Episodes

Join us for the online, on-demand workshop “Overview of Collaborative Response”, part of our Supporting Collaborative Response series. 👉 bit.ly/10refinecontinuum In this week's podcast, Kurtis and Lorna discuss the key shift needed when looking to co-create continuums of support related specifically to behaviour and attendance, to ensure we are getting to "root causes" when articulating and tiering our responses. Connected Resources: Four Tier Support Overview - https://docs.google.com/docume...

Join us for the online, on-demand workshop “Overview of Collaborative Response”, part of our Supporting Collaborative Response series. 👉 bit.ly/10refinecontinuum Creating Focus for Collaborative Planning WITHOUT Micromanaging Your Teams Access a workshop guide to help your team STOP focusing on things outside of our locus of control - https://bit.ly/JLlocus In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Amy Cooper, principal of Divine Mercy Catholic Elementar...

STOP TIERING YOUR STUDENTS!! Transform your organization by tiering your supports, not your students. Learn how in a FREE webinar at https://bit.ly/stoptieringstudents Planning for Fall Start Up! Create a foundation for your school’s Collaborative Response by reflecting on the past year and planning for the year to come. Learn how in this workshop. Part of our Supporting Collaborative Response workshop series! https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/publications/workshops In this episode of Leading Coll...

Access the FREE Guide for Leaders to Develop and Reinforce Team Norms - http://bit.ly/teamnormsguide Join US!! At the Annual Collaborative Response Retreat https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/events/retreat How do the structures of Collaborative Response—the meetings, tiers, and data—actually "breathe" in a middle school? In this episode, Kurtis and Lorna Hewson are joined by Jennifer Ferguson (Principal) and Ashlee Jodry (Assistant Principal) of Percy Baxter Middle School. The team discusses the l...

In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Jennifer, Lorna, and Kurtis explore the scenario of bringing new school leaders into a district where a culture of collaboration has been established within and between schools. Where these leaders may not have the lived experience of the journey of the district that has implemented Collaborative Response over time, there are steps that can be taken to bring them up to speed. --------- Connect with Kurtis Hewson Email kurtis.hewson@jigsawlearn...

In this weeks episode of the Leading Collaborative Response podcast, 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. Connected Resources: Planning for Fall Start Up on-demand workshop - https://www.jigsawlearningonline.com/planning-for-fall-start-up Planning for Fall Organizer - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YPwjJvc07Zri_jCHybwKDmLh...

In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Jennifer, Lorna, and Kurtis discuss one of many scenarios around bringing new personnel into an established collaborative culture. This conversation focuses on how to bring in new staff to a school where Collaborative Response is already “the way things are done”. --------- Connect with Kurtis Hewson Email kurtis.hewson@jigsawlearning.ca Twitter @hewsonk27 LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/in/kurtishewson Connect with Lorna Hewson Email lorna....

In this week's episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Kurtis and Lorna share some of the most innovative and impactful ideas they've encountered after reviewing more than 85 school frameworks over the past year. Drawing from 60 school reviews and 25 Collaborative Team Meeting (CTM) feedback sessions, they unpack a collection of practical strategies, creative adaptations, and powerful practices being used in schools to strengthen Collaborative Response. Rather than focusing on theory, this e...

In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Jennifer and Kurtis explore five mistakes leaders make when planning team meetings (and how to overcome them!). Kurtis continues to talk about his favourite words: clarity and predictability. Considerations in this conversation may be leveraged in order to level up already high-functioning teams! Connected Resources Get the Introductory Chapter of our bestselling text Collaborative Response: Three Foundational Components That Transform How We R...

A successful school year doesn't happen by accident—it is the direct result of the intentional groundwork laid over the summer months. Without a clear, proactive plan, school leaders often face a lack of staff clarity, leading to structural fragmentation and organizational chaos by October. If you want to ensure a smooth, impactful start to the upcoming school year, it's time to learn from leaders who have been there. In this special conversation, Kurtis and Lorna announce that they have teamed...

In this episode of the Leading Collaborative Response podcast, Kurtis and Lorna share the collaborative team meeting a unique and critical structure in Collaborative Response that provides an avenue for supporting students and growing staff capacity. Connected Resources 10 Considerations To Transform Your Team Meetings Access a FREE webinar to transform how you plan and facilitate effective team meetings - https://bit.ly/transformteams Facilitating Effective Collaborative Team Meetings online...

Access a workshop guide to ensure you are truly engaging as a team - https://bit.ly/JLgroupteam 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 Are you a school leader feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of starting Collaborative Response? In this episode, Jennifer Baeta, Assistant Principal at St. Bonaventure Catholic Elementary School, joins Kurtis and Lorna to share her school's jour...

In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Lorna Hewson, Lead Learner and Co-Founder of Jigsaw Learning, shares some big ideas around reflective practice, building responsive relationships, transition planning, and taking the opportunity to leverage a new school year to refresh and revise one's approach to create an inclusive learning environment. Connected Resources Sign up for this step by step workshop on Planning for Fall Start Up: Re-Engaging Collaborative Response to jump start y...

Healthy and vibrant collaborative team meetings fuel innovation in how we address student needs. However, the key to their success is effective facilitation! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 will give you the tools and confidence to lead structured, engaging, and impactful team meetings in your school. 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄! bit.ly/facilitatectm In this weekls podcast, Kurtis and Lorna share what they've learned about the importance of celebrations for ALL meetings (an...

In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Kurtis Hewson, Lead Learner and Co-Founder of Jigsaw Learning, discusses how shifting mindsets when timetabling can have a positive impact for staff and students when implementing Collaborative Response. He shares big rocks to be considered, provides examples based on personal experience as well as interactions with partners of Jigsaw Learning, and encourages school leaders to "try something". _______________ #collaboration #norms #teamspirit #...

10 Considerations When Refining and Utilizing Your Continuums of Support Join us for the online, on-demand workshop “Overview of Collaborative Response”, part of our Supporting Collaborative Response series. 👉 bit.ly/10refinecontinuum Access your "Are We a Group or a Team?" workshop guide to ensure you are truly engaging as a team - https://bit.ly/JLgroupteam Are you a school leader looking to move your team meetings beyond just "talking about kids" and toward real instructional action? In thi...

Access the FREE Overview of Collaborative Response article - https://bit.ly/CR-overview In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Thérèse deChamplain-Good, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Excellence with Elk Island Catholic School Division. Thérèse, Lorna and Kurtis explore how Collaborative Response has been sustained throughout Elk Island Catholic School Division over a number of years and the critical role Senior Leadership plays in leading the...

Did you know EVERY school needs four layers of teams to not only respond to the needs of students but build instructional capacity with intentionality and focus? Learn more in a FREE webinar, Layering Team Meetings: bit.ly/layeringteams In this weeks podcast, 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. Connected Resources: Pr...

Explore the book Collaborative Response by downloading the introduction for FREE https://bit.ly/CR-intro 10 Considerations To Transform Your Team Meetings Access a FREE webinar to transform how you plan and facilitate effective team meetings - https://bit.ly/transformteams In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Chris Zottl, principal of Sunrise School in Grasslands Public Schools, an alternative school for junior and senior high students. Chris and hi...

Join us for the online, on-demand workshop “Overview of Collaborative Response”, part of our Supporting Collaborative Response series. 👉 bit.ly/overviewofCR If you have been introduced to Collaborative Response, you may be asking yourself “where do I start?” We have a free resource to help you get started! Download our free Introducing Collaborative Response bit.ly/top10-cr Are you a school leader looking to move from "busy" meetings to "impactful" collaboration? In this episode of Leading Col...

5 Considerations for Effective School Support Team Meetings In order to coordinate and optimize support beyond the classroom, the School Support Team is critical. However, how that team is organized matters. Join us 👉 bit.ly/5sstmeetings In this episode of the Leading Collaborative Response podcast, Kurtis and Lorna discuss the importance of a proactively designed school support team that functions as the hub of decision making for supporting students and staff. Connected Resources: Blog - Lay...

𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥! Healthy and vibrant collaborative team meetings fuel innovation in how we address student needs. However, the key to their success is effective facilitation! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 will give you the tools and confidence to lead structured, engaging, and impactful team meetings in your school. 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄! bit.ly/facilitatectm In this weeks podcast, Kurtis and Lorna discuss in what ways how they...

2026 Collaborative Response Retreat Reserve your spot today! 🚀https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/events/retreat Access the FREE webinar “5 Mistakes Leaders Make When Organizing Data” - https://bit.ly/5mistakesdata Locus of Control Activity: https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/publications/blog-posts/so-what-can-we-control-articulating-our-locus-control In episode 30 of Leading Collaborative Response, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by the Superintendent of Grasslands School Division, Scott Brandt, and the p...

2026 Collaborative Response Retreat Reserve your spot today! 🚀https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/events/retreat 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 In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Amy Cooper, principal of Divine Mercy Catholic Elementary School in Edmonton Catholic Schools. Amy brings a wi...