by LeeAnne Lavender, PeerSphere Storyteller
As we get closer to May and the start of IB and AP exams, end-of-year school checklists start to surface, don’t they?
Graduation and final report cards and end-of-year celebrations and farewell parties… we fit so many things into the final weeks of the school year.
All of this means leaders have busy schedules and busy brains, and they may not be thinking ahead to 2024/25 with intention and focused attention on professional learning. Yet now is the best time to make decisions about next year’s professional learning options so teams can have access to a range of purposeful and impactful options.
PeerSphere’s peer learning communities (PLCs) are essential to successful professional learning. Leaders, educators, support staff, HR staff and more… with over 60 PLCs in 2024/25, there is a community to support almost everyone in your school community. And the research and data about the value of peer learning is clear: this strategy is engaging and it works. Educators and staff learn and grow when they are in a community of like-minded peers.
Sarah Plews (photo above), an educational consultant who partners with PeerSphere, has decades of experience as an educator, and as a specialist in leadership development and professional learning. She feels there are three key reasons why leaders need to think ahead when planning for whole school professional learning:
- Building collective efficacy fosters transformational school cultures
- Understanding adult learners drives staff commitment
- Providing inclusive professional growth pathways ensures everyone feels valued and supported in their development
“Leaders need to make evidence-informed decisions about professional learning that enable purposeful and meaningful collaboration,” says Sarah. “Professional learning needs to be specific and content-focussed enough to have positive impacts on adult practice and student outcomes.”
Sarah feels that all adults in a school community, teachers and non-teachers alike, need to feel empowered, have a sense of agency, and have some voice in shaping their professional growth experiences.
“I believe that a professional whose intellect is valued has a voice in their own professional growth. I also believe this needs to nestle within an ecoystem that aligns with collective team and organizational goals,” comments Sarah. “Transformative school cultures, where teams and individuals flourish, are underpinned by trust and respect. Leaders who make intentional decisions that foster a collaborative professional learning culture, one where high quality conversations happen, where staff feel supported and engaged, and where every voice is valued, is crucial for a thriving school team.”
“Our international school communities are diverse, and people have a variety of experiences and educational backgrounds,” Sarah continues. “We all have a piece of magic to bring to the conversation and every voice can be honoured and valued in our schools. If we can offer continuing professional learning opportunities where everyone is motivated to learn, we can build positive energy and drive commitment for a transformational school cultures.”
Sarah met Michael, co-founder of PeerSphere, when she was designing courses for MiniPD. Michael and his wife, Barbara Mui, created a course about “Positive Behaviour and Relationship Management in International Schools” and when Michael was launching PeerSphere, he connected with Sarah to talk about professional learning and leadership. Now in a consultancy role with PeerSphere, Sarah says that peer learning structures provide essential formative non-judging learning opportunities that can positively impact professional practice.
“We are diving into evidence-informed professional learning approaches coupled with effective implementation practices so that the peer learning structures can have optimized impacts in the many different school contexts,” comments Sarah.
If you’re a school leader making decisions about 2024/25 professional learning at your school, this is an ideal time to consider how peer learning communities can offer value for all members of your community.
PeerSphere is offering a school pass for 2024/25 that includes:
- access to online peer learning community sessions (4 per year for each community)
- peer coaching partnerships
- in-person peer-to-peer events (these will happen regularly throughout East Asia to allow PLC members to connect in a number of key locations)
- webinars for extra learning and access to resources
- free virtual conferences for teaching assistants and non-teaching staff
Deep discounts for early bird pricing are available until July 1st.
If you have questions about how PeerSphere works, or the impact that PeerSphere PLCs have on participants in several communities, check out some of the articles on this blog that highlight learning journeys from 2023/24. You’ll find a number of diverse voices and stories here that show the transformation that occurs in PeerSphere PLCs.
If you more more questions about joining PeerSphere for 2024/25, please email Michael and/or Ewen, co-founders of PeerSphere.
