Weekend Workshop with Dr. Deborah Welch – Leadership Tools for Department Heads

Weekend Workshop with Dr. Deborah Welch Leadership Tools for Department Heads and Teacher Leaders October 24-25, 2008

Sixty EARCOS-region teachers and administrators gathered in Hong Kong for an EARCOS weekend workshop at Canadian International School (CDNIS) on October 24 and 25. The weekend workshop, “Leadership Tools for Department Heads and Grade Level Leaders,” was facilitated by Dr. Deborah Welch, director of the Teacher Training Center for International Education (based in Cummaquid, MA). The workshop was sponsored by EARCOS, CDNIS, Hong Kong, and the Principals’ Training Center for Inter national School Leadership (PTC).

Dr. Welch set the stage for the workshop by introducing es sential questions for effective team leadership and providing an overview of the expected outcomes of the two-day event. She organized the course into a variety of activities that were both engaging and fun. Key topics included: roles and expectations of grade level leaders and department heads, facilitating change, common practices of effective teams, building effective teams, team collaboration for learning, strategies for effective meetings, norms for collaborative work, effective agendas, communication skills, and curriculum leadership. The workshop ended with participants developing actions plans for themselves to put in place on their return to school. with more tools in their tool-kits and a renewed vision for effective leadership as grade-level leaders and department heads.

CDNIS, Hong Kong, would like to thank Deb Welch for fa cilitating an excellent workshop, and EARCOS and the PTC for sponsorship of the workshop. With such great results, we are already looking to host additional workshops in the coming year. Kudos also to Dr. Dick Krajczar and Edzel Drilo of EARCOS for his excellent support in the planning and execution of the workshop.

Dean Croy EARCOS Weekend Workshop Coordinator

The weekend workshop was a first for CDNIS, Hong Kong, and was an excellent opportunity for the host school’s teachers to interact with other EARCOS-school teachers and administrators while participating in first-rate professional development.

-33- The school’s goal in hosting the workshop was to add value to important change agents in the school, grade level leaders and de partment heads. With the school in its third year of the IB journey, much of the responsibility for change leadership lies on the shoulders of teacher leaders. This group of teachers left the workshop