Episodes

Wondering how to move beyond champions to teams? Find out more at https://bit.ly/CR-overview Inspired by Rita Pierson’s TED Talk "Every Child Deserves a Champion"? Discover why being a champion isn't enough and how a "Team" approach prevents teacher burnout and drives student success. More than a decade ago, Dr. Rita Pierson delivered one of the most powerful messages in education: “Every child deserves a champion.” While her 2013 TED Talk has inspired millions, it also highlights a challengin...

Get Started Today - Unpacking Norms 👥 bit.ly/jlnorms Simplify Your Next Steps 🧰 Grab the CTM Starter Kit - bit.ly/ctmstarter In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Kurtis and Lorna Hewson sits down with Shelley Stevenson and Taryn Wellsman, the administration team from St. Theresa School in Northland School Division. Together, they explore how a dedicated leadership team can intentionally build collaboration structures directly into the school schedule, ensure every staff member ha...

See What's Possible 🚀 Build Momentum - bit.ly/layeringteams Create Alignment 🛠️ Find Out How - bit.ly/dataevidenceplan Join the movement 📩 bit.ly/JLinsider In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Jennifer, Lorna, and Kurtis explore the nuances of bringing new personnel into key district roles where a culture of collaboration has been established. Topics include ensuring the Board is aware of the impact of Collaborative Response, how district personnel might partner with or shadow o...

Explore the book Collaborative Response by downloading the introduction for FREE https://bit.ly/CR-intro The Collaborative Response 101, an ideal course for leaders to gain an understanding of this robust school-wide framework. bit.ly/CR101course In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Lorna and Kurtis engage in a conversation with members of the senior leadership team at Elk Island Public Schools to discuss how their division has prioritized collaboration by embedding time for it i...

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 at https://bit.ly/layeringteams In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Kurtis is joined by Dr. Melissa Sperry, principal of Wetaskiwin Outreach School. They discuss Melissa’s insights into building collaborative practices that support all learners in an outreach setting. Related Resources: Wet...

Join us for the online, on-demand workshop “Overview of Collaborative Response”, part of our Supporting Collaborative Response series. 👉 bit.ly/10refinecontinuum In this weeks podcast, Kurtis and Lorna review the value of co-creating a continuum of supports with your staff team and how to, over time, refine tier 1 practices to reflect research-based practices to impact all students across all classrooms. Looking for an affordable and effective data system that can suggest, organize, and track ...

In this week's podcast, Kurtis and Lorna discuss why educational assistants are a critical voice to consider being included in collaborative team meetings and share some strategies that schools are employing to have their support staff involved. Connected Resources: Unlock the power of consistency in your school! In this workshop, we’ll show you how to implement Tier 1 practices that work across every classroom—ensuring every student experiences effective, high-quality instruction every day. Jo...

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 5 considerations for every school trying to take their school support teams to the next level because the School Support Team is critical and how that team is organized. The workshop that will help you coordinate and optimize support beyond the classroom bit.ly/5sstmeetings In this episode of Leadi...

In this week's podcast, Kurtis and Lorna engage in a discussion about why all voices need to be accessed in the collaborative team meeting and provide some practical strategies for how to bring forth all voices to increase engagement and develop high levels of psychological safety for teams. Connected Resources: If you’re ready to lead collaborative meetings that actually drive change, get the tools, strategies, and structures to transform your team meetings from routine discussions into powerf...

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 #...