework that can transform your PLC and MTSS efforts? Access the FREE Overview of Collaborative Response Article https://bit.ly/CR-overview Explore the book Collaborative Response by downloading the introduction for FREE https://bit.ly/CR-intro Learn more about WeCollab and access a FREE trial. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab Become a JL Insider to receive access to newl...
45
Sept. 22, 2025

Leading Teams as a Purpose-Driven Principal with Michelle Sloan - Ep 45

Access a FREE webinar to transform how you plan and facilitate effective team meetings - https://bit.ly/transformteams Register for the FREE Collaborative Response Virtual Summit : JLsummit.ca In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Michelle Sloan, a former teacher, principal, and Head of School who now coaches and mentors school leaders through her Purpose Driven Principal Framework. Central to the discussion is the importance of focusing on purp...
2
Sept. 18, 2025

FRIDAY FOCUS - Great Leaders Don't Solve Problems...They Create Systems to Solve Problems

#collaboration #teamwork #leadership #fridayfocus #systems Interested in learning MORE about a framework that can transform your PLC and MTSS efforts? Access the FREE Overview of Collaborative Response Article https://bit.ly/CR-overview Explore the book Collaborative Response by downloading the introduction for FREE https://bit.ly/CR-intro Learn more about WeCollab and access a FREE trial. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab Become a JL Insider to receive access to newly added resources a...
44
Sept. 15, 2025

The Happy Music Teacher's Guide to Engagement and Collaboration with Jeanette Mihalchik - Ep 44

#collaboration #norms #teamspirit #leadership Access a workshop guide to ensure you are truly engaging as a team - https://bit.ly/JLgroupteam This invaluable article will provide you with ten possible steps to consider when you introduce Collaborative Response to your team https://youtu.be/HNOgMOH_FN0 In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Jeanette Mihalchik, a National Board Certified Music teacher, arts integration specialist, and author of "S...
1
Sept. 11, 2025

FRIDAY FOCUS - A Simple Strategy for Reinforcing Norms For Your Staff Team

#collaboration #teamwork #leadership #fridayfocus #norms Interested in learning MORE about a framework that can transform your PLC and MTSS efforts? Access the FREE Overview of Collaborative Response Article https://bit.ly/CR-overview Explore the book Collaborative Response by downloading the introduction for FREE https://bit.ly/CR-intro Learn more about WeCollab and access a FREE trial. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab Become a JL Insider to receive access to newly added resources an...
43
Sept. 8, 2025

Connecting Parents for Aligned Collaborative Success with Christina Hidek - Ep 43

#collaboration #norms #teamspirit #leadership Looking to learn more and get started with a powerful meeting structure that will transform your school’s MTSS efforts? Access the Collaborative Team Meeting Starter Kit at https://bit.ly/ctmstarter Access a workshop guide to help your team unpack their norms and help them have a greater impact on your collaborative efforts - https://bit.ly/jlnorms In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Christina Hid...
1
Sept. 1, 2025

Summer Replay #1 Clear Expectations, Goals and Communication as Foundational for Team Success with Dr. Dana Goodier

Transform your team meetings with this FREE guide, including an agenda template you could begin using today - https://bit.ly/5planningteams Summer Replay #1 - In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Dr. Dana Goodier, an experienced educator, speaker, and author. Dana is the author of the inspiring book Out of the Trenches: Stories of Resilient Educators and hosts the Out of the Trenches podcast, where she showcases incredible stories of resilience ...
2
Aug. 25, 2025

Summer Replay #2 Building a Data-Informed Culture of Collaboration with Jessica Lane

Access a FREE webinar to learn about 5 mistakes leaders make when organizing data for teams…and how to correct those mistakes - https://bit.ly/5mistakesdata Summer Replay #2 - In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis sit down with Jessica Lane, founder of Data-Informed Impact. With over a decade of experience as a teacher, instructional coach, and expert in learning and technology, Jessica shares her key learnings when helping schools use data as a tool for meani...
3
Aug. 18, 2025

Summer Replay #3 Exploring the Craft of Clarity to Support High Impact Collaboration w/ Casey Watts

Access this FREE guide for leaders for establishing and reinforcing team norms, complete with a process you could use tomorrow to create norms with your team - http://bit.ly/teamnormsguide Summer Replay #3 - In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Casey Watts, founder of Casey Watts Coaching & Consulting and a thought leader in team leadership. We dive into Casey’s expertise as she shares how leaders can empower their teams to break free from silos...
4
Aug. 11, 2025

Summer Replay #4 Dos and Don'ts When Strengthening Team Dynamics with Lucas Clarke

Access a workshop guide to help your team STOP focusing on things outside of our locus of control - https://bit.ly/JLlocus Summer Replay #4 - In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Lucas Clarke, a passionate educator with the Anglophone South School District who is also the host of the Mr. Clarke After Dark Podcast, where he shares his insights and experiences in education. We discuss how academic support and cross-disciplinary collaboration can s...
5
Aug. 4, 2025

Summer Replay #5 Leading With Hope: Building a System of Self Efficacy with Dr. Brandi Kelly

Looking to transform your team meetings? Check out this FREE guide for leaders, which includes a ready to use meeting agenda and notes template - https://bit.ly/5planningteams Summer Replay #5 - In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Dr. Brandi Kelly, a dynamic leader in education with over 20 years of experience. Dr. Kelly’s journey has taken her from school social work to school leadership, serving as both a principal and now as Superintendent a...
6
July 28, 2025

Summer Replay #6 Importance of Vulnerability When Building a Culture of Collaboration

Summer Replay #6 - This week's episode, Kurtis and Lorna discuss the importance of establishing a culture of collaboration that values and encourages vulnerability. Connected Resources: Blog - Embracing Vulnerability: A Cornerstone of Effective Collaboration - https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/publications/blog-posts/embracing-vulnerability-cornerstone-effective-collaboration _________________ Interested in learning MORE? Access the FREE Overview of Collaborative Response Article https://bit.ly/CR...
7
July 21, 2025

Summer Replay #7 How to Become a Leader That Empowers the Team with Chris Smeaton

Download the FREE leader’s guide to team norms, as referenced in this episode - http://bit.ly/teamnormsguide Summer Replay #7 - In episode 16 of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Kurtis is joined by former Superintendent Chris Smeaton. Chris shares numerous ideas for leaders at all levels in relation to building highly effective teams and tapping into the collaborative capacity of the organization. Checkout Chris’ blog at https://cdsmeaton.com/ --------- Connect with Kurtis Hewson Email k...
8
July 14, 2025

Summer Replay #8 Leading with Intentionality and Human Interconnectedness with Peter DeWitt & Michael Nelson

Access the FREE PDF article Five Planning Considerations to Transform Your Team Meetings - https://bit.ly/5planningteams Summer replay #8 - In episode 13 of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Kurtis is joined by Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson, two leaders dedicated to supporting other educational leaders through their individual efforts, as well as their latest joint endeavor, establishing the Instructional Leadership Collective. In this episode, we explore the work Peter and Michael do thro...
9
July 7, 2025

Summer Replay #9 The Value of Piloting Ideas

Summer Replay #9 - Kurtis and Lorna explore the idea of piloting rather than full scale change in this episode of the Building a Culture of Collaboration podcast. Piloting provides the opportunity to work through ideas with a small group and to adjust and refine before rolling it out to the greater population. Connected Resources: Blog - The Value of Piloting Change - https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/publications/blog-posts/value-piloting-change Blog - Reflecting on Piloting - https://www.jigsawle...
10
June 30, 2025

Summer Replay #10 Understanding the Impact of the Implementation Dip When Leading Organizational Change

Check out the FREE webinar mentioned in this podcast - 10 Considerations to Transform Your Team Meetings - https://bit.ly/transformteams Summer Replay #10 - In episode 14 of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis reflect on the phenomenon of the implementation dip. They break down what it is, its impact on team endeavours and most importantly, how to navigate implementation dips when leading a culture of collaboration. --------- Connect with Kurtis Hewson Email kurtis.hewson@ji...
42
June 23, 2025

The Importance of Systems When Supporting Effective Collaboration with Hunter Flesch - Ep 42

Don’t let your next meeting feel like it should’ve been an email FREE Webinar - 10 Considerations To Transform Your Team Meetings bit.ly/transformteams Access a FREE webinar to learn about 5 mistakes leaders make when organizing data for teams…and how to correct those mistakes - https://bit.ly/5mistakesdata In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Hunter Flesch, an Associate Principal in Des Moines, Iowa, and the host of The Ed Essentials Podcast....
41
June 16, 2025

Why Focusing on Intentional Habits is Critical for Purposeful Collaboration with Ms. B - Ep 41

Access a FREE webinar to transform how you plan and facilitate effective team meetings - https://bit.ly/transformteams In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Kurtis is joined by Chrissy Beltran, better known to her instructional coaching community as “Ms. B”. Chrissy brings both practical classroom knowledge and the heart of a coach to her work, as we explore lessons learned when helping to build strong, collaborative cultures in schools and beyond. Learn more about Chrissy Be...
40
June 9, 2025

Exploring Collective Impact and the Enemies of Collective Efficacy with Jenni Donohoo and Glenn Forbes - Ep 40

Access a workshop guide to ensure you are truly engaging as a team - https://bit.ly/JLgroupteam Transform Your Teams with this FREE Webinar https://bit.ly/transformteams In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis engage in a powerful conversation with two leading voices in the work of cultivating collective efficacy in schools - Dr. Jenni Donohoo and Glenn Forbes, co-authors of the new book Collective Impact: Overcoming the 12 Enemies of Teacher Efficacy. In the ...